As strange as it sounds, Arizonaโs recruiting might not be any worse off today than it was a year ago.
Despite not having a head coach in place, the UA signed 14 players Wednesday. Thatโs two more than last year, when Kevin Sumlin had just completed his second season.
Sumlin was fired Saturday, one day after Arizona lost to rival Arizona State 70-7. The program will take a school-record 12-game losing streak into next season.
Sumlinโs dismissal prompted some recruits to decommit. Others said they will wait to see who the new coach is before signing with Arizona โ or someone else โ in early February.
But 14 is still an impressive total, all things considered, and it could grow in the coming days. (The early signing period runs through Friday.) Itโs a reflection not only of the recruitsโ loyalty to their new school but of the diligence and professionalism of the staffers who remain on the payroll for the time being.
โIt was unnerving at times,โ said one of the signees, offensive lineman JT Hand of Mission Viejo, California. โBut Iโm excited at the same time to see thereโs going to be some change in the program.โ
After the early signing period last year, the UA padded its 2020 class. The Wildcats added two graduate transfers and signed six more players in February. The circumstances have changed this year with a new staff coming in, but thereโs plenty of time and opportunity to expand the class.
Arizona can take as many as 28 players for 2021. The transfer market should be robust, especially with the NCAA expected to make permanent the waiver that was granted Wednesday giving every Division I athlete a โfreeโ one-time transfer.
Arizona also conceivably could lose some players who signed Wednesday. The UA is not expected to block anyone from leaving should they object to the new coaching staff.
Only two skill-position players signed Wednesday: tailback Stevie Rocker of Canyon del Oro High School and tight end Colby Powers of Spring, Texas. But Arizona still was able to address most of its pressing needs, adding four defensive backs, three offensive linemen, three linebackers and two defensive linemen.
โI want a hardcore coachโ
Every player has his own reasons for committing, decommitting or signing a letter of intent. Hand and linebacker DJ Fryar had different experiences before coming to the same conclusion Wednesday.
Hand has been all-in on the Wildcats since the day they offered him. His father, Bryan, played at Arizona under Dick Tomey. They have family in Tucson, which JT described as his โsecond home.โ
โIโve been waiting for Arizona ever since I was a little kid,โ Hand said. โNow that itโs coming true, itโs pretty crazy. Iโm so set on being out there. Itโs a dream come true.โ
Hand said he and his father had a feeling Sumlin was in trouble, especially after the ASU game. Hand is hopeful that offensive line coach Kyle DeVan will be retained. Hand has wanted to play for DeVan since meeting him at a camp as a sophomore.
โHeโs young. Heโs energetic. He has NFL coaching experience,โ Hand said. โNot only could he make our team successful, but he could get me to the next level.โ
And what is Hand looking for in the next head coach?
โI want a hardcore coach thatโs used to winning and knows how to get us to championships but also incorporates alumni,โ Hand said. โI know thatโs been an issue the last couple years; I know theyโve been shut out a little bit.
โAnd a coach with an Arizona background, where theyโve got something to lose, their heartโs in it.โ
Fryar, whoโs from Steilacoom, Washington, said heโs looking for a โfamily-type relationshipโ with the new coach.
โBeing able to talk about everything, things I need help with,โ Fryar said. โBeing able to have a family talk.โ
Fryar felt anxious in the wake of Sumlinโs firing; the three-star prospect wasnโt sure heโd still have his UA offer. But once he talked to defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads, Fryar felt confident that everything would work out โ that heโd โstill have a chance to play at the school and have a free education.โ
Rhoads couldnโt provide any assurances that heโll still be around when Fryar arrives on campus.
โWe both really donโt know,โ Fryar said. โIf he does stay, heโs happy to have me. If he doesnโt, he knows Iโll be left in great hands with a great organization.โ
Bottom line
Another factor to consider when thinking about who the next Arizona coach will be: The UA pays on the low end when it comes to compensating assistants.
USA Today this week released its annual survey of Power Five assistant coachesโ salaries. The publication was able to gather data on 48 of 65 schools. Arizona ranked last among those 48 for the 2020 season.
USA Today calculated the total wages for the 10 assistant coaches on each staff. Arizona came in at just under $3.07 million. Three of the bottom four are Pac-12 schools. Oregon State is No. 45 at $3.37 million; Colorado is No. 47 at $3.32 million.
Washington pays the most among public Pac-12 schools. (Private schools Stanford and USC are not included in USA Todayโs database). The Huskies pay $5.06 million, which ranks 16th. Arizona State ranks fifth among Pac-12 schools and 35th overall at $3.70 million.
Itโs more likely than not that the majority of Arizonaโs assistants wonโt be retained by the new head coach. Coordinators Rhoads ($750,000) and Noel Mazzone ($600,000) are the highest paid among them. Outside linebackers coach Andy Buh is next at $375,000. Special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer is last at $185,000.
Sumlinโs contract included an assistant-coach salary pool of $3.40 million per fiscal year.
Every UA assistant took a pandemic reduction this year. Those cuts ranged from $82,083 for Rhoads to $17,055 for Springer. Without the reductions, the salaries for Arizonaโs assistants would have totaled $3.43 million.
USA Today also surveyed strength coaches in the Power Five Conferences. Arizona ranks last there as well among 49 schools. Brian Johnsonโs 2020 salary is $175,000.
