The Arizona Wildcats’ first spring practice of 2017 is in the books. We got to watch it all unfold on a rainy, chilly Saturday afternoon. Here are my top nine observations from two-plus hours spent at Kindall/Sancet Field:
POINTING UP
The most impressive player I saw was senior wide receiver Shawn Poindexter. The 6-foot-5 former volleyball player made at least two highly contested back-shoulder catches. He also made a terrific diving grab over the middle during a two-on-two drill, snaring the ball inches off the ground. Poindexter has a limited football background and is still relatively raw, but he ran with the ones and has a high upside.
TATE’S FEET
Khalil Tate is going to have to improve his accuracy to make a serious run at the starting quarterback job. He overthrew several long balls Saturday. QB coach Rod Smith said he's been working with Tate on his footwork. “There are times when he doesn’t transfer his weight at all when he throws,” Smith said. “He jumps when he throws or he’s off-balance when he throws. I just think that’s from him having years and years of being able to get away with it in high school, being a better athlete than most people on the field. Now he’s got to be more disciplined; he’s got to be more structured.”
DB DEPTH
Cornerback Lorenzo Burns, who ended up redshirting as a freshman after getting hurt early in the season, looked healthy and fluid. Fellow corner Sammy Morrison, who missed all of 2016 because of a knee injury, also was a full participant. Both are critical in establishing much-needed depth at the position.
POSITION CHANGES
Interesting developments at linebacker, where Arizona is short on bodies at the moment. Gavin Robertson, who came to the UA as a safety, is now a “Will” linebacker. Robertson is listed at 6-1, 210, but looks bigger. Remember, draft darling Paul Magloire Jr. made that same transition successfully. Meanwhile, Kahi Neves, who also redshirted as a freshman, is playing the “Stud” position. He has the requisite dimensions for it at 6-4, 238.
NATHAN AND THE NEWCOMERS
Arizona updated the heights and weights of its midyear enrollees. Here are all the before-and-after figures:
- LB Tony Fields II: 6-2/200 … 6-1/204
- TE Bryce Gilbert: 6-4/230 … 6-3/231
- LB Jose Ramirez: 6-3/209 … 6-2/213
- DT Sione Taufahema: 6-3/310 … 6-1/330
- RB Nathan Tilford: 6-1/205 … 6-2/203
Tilford looks like a giant compared to Arizona’s other running backs, who are all 5-10 or shorter. As long as he is, Tilford is going to have to learn to run with a low pad level. Otherwise, he’ll be susceptible to big hits and injuries.
LINEUPS, PART 1
First-team offensive line, from left to right: Layth Friekh, Christian Boettcher, Nathan Eldridge, Jacob Alsadek, Cody Creason. Second team: Bryson Cain, Harper Sherman, Levi Walton, Jon Jacobs, Alex Kosinski. Notable: Gerhard de Beer and Michael Eletise did not participate because of injuries; Keenan Walker primarily worked with the threes.
LINEUPS, PART 2
First-team defensive line: Justin Belknap, Finton Connolly, Luca Bruno. First-team linebackers: DeAndre’ Miller, Brandon Rutt, Robertson. First-team defensive backs: Dane Cruikshank, Jace Whittaker, Tristan Cooper, Isaiah Hayes, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles. Notable: Parker Zellers did not participate because of injury.
LINEUPS, PART 3
Second-team defensive line: Jack Banda, Taufahema, Larry Tharpe Jr. Second-team linebackers: Neves, Carrington Vaughn, Lee Anderson III. Second-team defensive backs: Burns, Morrison, Anthony Mariscal, Kwesi Mashak, Jarvis McCall Jr. Notable: Jalen Cochran and Jacob Colacion did not participate because of injuries.
RANDOM NOTES
The cornerbacks and safeties committed an inordinate number of holding and pass-interference penalties during one-on-one drills. … UA coach Rich Rodriguez at one point admonished the defense for not sprinting at full speed in pursuit of the ball. … Redshirt-freshman receiver Devaughn Cooper had some drops but ran a great slant-and-go route for a touchdown in one-on-ones. … Senior receiver Cam Denson made a nice leaping grab on an in-breaking route in a two-one-two drill and looks more confident than he did last season.
