A coaching staff in flux. A recruiting class that played to mixed reviews. A head coach feeling the heat.
Are the Arizona Wildcats in a state of crisis?
To get a feel for the current pulse of UA football, the Star’s Michael Lev and Zack Rosenblatt participated in a Google Hangout session. Here’s a transcript of their conversation:
LEV: Zack, I've been on the Arizona football beat for about 15 months. In that time, seven assistant coaches have either been fired or left on their own accord, with Charlie Ragle (tight ends/special teams) being the latest. Is it me?
ROSENBLATT: I've said since the beginning that you brought the USC drama with you. Any coincidence that the Trojans seem to be in better shape than they've been in years?
LEV: Complete coincidence.
Really, though, when things like this happen – massive staff turnover over the course of two offseasons – people (i.e., fans) tend to panic. Should they?
ROSENBLATT: I don't know if “panic” is the right word. But there's absolutely reason for concern. One thing to remember is that staff turnover often happens right after National Signing Day; it's just never really happened at Arizona, especially at this magnitude. Coming off a 3-9 season, losing three coaches is not a good look, especially from the perspective of recruits who pay attention to these things.
In terms of this latest one with Ragle, perhaps more than anything it hurts in perception versus reality. The Tony Dews and Donté Williams departures, the latter after less than a year on staff, might've been a little more cause for alarm. The biggest question becomes: Are these coaches jumping off a sinking ship? What do you think this all means?
LEV: There has to be some element of that. Let's face it: Rich Rodriguez is on the hot seat in 2017. Combine a 3-9 season with a new, yet-to-be-named athletic director, and there's just no escaping it. If you're an assistant coach facing an uncertain future, and a comparable or slightly better opportunity arises, you take it. Anybody would.
ROSENBLATT: No question. Where do you think Arizona goes from here? The way I see it, losing Ragle truly hurts Arizona recruiting in the Phoenix area. Some have questioned Arizona's ability to keep top recruits in-state in recent years, but however you feel, Ragle had relationships with most of the coaches up there and was the driving force behind Arizona reeling in Jalen Harris and My-King Johnson this year. Williams and Dews were arguably Arizona's two best recruiters in Southern California.
With all of that, does Arizona target two coaches with a footprint in those areas, or does Rodriguez go more the route of a coach better known for his on-field coaching, as he did in hiring Scott Boone to coach linebackers?
LEV: RichRod has to address the recruiting side. It's critical. Does Arizona need to develop players better? Yes, of course. But the UA has to bring in better players first.
With Ragle's departure, there are three regions RichRod needs to focus on: Arizona, Southern California and Texas, which has been relatively underserved during his tenure. I feel like Vince Amey could fill the Arizona void, given his connections in the Phoenix area. So that leaves SoCal and Texas. I'd make a concerted effort to ensure that those two areas are addressed.
They could promote Miguel Reveles from within to coach the tight ends and special teams; he has extensive ties in SoCal. But - with all due respect to Miguel, who seems like a real up-and-comer - that should probably be the backup plan. RichRod should aim as high as possible and see whom he can get within the UA's budget.
ROSENBLATT: Yeah, it's always confounded me that Arizona hasn't made a more concerted effort to recruit Texas, which is fertile recruiting ground that Mike Stoops used to mine. In your mind, what can Arizona do at this point to get the perception of its program back on the right track? Considering the 3-9 season, the downward momentum of the 2017 recruiting class, Anu Solomon's transfer and all the coaching turmoil, it's kind of hard to believe the remarkable win over Arizona State was less than three months ago – and that spring drills begin in less than two weeks.
LEV: Well, one thing I wouldn't do is panic because spring ball is starting Feb. 18. RichRod needs to take however much time he needs to get the right people; he can get by without a coach or two for the start of spring practice. The most important thing - and I might sound like Captain Obvious here - is to win. Period. That's how the perception changes. That's how the momentum gets reversed. Pull off some early upsets, exceed expectations, go 7-5 (or better) and prove the ship isn't about to crash into the iceberg. You know that reference, right? Have to double-check with you millennials.
ROSENBLATT: So what you're saying is that the fans should never let go, Jack? (See, I get your old-man references.) But yeah, as obvious as it seems, winning heals all wounds. It's easy to forget sometimes that Arizona made it to four straight bowl games before this last season.
Anyway, enough with the negativity. Coming off of signing day, which areas or position groups do you think Rodriguez and Arizona can feel the most confident in heading into spring drills? I'd lean toward running back, particularly with J.J. Taylor and Nick Wilson seemingly healthy and Nathan Tilford, the four-star freshman, enrolling early.
LEV: I'm still holding out for “Titanic II.”
As for the positions, I agree about running back. Several intriguing options there, and adding Gary Brightwell to the mix gives Arizona the depth it needs. I also like the way things are trending at linebacker and safety; they've really done a great job of restocking at those positions the last two years. The spots that concern me most: quarterback, offensive line and cornerback. We could do a whole separate chat on the QB situation - note to self: let's do a whole separate chat on the QB situation - but in short, it remains the biggest, most important issue heading into the season. Again. The offensive line looks good on paper and has tons of experience returning, but there's a gap down the road with no linemen among the initial wave of 23 signees. And the cornerback depth just isn't quite what it needs to be. Did I miss anything?
ROSENBLATT: True story – via a quick IMDB search, a “Titanic II” already does exist in direct-to-video form. Here’s the plot: "On the 100th anniversary of the original voyage, a modern luxury liner christened ‘Titanic 2’ follows the path of its namesake. But when a tsunami hurls an iceberg into the new ship's path, the passengers and crew must fight to avoid a similar fate.”
That sounds amazing in a “whoa, that sounds sooooo bad” sort of way, and I kind of want to record a live video of us viewing this together in an artsy, Shia LaBeouf sort of way. (Google "Shia LaBeouf Watching Himself” if you don’t understand that reference.)
Anyway, hard to argue with the quarterback note. In the spring, Arizona will only have Brandon Dawkins and Khalil Tate available, which isn’t exactly ideal. There’s a real scenario where Rhett Rodriguez plays next season.
I personally think wide receiver is an area of concern — Shun Brown stood out last year, but he also had Trey Griffey, Nate Phillips and Samajie Grant drawing attention away. This year, the most experienced returning receivers are Shawn Poindexter, Tyrell Johnson and Cam Denson. They combined for 23 catches last season.
This is probably as good a spot as any to wrap this thing up before we get too deep into pop-culture analysis. I’m very interested to see how Rodriguez fills out his staff in this upcoming week or two. And how crazy is it that spring football is almost here?
LEV: It is crazy ... yet it's not. Arizona's season ended in November, remember. It's actually been a while. RichRod did the early-start thing last year, too, and the previous season ended about three weeks later.
None of the changes he made last year - earlier start to spring, morning practices, new defensive staff - seemed to make an immediate positive impact. But I respect him for trying new things coming off a 7-6 season. Now it's all about the sequel. I just hope it's better than “Titanic II.”
