Running back Jalen John shoves his way through Nick Moore, left, and Cameron Fietz during a ball protection drill on the first day of spring practice for the University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz., March 23, 2021.

 Kelly Presnell / Arizona Daily Star

Arizona practiced for the first time under new coach Jedd Fisch on Tuesday. It was a wet, windy afternoon, but the conditions didn’t dampen the Wildcats’ enthusiasm in the slightest.

Here are 15 observations on spring practice No. 1, which was split between the Dick Tomey Practice Fields and the Davis Sports Center and lasted a little over 2½ hours:

* Overall, the team operated at a faster pace and ran more plays than I would have expected for a first practice. Fisch and his staff didn’t ease into this thing. The players sprinted from one drill to the next. They literally ran 30-yard sprints a little over halfway through practice before taking a brief break and starting up again.

* Music wasn’t played during every drill, making it easy to hear coaches such as Don Brown and Keith Dudzinski barking out instructions. The first song played during stretching was “Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns N’ Roses. During the mid-practice sprints, it was “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC.

* The “It’s personal” theme that Fisch has been promoting was evident in an unexpected way: Players had names on the back of their jerseys. I don’t recall ever seeing that in any football practice. The team worked without pads, but the players did wear helmets and football pants (as opposed to shorts).

* Quarterbacks worked from under center a decent amount of the time – a departure from the last two offenses that were run at Arizona. It’s an adjustment for the QBs and the centers, but that’s what spring ball is for. I saw four linemen snapping during the early portion of practice: Josh McCauley, Josh Baker, JT Hand and Matthew Stefanski Jr.

* The quarterbacks spent a lot of time working on footwork and incorporated five-step drops and play-action fakes into several drills. The even turned their backs to the line of scrimmage at times.

* Fisch spent most of his time working with the quarterbacks and receivers, emphasizing specific techniques. For example: He instructed the wideouts on how to sell vertical routes before they broke off into slants. An intriguing player to watch in that group is Jalen Johnson, who was suspended last season because of an off-field incident. Johnson looks the part at 6-2, 212.

* QBs Gunner Cruz and Will Plummer made the biggest impression during the final session of 11-on-11 play. Cruz hit tight end Zach Williams on consecutive plays over the middle. Plummer and Tayvian Cunningham hooked up for the play of the day, a deep post that saw the speedy Cunningham split safeties Jaxen Turner and Jaydin Young.

* Speaking of the tight ends ... believe the hype. They were utilized aplenty, including a sequence of several targets in a row during “team” drills. Veteran Bryce Wolma said Fisch’s offense features two TE positions – a more traditional, in-line “Y,” which Stacey Marshall manned, and a move tight end, or “H,” which Wolma played.

* The first offensive line unit looked familiar. From left to right: Jordan Morgan, Donovan Laie, McCauley, Josh Donovan and Paiton Fears. The second unit: Woody Jean, Sam Langi, Baker, Stefanski and David Watson. OL coach Brennan Carroll said he expects to experiment with different alignments throughout spring camp.

* It was harder to decipher defensive personnel because of where we were situated during practice. Several players working with the ones were as expected, including defensive ends Jalen Harris and JB Brown, and cornerbacks Christian Roland-Wallace and Isaiah Rutherford. Second-year freshman Paris Shand spent time with the ones at defensive tackle alongside Kyon Barrs.

* Eddie Siaumau-Sanitoa is listed as a defensive lineman but appeared to be working with the linebackers. Meanwhile, Jason Harris is listed as a linebacker but appeared to be working with the defensive linemen.

* McKenzie Barnes did a good job of locking up Boobie Curry during receiver-cornerback one-on-ones. Roland-Wallace also impressed, registering a pass breakup and an interception. Receiver Stanley Berryhill III continued to make plays, just as he did during the 2020 season.

* Kicker Lucas Havrisik’s leg strength stood out when he drilled a 35-yard field goal that landed on the roof of the Ginny L. Clements Academic Center, a two-story building located about 15 yards beyond the goalpost at the north end of Tomey.

* The quarterbacks wore red jerseys, but so did several position players who were limited to some degree. Those players included tailback Michael Wiley (who took plenty of reps), linebackers Anthony Pandy and Derick Mourning, and defensive backs Isaiah Mays and Rhedi Short. Mourning looks as if he’s hit the weight room hard the past couple of months.

* Second-year freshman Roberto Miranda, who has moved from receiver to tight end, was the last player to leave practice. He ran sprints the width of the field while Wolma spoke to the media.

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Contact sports reporter Michael Lev at 573-4148 or mlev@tucson.com. On Twitter @michaeljlev