Like most of the rest of the student body, the Arizona Wildcats football team is on spring break this week. Arizona conducted four practices last week, concluding the first phase of spring ball with full-pads scrimmaging Friday evening. The Wildcats are set to return on Tuesday, March 17.
They won’t spend all of spring break idly, though. Kevin Sumlin said the week would be used for self-evaluation. Senior Tayvian Cunningham said he and some of his fellow receivers would return early to resume working with the quarterbacks.
“We’re gonna get right back at it,” Cunningham said. “Everybody wants to work.”
We’re not resting either. Here are five takeaways from the first week of UA spring football:
1. Defensive depth
The best line of spring camp so far came from new defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads, who, when asked about Arizona’s defensive depth, shot back: “What depth?”
Rhoads was only semi-joking. Depth is a real concern for the Wildcats on the defensive side of the ball, particularly in the linebacking corps and secondary. While Sumlin and his staff have done a good job of beefing up the front, their work is far from done elsewhere.
When you look at the projected starters at those eight LB and DB spots, you feel pretty good about things. But Arizona is severely lacking in experience beyond the first unit. And in spring, that problem is exacerbated by a lack of numbers.
It isn’t an uncommon problem. Fifteen players literally aren’t here yet, including eight who are projected to play defense. While watching the portions of spring practice open to the media – which consist mostly of individual drills – it wasn’t unusual to hear reporters say, “Where is everybody?”
A handful of key defenders, including linebacker Anthony Pandy and cornerback Lorenzo Burns, missed the final two practices of last week while traveling to Paris for a spring-break study trip. That allowed young players such as Kwabena Watson and Bobby Wolfe to get more meaningful reps.
The reality is, the Wildcats are going to need those two and others to develop quickly because Arizona isn’t going to make it through the season with a rotation of 15-16 defenders. That number needs to be closer to 20, maybe even higher. It might be the biggest challenge the new defensive staff faces.
2. Rhoads’ rhetoric
We got a chance to speak at length with Rhoads this past Thursday, and it was interesting. You could tell immediately that the former Iowa State head coach has had plenty of reps in those types of settings.
What stood out most were the talking points Rhoads continued to emphasize – and the ones he didn’t. As he did in his introductory news conference in December, Rhoads again placed a premium on tackling. He also stressed playing hard and minimizing big plays. Those three combined would lead to a drop-off in points allowed, “which is the most important stat,” Rhoads said.
Rhoads didn’t mention stopping the run, getting to the quarterback or taking the ball away. He obviously wants to do those things. But he clearly sees effort and tackling as the means to that end.
Something else that Rhoads didn’t bring up that’s unquestionably being accentuated to a greater extent than in recent years: communication. Breakdowns in that area hurt the Wildcats on multiple occasions last season. Senior linebacker Colin Schooler said “everybody’s talking on the field,” which is encouraging.
“Corners are giving outside ’backers calls; outside ’backers are giving D-linemen calls,” Schooler said. “We're looking more as one right now. Yes, we're miles away from where we need to be by the season. But we look good for spring ball.”
3. Areas of strength
Even with breakout candidate Jamarye Joiner being sidelined because of a foot injury, the UA receiving corps appears to be well-stocked. Graduate transfer Brenden Schooler, Colin’s older brother, has provided additional size and speed. Sophomores Boobie Curry and Jalen Johnson are being given every opportunity to establish themselves on the outside to complement veterans such as Schooler, Joiner, Cunningham, Brian Casteel and Stanley Berryhill III, who’s healthy after missing spring ball a year ago.
Even without leading rusher J.J. Taylor, who’s prepping for the NFL draft, the depth at running back is excellent. Sumlin suggested it’s still Arizona’s deepest position, and that’s probably true. The Wildcats have four scholarship tailbacks with varying styles and experience levels, and they have two more coming this summer in Frank Brown Jr. and Jalen John.
Arizona seems to have adequate, or at least promising, depth at quarterback behind presumed starter Grant Gunnell. But honestly, it’s hard to tell at this point. The media haven’t been allowed to watch 7-on-7 or 11-on-11 work. Kevin Doyle might have the strongest arm among the QBs, but our only exposure to him against college players came in a handful of series in last year’s spring game. Newly arrived freshman Will Plummer looked more comfortable and confident as Week 1 progressed, but it’s impossible to tell from that whether he’s remotely close to being able to play in a game.
When it comes to the quarterbacks, we’re taking a wait-and-see approach for now.
4. Looking the part
Some players just look good in uniform. Newcomers Stacey Marshall and Roberto Miranda are two of them.
Marshall, the tight end who transferred from Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College, appears ready to contribute immediately. He’s listed at 6-5, 248, and is well built. His JC film consisted mostly of blocking, an area of the game he excels at and embraces.
If Marshall can get up to speed on Arizona’s playbook – a process that’ll be aided by his midyear arrival – he at least should help the offense as a blocker in the run and screen games. Senior Bryce Wolma remains the starter at that spot and should be the primary pass catcher – although, like the rest of you, we remain skeptical about how many targets the tight ends will get.
Miranda, who played his prep ball in Germany, was listed as a tight end by most recruiting services. Arizona is calling him a wide receiver for now. He’s listed at 6-2, 217, but looks bigger. He looks like a future tight end.
Miranda also has been practicing with a brace on his right knee and a yellow jersey, indicating limited contact. Although Sumlin said most midyear enrollees end up playing as freshmen, we’d be surprised if Miranda didn’t redshirt given his learning curve and the depth at his position.
But Miranda does possess the frame to develop into something down the line. The UA staff pursued prospects with similarly projectable measurables on the other side of the ball.
5. Line stance
No matter how many talented skill-position players you have, their success depends largely on the offensive line. Similar to the defense, the initial impression is that Arizona has the makings of a strong first unit but might be lacking in the depth department.
Best we could tell, the starting five by week’s end featured the following players, from left to right: Jordan Morgan, Donovan Laie, Josh McCauley, Josh Donovan and Paiton Fears. Although Morgan and Donovan lack experience, relatively speaking, they have the requisite size and athleticism. Laie and McCauley are multiyear returning starters. Fears started seven games as a sophomore last season.
Beyond them, it gets a little dicey. We like the idea of veteran Robert Congel as a “sixth man” who can play guard or center. Laie could move to either tackle spot if need be. Edgar Burrola, who’s limited this spring after offseason shoulder surgery, shared time with Fears at right tackle in 2019. No one else has any substantial experience. In most cases, the projected backups have none at all.
Adding to the roster here and/or on defense via the transfer portal would be helpful, but it’s easier said than done. It has to be the right fit for all parties. Arizona has room to add as many as four players, and Sumlin said it’s at least a “possibility.”
“Everybody's in the market right now because of the portal,” he said. “We've got some room for a couple guys, and we are exploring that market.”
