Itβs as if the Arizona Wildcats made a trade β with themselves.
The offense sent DaVonteβ Neal to the defense for a player to be named later. It turned out to be Cam Denson.
Neal, a former receiver, is entering his second season as a cornerback. Denson, a former corner, is entering his first as a receiver.
The hope within the program is that the deal will be good for both sides.
βWe were trying to figure it out,β UA coach Rich Rodriguez said. βAnd they were probably trying to figure it out. Weβve got them in the right positions. Thatβs the most important thing.β
Coaches are always on the lookout for players who can play multiple spots. βTheyβre typically more athletic,β receivers coach Tony Dews said.
But sometimes it takes a while to figure out where they fit best.
A big-time recruit from Scottsdaleβs Chaparral High School, Neal began his college career as a receiver and returner at Notre Dame. He transferred after his freshman year, sat out the 2013 season and played receiver for Arizona in β14.
However, other than as a punt returner, Neal did not make a significant impact. He averaged just 7.9 yards per catch on 27 receptions. He wasnβt feeling it.
βI found myself watching the defense all the time,β Neal said. βItβs not that I didnβt like offense. Itβs just that I felt my heart was in it (more) on defense.
βWhen I thought about defense β¦ I was really anxious to get out there. On offense, I was just kind of going through the motions. I think defense is a really good fit for me.β
Neal suggested the switch to Rodriguez in February 2015. The coach signed off on it, and Neal began working at cornerback that spring.
Neal started 11 games there last season, accumulating 63 tackles, six passes defensed, one interception and one fumble recovery. But he did not perform nearly as well as he and others believe he is capable of performing.
βIt was tough and frustrating because I knew I wasnβt where I needed to be,β Neal said. βI knew in time I would get there.β
Neal possesses the requisite athleticism and played both ways at Chaparral. But the transition from receiver to cornerback is a difficult one β harder than going the other way, players and coaches said.
The main reason? Simple: At receiver, youβre always running forward. At corner, youβre often going backward.
βThink about it,β the senior said. βWhen youβre a baby, which way do you go 100 percent of the time? Forward. You never take steps back unless youβre falling.
βNow I go from going forward my whole life to doing everything the opposite. Iβm backpedaling. My breaks are going backwards. When I turn, Iβm turning backwards.β
Neal had to learn a whole new set of techniques. It took time. So with a second offseason to work at it, does Neal believe heβs gotten a lot better?
βI know Iβve gotten a lot better,β he said.
Neal gives β99 percentβ of the credit to his new position coach, DontΓ© Williams. In Neal, Williams saw a terrific athlete who needed to refine the nuances of cornerback.
βThey think heβs just supposed to show up and play the position,β Williams said. βPlaying corner is a whole different personality, a whole different mentality. Itβs totally different than offense.
βOffense, you know where youβre going. Defense, youβre going a lot off reaction; itβs a lot of adjustments once the ball is snapped. Just adding all those little variables into a great athlete is pretty much the biggest thing Iβve been able to do for him.β
Williams said Neal has become a βtotally different playerβ since the start of spring practice.
Thatβs when Densonβs transition began.
Like Neal, Denson was a ballyhooed recruit. He played both ways at Salpointe Catholic, where he excelled as a receiver and returner.
In a move coaches have described as βunselfish,β Denson began his UA career as a cornerback. As a part-time starter the past two seasons, he intercepted five passes.
But just as Nealβs heart belonged to defense, Densonβs belonged to offense. He began thinking about switching during the 2015 season.
Rodriguez supported the move, and Denson returned to the position where many consider him a βnatural.β However, as Denson has learned during his first two seasons, God-given ability only gets you so far at the highest level of college football.
βItβs different here,β Denson said. βSo Iβm just trying to get comfortable with it, learn the offense, get comfortable with the quarterbacks, learn what they like, what they donβt like.β
Like Neal, Denson remains a work in progress β with one fewer offseason to get acclimated. Dews said Denson understands his assignments now, and he obviously knows defense. The junior needs work on fundamentals, including his get-off and working into and out of breaks.
βHeβs growing, heβs developing,β Dews said. But βheβs still just working back into being a receiver.β
Denson faces considerable competition for playing time. Arizonaβs top three receivers are set: seniors Samajie Grant, Trey Griffey and Nate Phillips. Dews is still searching for reliable pass catchers beyond those three, and Denson is just one of several candidates.
He loves the idea of having the ball in his hands again. βGetting a chance to make a move and make a big play for the team, just having that opportunity is a good feeling,β Denson said.
He also knows he has a long way to go to get the point where thatβs happening on a regular basis.
βIβm still new to it,β Denson said. βIβm still trying to learn things.β
The player he was traded for can relate.
Extra point
- Rodriguez canceled practice Wednesday morning after the Wildcats worked out twice Tuesday. They conducted an βactive walk-throughβ Wednesday afternoon. The team is scheduled to practice twice Thursday.
