Welcome to a special version of Arizona Wildcats quick hits. Not only do we have highlights from UA coach Rich Rodriguez’s address after the team’s first practice Monday evening, but also observations (including lineups; sorry, Rich) from the first 30 minutes, which were open to the media:
* What stood out most to Rodriguez in the first practice? The defense getting its hands on the ball. It’s no secret the Wildcats need to create more turnovers.
* Defensive lineman Dereck Boles, a late-arriving JC transfer, participated in practice. Rodriguez said Boles is not 100 percent cleared yet "but we don't think there'll be any issues"
* Tailbacks J.J. Taylor and Nick Wilson are healthy, but their camp reps will be somewhat limited to make sure they're fresh for Game 1, Rodriguez said.
* Rodriguez on coaching son Rhett Rodriguez for the first time officially: "At times he did some good stuff. At times he looked like he was a freshman."
* Rich Rodriguez described new QB Donavan Tate as "big, strong, athletic" and said he's approaching his opportunity at Arizona like a pro.
* The quarterbacks didn’t pass the ball very much during the open portion of practice. Tate certainly looked the part in basic drills, throwing with excellent velocity.
* During snapping drills, these were the quarterback-center pairings: Brandon Dawkins with Nathan Eldridge; Khalil Tate with Levi Walton; and Donavan Tate with Jon Jacobs. Jacobs seem to be in some discomfort as he made his way to the locker room after practice.
* Freshman tailback Nathan Tilford is sporting a new look – a shaved head.
* Freshman tailback Gary Brightwell is a legit 6-1 and appears to have the frame to get stronger.
* Matt Aragon worked with the wide receivers during the open period. He’s listed on the roster as a punter/receiver. He began taking receiver reps in spring.
* The two scholarship freshman receivers have different body types. Brian Casteel is stocky and powerful; Drew Dixon is every bit of his listed 6-2. He didn’t look much shorter than Zach Benjamin, who’s listed at 6-4.
Rodriguez emphasized last week that we shouldn’t read too much into lineups on the first day of practice. A lot of this will change over the course of camp. That being said, here are some lineup-related notes from Day 1:
* First-team offensive line (from left to right): Layth Friekh, Christian Boettcher, Nathan Eldridge, Jacob Alsadek, Cody Creason.
* First-team skill-position players: QB Dawkins, RB Wilson, TE Trevor Wood, WRs Shun Brown, Shawn Pointexter and Cedric Peterson.
* Second-team offensive line (L-R): Bryson Cain, Michael Eletise, Levi Walton, Alex Kosinski, Gerhard de Beer.
* First-team defensive line: Jack Banda, Parker Zellers, Luca Bruno, Justin Belknap.
* First-team linebackers: Jacob Colacion/Brandon Rutt, Tony Fields II.
* First-team secondary: Jace Whittaker, Dane Cruikshank, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, Isaiah Hayes, Tristan Cooper.
* Second-team defensive line: Jalen Cochran, Larry Tharpe Jr., Finton Connolly, Jose Ramirez.
* Second-team linebackers: Colacion/Rutt, Gavin Robertson Jr./Carrington Vaughn.
* Second-team secondary: Lorenzo Burns, Sammy Morrison, Chacho Ulloa, Jarrius Wallace, Troy Young/Scott Young.
Lineup notes: I included the “Studs” with the D-linemen. They worked exclusively in three- or two-point stances during the open portion of practice. ... The Wildcats used a lot of different combinations with their second and third defensive units, so some guys might've been left out.
