If there was one Arizona Wildcat who didn’t need to get hit by the flu bug, it was Jalen Harris.
The third-year edge rusher has been fighting the battle of the bulk since he arrived on campus. Blessed with ideal length at 6-foot-4, Harris checked in at 212 pounds as a freshman. He was up to 230 last year. This spring, he reached 242. Then he caught the bug and lost seven pounds.
“He was up in the 240s and playing well,” UA coach Kevin Sumlin said. “He needs to get back to that. He can be a difference-maker as a pass rusher.”
Harris emerged as a starter late last season at the Stud position. He finished his redshirt-freshman campaign with 27 tackles and three sacks.
Just as Harris would like to raise his weight — he wants to play at 250 pounds this season — he’s determined to increase his sack total. He’s eyeing double digits. If he keeps progressing, it might be possible.
“He’s disruptive, he’s long, he’s athletic,” Sumlin said. “This summer’s going to be really important for him to keep going with his strength and with his body. Athletically, he’s what we’re looking for.”
Getting bigger and stronger helps Harris in two ways: holding up against the run and keeping would-be blockers at bay.
“I’m able to get the O-linemen off me,” Harris said. “That was a big problem I had with my weight.
“Last year I got pushed around. Now I’m more stout. I’m able to hold (my position) like the coaches want, shed and make tackles.”
Harris also is working on making his hands more “violent.” His length often enables him to reach blockers before they can get their hands on him.
Defensive line coach Iona Uiagalelei said the Wildcats are utilizing more traditional four-man fronts this spring, another factor that could boost Harris’ sack total. Like most edge players, he’d rather rush upfield than drop into coverage.
“I did that a lot in high school. I’m actually a fan of it,” Harris said. “I like getting after the quarterback.”
Another Harris coming?
Jason Harris, Jalen’s younger, taller brother, is a four-star prospect whom Arizona is hotly pursuing. Jalen Harris is pushing hard for his brother to join him in Tucson.
“I’m trying,” the older Harris said. “I want him to play with me. I think us together would be really great.”
Like Jalen, Jason is a defensive end. He has one more year at Higley High School in Gilbert. The 6-foot-7, 220-pounder is also a basketball prospect. That isn’t stopping some of the top football programs in the country from recruiting him.
Jason Harris holds offers from Alabama, Oklahoma, Texas and USC, among others. He and his family visited Texas A&M this past weekend.
Arizona has one advantage over every other suitor: Not only is Harris’ older brother a Wildcat, but so are his parents.
Sean Harris was a star linebacker for the UA in the early 1990s. Cha-Ron Harris (then known as Cha-Ron Walker) played for the basketball team later in the decade.
“I think it would be fun,” Jalen Harris said of lining up opposite his brother. “We’ll put on a show.”
‘The new Khalil’
As Arizona’s outside receivers coach, Taylor Mazzone doesn’t work directly with quarterback Khalil Tate. But Mazzone’s wideouts do, as does his father, Noel Mazzone, the Wildcats’ offensive coordinator and QB coach.
So Taylor Mazzone has a unique perspective on Arizona’s mercurial quarterback.
Asked Monday what he has seen out of Tate so far this spring, Mazzone said:
“Last year was last year. This is the new Khalil. I think Khalil has done a great job of mentally taking the quarterback position and understanding it from the inside out. Really his first time starting was last year, as a full-time starter. He understands that it takes a different mindset throughout a whole season.
“I think Khalil’s communication has been more clear (from) a receiver standpoint, where he wants (those) guys, landmarks and so forth. He’s become more of a teacher for the young guys in my room.”
Tate threw a career-high 26 touchdown passes last season, but he didn’t run nearly as much or as effectively as in 2017. Many UA fans blamed Noel Mazzone for that.
It’s not the first time Taylor Mazzone has heard those sorts of critiques leveled at his father.
“Being a coach’s son for almost 32 years, that’s been part of my life,” Taylor Mazzone said. “As my dad says, if you don’t want to get shot at, don’t join the army.”
As for the fans’ view of Noel Mazzone’s handling of Tate, Taylor Mazzone said: “They’re not in the room 24/7. We had some situations throughout the season that came up short. But I think at this point in spring, we all know the direction we want to go. As long as we’re all on the same page and pulling in the same direction, they’re going to see improvements.”
Extra points
- Defensive tackle Myles Tapusoa attended practice and worked with the players rehabbing from injuries. He’s been out since March 20.
- Continuing a trend from last week, Edgar Burrola (right tackle) and Jon Jacobs (left guard) worked with the first-team offensive line.
- Two notable plays from the open period of 11-on-11: Receiver Devaughn Cooper catching a short pass from Grant Gunnell and turning it into a big gain, and defensive lineman JB Brown leaping to bat down a Luke Ashworth pass.
- Former UA linebacker and graduate assistant Hank Hobson has returned to the program as an analyst.
- Incoming defensive tackle Trevon Mason visited practice.
