Position changes don’t happen in a vacuum. Each move prompts a corresponding shift.
When the Arizona Wildcats recently shifted starting cornerback Dane Cruikshank to safety, somebody had to take over at corner. Redshirt freshman Lorenzo Burns is among those getting a long look with the first unit.
But don’t think for a second that Burns views his promotion as some sort of coronation. He knows he hasn’t arrived yet.
“I view it as, I have an opportunity,” Burns said after Thursday’s practice, during which he intercepted a pass. “I have to grasp the opportunity and make the best of it. As quickly as I can get it, I can lose it.”
Burns has firsthand knowledge of how fickle football can be. He began his first season at Arizona on special teams and seemed to be gaining momentum for playing time in the secondary.
But while covering a kickoff in Week 2 against Grambling State, Burns suffered a sprained MCL in his left knee. By the time he was ready to play again, it made more sense to redshirt him.
Burns didn’t spend his time away from the field idly. The 5-foot-10-inch product of Linfield Christian High in Murrieta, California, weighed in the low 160s when he enrolled at Arizona last June. He’s now up to 175 pounds — short of his eventual goal of 185, but a sizable gain nonetheless.
“College football is a very grueling sport,” Burns said. “I had to get stronger. And then, mentally, I had to slow the game down for myself.”
Burns, the son of a coach, set about doing that by studying offensive schemes, learning the responsibilities of other UA defenders and working on the finer points of his position. That approach jibes with the philosophy of defensive coordinator Marcel Yates, who took over the cornerbacks in the offseason.
“I’m trying to teach them the game, the way people are going to attack them and attack us,” Yates said. “Now they’re understanding a little bit why I’m calling certain things. I think they have more clarity as far as the system and what we’re trying to get done.”
Burns said the game does feel slower to him now. He understands the defense better — as do most of his teammates in Year 2 under Yates — and is able to recognize formations and react accordingly. UA coach Rich Rodriguez recently opined that Burns and fellow cornerback Sammy Morrison are “playing the best football since they’ve been here.”
Burns still considers himself undersized; asked to describe his playing style, he reluctantly settled on “tenacious.”
He also understands that his work is far from over. He plans to keep pushing himself, no matter where he lands on the depth chart.
“I’m just a redshirt freshman. I still have a lot to prove,” Burns said.
“There’s always room for improvement, everywhere. I can never get complacent. I might make a play one day and then come back the next day and have the same opportunity and miss the play. It’s always about bettering myself and never being comfortable about where I’m at.
“I have to get stronger every day. I have to get smarter mentally every day. I have to challenge myself every day.
“Somebody in my draft class or somebody I’m about to play against in the Pac-12 is getting better. So I have to make sure I’m trying to top (them).”
Busy, busy
The Wildcats will be busy the next two days.
Arizona will have a light practice Friday afternoon, lasting about 1 hour and 20 minutes, and will spend a lot of that time going over game situations. The Wildcats then will rehearse their routine for a home game by spending the night at the Westin La Paloma.
Arizona’s itinerary Saturday is packed. It includes a scrimmage in the morning, a team lunch with family members, media day (approximately 90 minutes from 1-2:30 p.m.), a team photo and dinner at Fort Huachuca (148 miles round trip).
The Wildcats have to cram all that into one day to comply with new NCAA rules about time off. The players have the day off Sunday.
“Typically, we wouldn’t want to do media day and pictures that day; we’d do it on Sunday,” Rodriguez said. “But the new rules … you have to give them a day off. I still want to go to Fort Huachuca because I like those guys eating dinner with the soldiers and listening to the general.
“I understand the new rules. But some of it’s kind of a little silly, I think.”
Extra points
- The scrimmage will be an important test for the team, Rodriguez said. The coaches will be on sidelines, not on the field helping the players. Younger players will get extended playing time.
- Senior DE-LB DeAndre’ Miller (foot) won’t participate in the scrimmage. Everyone else on the 105-man training-camp roster is expected to play, Rodriguez said. That includes receiver Devaughn Cooper and defensive tackle Sione Taufahema, who began practicing Monday.
- While acknowledging that Arizona hasn’t played any games yet, Rodriguez said the current freshman class has the potential to be “pretty special.” Said Rodriguez: “It’s been everything I wanted so far, and more.”
- Burns on freshman cornerback Tony Wallace, who also is pushing for playing time: “He’s a tough kid. He wants to be great. He takes advice. He’s a baller.”
- Senior defensive tackle Luca Bruno said he is feeling great physically and credited being healthy in the offseason. He couldn’t fully train last year because of a foot injury suffered in late 2015.
- Bruno said redshirt-freshman guard Michael Eletise is starting to learn how to transfer his raw strength from the weight room to the football field. Eletise might be the strongest player on the team.
- There are still seven or eight players vying for spots at “Mike” and “Will” linebacker. The names position coach Scott Boone mentioned: Colin Schooler, Brandon Rutt and Jacob Colacion at Mike; and Tony Fields II, Carrington Vaughn, Anthony Pandy and Gavin Robertson Jr. at Will. Colacion is getting looks at both spots.
- Rodriguez likes the idea of having assistant coaches with coordinator experience. All the new assistants — Theron Aych (receivers), Boone and Brian Knorr (defensive ends/special teams) — have it. Boone and Knorr have been college head coaches.
