SAN DIEGO — Jedd Fisch spoke to the media two times this week. Those sessions lasted approximately 34 minutes. The second-year Arizona coach uttered some variation of the word “build” 17 times.
Reference No. 1 (and No. 2) came during Fisch’s opening remarks Monday:
“Today is really the first day of game week and the build of Arizona. And that’s really what we’re looking at and talking about throughout our whole process here: How can we build Arizona football to where we want it to be and where we want it to go?”
The Wildcats are headed to Snapdragon Stadium, the new home of San Diego State football, on Saturday. It is a game of great importance — a chance for Arizona to let the nation know that the Cats are back, or at least trending in that direction.
But the 2022 opener isn’t Arizona’s final destination. The way Fisch envisions it, it’s the start of a journey — one he hopes will culminate in regular bowl berths and even championships.
“I don’t think it’s right now about showing the nation about our program,” Fisch said Thursday. “We’re just building our program to where we want it to go or be one day. We have a lot of young players. We have a lot of new players. We’re working very hard to have a really good game.
“The first game is the first game. There’s 12 of them. We really can’t make the game any more than it is. It’s not the last game of the year. It’s not the Super Bowl. It’s Game 1. And it’s our job to build off of this game, try to get better the next game, try to get better the next game, all the way through.”
To that end, Fisch began the game-week conversation with big-picture concepts. He spoke at length about the three pillars upon which UA football will be built: culture, players and schematics. Let’s dive into each one.
Pillar No. 1: Culture
It’s an overused term in team sports, but there’s a reason for that: Culture matters.
Fisch inherited a program that had fallen into an abyss. Arizona lost 12 straight games over the course of the 2019 and ’20 seasons. The 2020 finale against Arizona State was flat-out embarrassing.
It isn’t easy to purge the stench of losing. The skid reached 20 games before the Wildcats finally ended it.
Fisch went about trying to change the culture by focusing on process over results — repeatedly emphasizing the importance of day-to-day tasks and carrying yourself like a professional in every realm.
“When we talk about culture, we’re really talking about the Wildcat principles,” Fisch said. “We talk to our team constantly about trusting the process, playing with passion, loving your teammates, embracing the grind and playing the next play.”
How does Fisch know those ideas are taking hold — that things are truly changing — when the scoreboard suggests otherwise? He sees it in the players’ attitude, behavior and habits. They’re buying in.
“I can only go off of how we practice every day, how the kids prepare,” Fisch said. “Their knowledge base has certainly improved. The way they talk the game, the way they behave off the field. We had our best semester ever this summer ... academically. What they’ve done in the community.
“And then when they show up on the practice field, they’re ready to work. They’ve had a tremendous confidence and a very good demeanor when they get out there. There’s no lates, there’s no guys dragging their cleats, there’s no guys that aren’t excited about going out there.
“Now, of course, the key is this: You have to go play.”
Pillar No. 2: Players
Fisch and his staff dramatically reshaped the roster during the offseason. Fifty players — nearly half the squad — have joined the team since the debacle against ASU.
It isn’t just about quantity, though. Arizona’s high school recruiting class ranked in the top 25 nationally. Its transfer-portal acquisitions ranked in the top 30.
Freshman running back Rayshon “Speedy” Luke is among the newcomers expected to make their Wildcats debut on Saturday against San Diego State.
According to 247Sports.com’s Talent Composite index, a measure of roster quality based on the recruiting outlet’s player ratings, the Wildcats have jumped 18 spots since last season, going from No. 66 nationally to No. 48.
“We’ve really focused on bringing in a lot of new players, retaining the right players, developing our older players and seeing how good we can be as a team,” Fisch said.
The 2022 Wildcats feature a nucleus of veteran holdovers and an exciting group of newcomers. The former includes four of the five team captains: offensive tackle Jordan Morgan, defensive end Jalen Harris, cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace and safety Christian Young. All are multiyear starters.
“Our fourth- and fifth-year players have really embraced what we’ve asked them to do,” Fisch said. “They’ve become great leaders.”
The new guys include five certain starters. Three are transfers: quarterback Jayden de Laura (the fifth captain), wide receiver Jacob Cowing and edge rusher Hunter Echols. Two are freshmen: receiver Tetairoa McMillan and guard Jonah Savaiinaea.
Fisch and his staff barely came up for air before attacking the Class of 2023. Arizona has 19 verbal commitments, tied for most in the Pac-12. The Wildcats’ class is ranked 39th nationally and fifth in the conference, per 247Sports.com.
“We know that if we’re going to build Arizona football to where we want it to go,” Fisch said, “it’s going to come down to being able to have another great recruiting class.”
And another. And another ...
Pillar No. 3: Schematics
Six of Arizona’s 11 on-field coaches have played in and/or coached in the NFL. Fisch, who has worked for seven NFL teams over his 20-plus years in the business, has made note of that several times this offseason.
Arizona has not sent many players to the league recently. But Fisch can point to a bunch of résumés that suggest this coaching staff has the know-how to develop draft picks.
Fisch has promoted the idea that the UA is the NFL’s 33rd team. It’s not a statement about the Wildcats’ talent. Rather, it’s about a mindset he’s trying to instill.
“We’ve tried to commit to allowing our players to see it from the inside-out, to see what the NFL looks like, to see what it looks like to be a pro, to see what it looks like to build champions,” Fisch said.
Fisch’s play-calling didn’t impress many Arizona fans last season; the Wildcats scored the fewest points in the Pac-12.
Was it the play-caller or the players? That’s something we’ll found out this season with newcomers spread across every skill position.
One thing is certain: Fisch and his staff have the players believing in themselves. That’s more impactful than any play he could draw up.
The Wildcats enter the 2022 season “expecting to win,” Harris said. “Last year, we were kind of like, ‘Oh, maybe we’ll win.’ Now we ... go into games expecting to win and knowing that we’re good enough to win.”
