(Editor's note: Since the publication of this story, the QB announcement has been moved to Tuesday.)
Arizona coach Jedd Fisch is expected to name the Wildcats’ starting quarterback Monday, and most signs point to Gunner Cruz getting the nod.
From the start of spring practice through the end of training camp Saturday night, Cruz has been the most consistent performer at the position. That’s particularly true in one critical area: protecting the ball.
Cruz was the only one of the three competitors who did not throw an interception during training-camp practices open to the media. Both Fisch and quarterbacks coach Jimmie Dougherty have cited the importance of limiting turnovers, among other criteria.
That isn’t to say Cruz, a transfer from Washington State, has been flawless or is close to a finished product. Although he has the strongest arm of the bunch, Cruz has been hesitant to release the ball at times. That could lead to sacks in real games, the first of which is a week from Saturday against BYU.
That game would mark Cruz’s first career start. The product of Casteel High School in Queen Creek spent two seasons at WSU but appeared in only one game, completing 5 of 7 passes for 34 yards and one touchdown in relief against USC.
Cruz started for the blue team — which consisted of projected first- and second-stringers — during Saturday’s scrimmage at Arizona Stadium. He alternated with second-year freshman Will Plummer, who has made a strong push for the starting job since the midpoint of spring practice.
Unofficially, Cruz completed 10 of 14 passes for 149 yards in the scrimmage. He threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Boobie Curry, although the play could have been whistled dead with John Burton in sack range.
Plummer, the lone scholarship returnee among the quarterbacks, was 7 of 13 for 81 yards and one score — a 3-yard bootleg pass to tight end Alex Lines. Safety Jaxen Turner nearly intercepted Plummer in the end zone on a ball that was thrown into traffic.
Another transfer, Jordan McCloud, served as the main quarterback for the red team. He threw a touchdown pass — a 5-yarder to receiver Jaden Mitchell – but also had an interception. He completed 12 of 20 passes for 95 yards.
Quarterbacks Will Plummer, left, Gunner Cruz and Jordan McCloud have battled for the starting quarterback job. Jedd Fisch is expected to name the winner of the competition on Tuesday.
Based on recent practice reps and the scrimmage assignments, McCloud appears to be running third in the race. He arrived from South Florida in June and never could make up for lost time. He undoubtedly would have benefited from participating in spring practice and getting more time in the strength program had that been a possibility.
Fisch said after the scrimmage that he and his staff had “a good idea what we’ll do” regarding the quarterback decision. He still planned to review film of the scrimmage and huddle with Dougherty and offensive coordinator Brennan Carroll. Fisch also wanted to make sure the decision was conveyed in the proper manner, starting with the quarterbacks themselves.
“Let them know first,” Fisch said. “Then the team. And then the world.”
Cunningham’s commitment
A case could be made that receiver Tayvian Cunningham was Arizona’s top offensive player in camp. At the very least, he was the most improved player on that side of the ball.
The fifth-year senior credited Fisch, receivers coach Kevin Cummings and strength coach Tyler Owens for helping him grow.
“A lot of great guys I’m around,” Cunningham said, “just getting me better every day.”
Cunningham has gotten significantly stronger since spring. He put on nine pounds of muscle and now checks in at 5-10, 183. He hasn’t lost any speed in the process.
Cummings credited Cunningham’s devotion to football over the summer. He split time between football and track in spring.
“When you do two things at once, you’re kind of half-good at one, half-good at the other,” Cunningham said. “When I was doing track and football, I was kind of just average at both. Once I went all football, I feel like I made that jump.”
Cunningham might be selling himself short. He has 44 catches for 522 yards and three touchdowns in 16 games as a Wildcat. In track this past spring, Cunningham recorded a personal-best time of 10.61 seconds in the 100 meters and was a member of the UA 4x100 relay team that finished third at the Pac-12 Championships.
Cunningham’s track career is on hold for the time being. He’s fully invested in football this fall.
“Doing both was tough,” Cunningham said. “But it made me stronger for right now.”
Defensive risers
Two defensive players who were non-factors at the start of camp have moved up the depth chart.
Defensive lineman Mo Diallo wasn’t here when camp started. Diallo, a graduate transfer from Central Michigan, arrived on campus the weekend of Aug. 14-15. He spent the summer working on a fishing boat in Spain, Fisch said.
Diallo almost immediately ascended to the starting lineup, sliding in at strong-side end.
“Mo’s a special player,” Fisch said of Diallo, who earned first-team All-MAC recognition last season. “He knows how to shed some blocks. He knows how to use his hands. He's what you want that position to look like. He can play all four spots on the defensive line. There's no question he’ll be a starting player for us.”
Freshman safety Isaiah Taylor might not be quite there yet, but he played for the blue team during the scrimmage and had an interception. Taylor was a late add to the 2021 signing class out of St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he played for his father, Pro Football Hall of Famer Jason Taylor.
“Great pedigree ... great school,” Fisch said. “He has really good movement skills. We started him at ‘Viper.’ We moved him back to safety. It's definitely a more natural position for him.
“He showed up (Saturday), making a nice interception. You could just see the way he moves on the field. He's very fluid. I'm excited about where he can go with our program.”
Extra points
- Receiver BJ Casteel was extremely active during the scrimmage. Casteel, Stanley Berryhill III and Cunningham appear to be the top three wideouts, with Curry and Jalen Johnson also in the rotation.
- Defensive tackle Trevon Mason continued to play well, recording a sack and a QB pressure on consecutive plays.
- Players who did not participate included tackle Jordan Morgan, linebacker Kenny Hebert, defensive linemen Kyon Barrs and Paris Shand, and cornerback Isaiah Rutherford. Fisch said Morgan and Rutherford were held out for precautionary reasons, although Morgan had a boot on his left foot.
- Cornerback Treydan Stukes, who started in Rutherford’s spot, had a pair of pass breakups.
- Cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace had an interception wiped out by an offside penalty.
- Defensive end JB Brown dressed but didn’t play. Another end, Eddie Siaumau-Sanitoa, returned from injury and played for the blue team.
- Defensive end Jason Harris again flashed a nice pass-rush move, drawing a holding penalty on Donovan Laie.
- Freshman safety Logan Kraut had an excellent breakup on a deep ball from Cruz to Casteel that was slightly underthrown.
- Nickel linebacker Rashie Hodge Jr. had a tackle for loss and a pass breakup in the second half.
- Freshman receivers Anthony Simpson and Dorian Singer were among McCloud’s top targets, and both appear to have promising futures.
- Lucas Havrisik made 2 of 3 field goal attempts, all from 48 or more yards. Tyler Loop went 0 for 2 (50, 48).
- Kyle Ostendorp had the longest punt of the night, a 52-yarder. Jacob Meeker-Hackett was able to land one at the 4-yard line.
- Fisch estimated the crowd at the start of the scrimmage at 8,000. The ZonaZoo section was about 85% full at kickoff. Fisch addressed the students at halftime.
- Class of 2022 commits Keyan Burnett, Tristan Monday and Grayson Stovall were among those in attendance.
