Spring football for the Arizona Wildcats is starting a little later than it has in recent years, but it’s almost here. With Kevin Sumlin’s first full practice as UA coach scheduled for Monday, we will examine the state of his team over the remainder of this week. The series continues with a look at the cornerbacks, concluding the first of two two-a-days that will wrap up our position-by-position preview.
CORNERBACKS
Who’s here: Jace Whittaker (5-11, 182, SR), Lorenzo Burns (5-10, 173, RS SO), Tony Wallace (5-10, 184, SO), Malik Hausman (6-0, 170, RS FR), Malcolm Holland (5-11, 182, RS JR), Antonio Parks (5-10, 188, RS SO), Sammy Morrison (5-10, 177, RS JR)
Who’s coming: McKenzie Barnes (6-2, 170, FR), Jhevon Hill (6-3, 185, FR)
The big question: Does Arizona finally have the depth to withstand an injury and create a rotation at corner?
Whittaker and Burns didn’t play every snap last season; it just seemed that way.
As the season progressed, the Wildcats seemed to sub less and less in their secondary. Whittaker and Burns were among the players who earned Marcel Yates’ trust, and he ran with them. There’s nothing wrong with that.
But it’s better to have real competition and legitimate rotations. It keeps everyone sharp and fresh.
On Purdue’s winning scoring drive in the season-ending Foster Farms Bowl, Burns missed a tackle and lost a jump ball. Might he have made those plays with fewer miles on his legs over the previous 12-plus games?
It’s impossible to say for sure, but it’s not an unreasonable assumption. It’s also feasible to project a different snap distribution in 2018.
Whittaker - who wore a boot late in the season to protect a sore left foot - and Burns are heavy favorites to retain their starting jobs. They were among Arizona’s most productive defenders last season, combining for 20 pass breakups and eight interceptions.
But the players behind them should be better positioned for more substantial roles.
Wallace and Hausman are entering their second years in the program. A defensive coach told me in December that Wallace was the best athlete on the team – a team that included Khalil Tate, among others. Wallace appeared in 10 games, mostly on special teams, and made four tackles. He’s just scratching the surface.
Hausman should be stronger and healthier after redshirting and spending a full offseason in the UA weight program. He missed his senior season at Las Vegas’ Bishop Gorman High after being struck by a car and tearing the ACL in his left knee while on a recruiting visit to Tucson in 2016. Hausman and Wallace were considered comparable prospects coming out of Las Vegas, with Hausman ahead of Wallace on some lists.
Holland and Parks gained another year of experience, and Arizona added new blood – and a new dynamic – by signing Barnes and Hill.
Both incoming freshmen have the height and length Yates desires in his defensive backs. Whittaker and Burns are fierce, scrappy competitors who aren’t afraid to get physical. They don’t have great size, and that can be problematic against bigger receivers. We saw it against Arizona State’s 6-4, 216-pound N’Keal Harry and Purdue’s 6-3, 210-pound Anthony Mahoungou, who wrestled the aforementioned jump ball away from Burns for the winning touchdown.
If Barnes and/or Hill can push for playing time, Arizona not only would have better depth but more diverse depth.
For that to happen, the young guys must earn the trust of Yates and new cornerbacks coach Demetrice Martin. That process begins in earnest with spring practice No. 1 on Monday.
ARIZONA SPRING PREVIEW SERIES
