“Body armor.”
No, it isn’t Jayden de Laura’s new NIL deal. At least not that we’re aware of.
Rather, it was Arizona coach Jedd Fisch’s reasoning for de Laura’s offseason weight gain. The Wildcats’ new quarterback has put on about 20 pounds of muscle. The 6-foot de Laura currently weighs 205 pounds.
“These guys take hits, and you need to be able to protect yourself,” Fisch said Wednesday after the first practice of training camp. “He needed some armor in there. He’s stronger, he’s faster. And, most importantly, his body is far more protected than it would have been at a lighter weight.”
Fisch knows first-hand how injuries can decimate a depth chart at quarterback. Two UA passers, Gunner Cruz and Jordan McCloud, suffered season-ending injuries last season. A third, Will Plummer, hurt his shoulder during the season and had surgery after spring ball.
Cruz’s injury, to his thumb, was fluky; McCloud’s leg was mangled in a pileup. Still, as de Laura noted, you “gotta prepare for the worst. You don’t know what’s going to happen.”
His goal, simply put, is to stay healthy and play the entire season. De Laura missed the second half of the season-ending Sun Bowl while playing for Washington State. He took three sacks before exiting.
The Cougars surrendered 30 sacks in 13 games last season. Arizona allowed 35 — the most in the Pac-12 — in 12 games. Although it has plenty of experience, the Wildcats’ offensive line remains a question mark.
De Laura hadn’t taken a snap in a UA uniform when he approached UA strength coach Tyler Owens seeking to build up his body. De Laura got up to about 190 pounds during spring. After spending two weeks at home in Hawaii, he checked in at 205.
De Laura executed a two-pronged plan: “Lifting more and eating more.” Although he recently discovered a delicious dessert in Tucson — flan — de Laura declared that “the key is rice.”
Arizona quarterback Jayden de Laura works with quarterbacks coach Jimmie Dougherty during Wednesday’s first practice on campus. The WSU transfer has a greater grasp of the offense after taking part in spring drills.
De Laura didn’t spend his entire offseason eating and lifting weights. He also sought a better mastery of Fisch’s scheme. De Laura didn’t have it all down when he participated in spring practice.
“I wasn’t really confident with the plays,” de Laura said. “I wouldn’t say I was just thrown out there, but I didn’t really have everything underneath me. I was just going out there trying to improvise, trying to make stuff happen. Coming into fall camp, I got everything down. So it’s more just executing.”
Armed with a firmer grasp of the playbook, de Laura begins training camp with greater confidence and command. That, in theory, should enable him to process plays faster and avoid unnecessary hits.
“The natural parts and the natural gifts that he has of being able to see and throw and make plays off schedule and (operate) in the pocket all come very natural to him,” Fisch said. “What somebody that comes from a different scheme has to pick up when it comes to our scheme is, it’s a little bit more based on timing. And it’s a little bit more programmed. So he’s had to get to that comfort level of taking a snap, getting his feet right.”
De Laura is an adept scrambler, and some of the best plays he made in spring came outside the pocket after plays broke down. He wants to limit those improvisational forays this season.
“I’m trying to stay in the system, just show that this system works,” de Laura said. “It’s proven. It’s obviously proven in the NFL to work. You don’t see Matt Stafford (who plays for the L.A. Rams, whose scheme Fisch borrowed from heavily) running around like 10 plays a game.”
Quarterbacks coach Jimmie Dougherty wants de Laura to focus on “the day-to-day.” The more good days he can compile, the more his knowledge — like his body — will grow.
“Just continuing to grow in his confidence in the scheme is really the biggest thing for me,” Dougherty said. “He did a nice job coming in in spring ball, having just a few weeks to prepare for that, and I was really impressed with his ability to retain. Now it’s just continuing to build upon that as we move into fall camp.
“Things are ramped up, right? Now there’s a game on the horizon.”
Arizona opens its season Sept. 3 at San Diego State.
Fisch on grass
The Wildcats are utilizing a second outdoor practice field just south of Bear Down Beach, the Wildcats’ beach volleyball courts. Fans can watch from bleachers on the east side of the newly created field.
Fisch believes practicing on grass as much as possible will give his team an advantage.
“It feels better on your legs. It feels better on your body,” Fisch said. “This is what the top programs have — two big grass fields, the indoor facility. Just continue to build that up with our guys and let them understand that the more we can give them, the better they’re going to be.”
The UA recently replaced the playing surface at Arizona Stadium, eschewing grass for an updated turf surface. Fisch said he and the football program had no influence on that decision.
The Arizona Wildcats stretch under a monsoon clouds during the first day of Arizona's 2022 Fall Training Practice near Arizona's Dick Tomey Football Practice Field in Tucson, Ariz. on Aug. 3, 2022.
Extra points
The team focused almost exclusively on fundamental work. The offense and defense barely interacted. There were no 7-on-7 or 11-on-11 sessions during periods open to media observation.
The red zone, where Arizona struggled on both sides of the ball last season, continues to be an area of emphasis. “We lived the whole morning in it,” Fisch said. “Everything we’ll be doing (for the next several days) is inside the 25-yard line.”
Tailback D.J. Williams, who transferred to Arizona from Florida State, did not participate while waiting for some academic paperwork to clear. He is expected to be on the field Thursday.
The only surprise among first-team units came at weak-side linebacker, where redshirt freshman Kolbe Cage got the nod. He worked alongside Jerry Roberts. Malik Reed and Ammon Allen worked with the second unit.
Freshman cornerback Tacario Davis looks the part. He and fellow freshman Ephesians Prysock both fit the profile of the long-limbed cornerbacks that position coach DeWayne Walker prefers.
Fisch acknowledged that freshman tailback Rayshon Luke would benefit greatly from a full offseason in the strength program. But Luke will have a role even at his current weight of about 165 pounds.
Receiver Jamarye Joiner, coming back from foot surgery, participated in individual drills.
Center Josh Baker (pectoral) and defensive tackle Kyon Barrs (foot) worked with the first team at their respective positions.
Quarterback Will Plummer (shoulder) participated in drills but did not do any throwing.
One of Arizona’s new walk-ons is San Diego receiver Rex Haynes, who originally committed to Colorado State and held offers from Arizona State, San Diego State and Fresno State. Haynes is the son of former ASU standout and Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Haynes.
The Wildcats again will work without pads Thursday. They’ll add shoulder pads Friday and go to full pads for practice No. 6 on Tuesday.
