Quick hitters are back! Here are all the pertinent notes and quotes from Arizona Wildcats coach Rich Rodriguez’s signing-day news conference Wednesday afternoon:
• Asked what tailbacks J.J. Taylor and Nick Wilson would be able to do this spring, Rodriguez said: “Everything.” Both suffered season-ending injuries last year – Taylor a broken ankle, Wilson a sprained knee. Spring practice is scheduled to start Feb. 18.
• Rodriguez on incoming tailback Nathan Tilford: “He’s a big back. We weren’t sure when we were recruiting him that he could enroll early. Enrolling early was just a bonus. Now he’s working out with the guys, and he’s got a chance to learn with Coach (Calvin) Magee. We’ve got to get deeper at all positions, but especially tailback. We know what happened last year.”
• Rodriguez on incoming tailback Gary Brightwell: “We thought we needed another running back. We had a big guy in Tilford. We a needed a guy we thought could play running back but also in the slot and return kicks, kind of a dual-role guy. I think he’s a really good player. I think he has a chance to have an impact early in a couple different spots for us. He’s a very explosive, tough guy.”
• Arizona has three scholarship quarterbacks. Rodriguez said that’s enough “as long as they stay healthy.” He said incoming freshman Drew Dixon could see some time at quarterback. He’s being listed as a wide receiver.
• In discussing son Rhett Rodriguez’s cool demeanor, Rich Rodriguez revealed that Rhett recently performed the Heimlich maneuver on his mother, who was choking on a piece of steak. “That’s the same way he was when he played,” Rodriguez said. “He’s calm in the middle of a storm.”
• One of the points of emphasis in this class was acquiring rangy players who could rush the passer. Two such players are Jalen Harris and My-King Johnson. Harris is 6-foot-4, Johnson 6-3. “Body type-wise, athleticism-wise, we don’t have a lot of that on the roster currently,” Rodriguez said. “If they do what we think they’ll do in the weight room and work, they’ll be special players.”
• Rodriguez on 310-pound defensive tackle and JC transfer Sione Taufahema: “He’s a big, active guy. We need some 300-pounders. Not just weight but guys that are active, can get off blocks and make plays. Him being an early enrollee will benefit him. He’s got a chance to not just learn what we’re doing on defense but get in the weight program.”
• Rodriguez believes Arizona has addressed its biggest needs, but he still wants more depth and competition. “The pursuit of good football players is a daily endeavor here at Arizona,” he said. “For some people, they see this as the end of it. This is just the first day of the signing period. We’re going to work the next few days and keep finding them, or the next few months.”
• In revealing 16 roster additions on top of the 23 signees the UA formally announced, Rodriguez estimated that two-thirds of the roster will have been turned over in the last two recruiting cycles.
• Rodriguez on the departure of AD Greg Byrne: “You don’t want to ever lose your AD in the middle of the recruiting process; that’s not always pleasant. I know the school’s been very aggressive in interviewing people. This is a great place. We’ll get a great AD in here, someone that will work hard and expand on what Greg has done here the last six or seven years.”
• Rodriguez reiterated that building an indoor practice facility is the No. 1 off-the-field priority for the football program. “Everybody we talk to is on board with that,” he said. “It’s just a matter of getting it together.”
• Rodriguez believes the NCAA will adopt a mid-December signing period. The American Football Coaches Association – of which Rodriguez is the president – approved such a measure earlier this year.
• Rodriguez again lamented the signing-day process, particularly the decommitments that led up to it. According to research by Matt Dudek, the UA’s general manager/director of player personnel, 757 players had decommitted from Division I schools as of 12:30 p.m. Wednesday – about 23 percent of the entire class. Rodriguez said schools spend about $27,000 per player once they commit on travel and other expenses.
• Rodriguez said one of the benefits of bringing in linebackers coach Scott Boone is that it enables defensive coordinator Marcel Yates to coach defensive backs, with whom he’s much more familiar.
