A little over a half-hour into Wednesday’s scheduled practice, Arizona coach Jedd Fisch and his staff gathered the team at midfield. At first it seemed as if the Wildcats were getting scolded. Moments later, they were celebrating.
With training camp winding down, Fisch decided the time was right to give the players a break. He called off practice. The Wildcats sprinted off the field. They would spend the rest of their morning swimming at the UA campus rec center.
Their preseason work is far from finished, of course. The same goes for Fisch. He still has one critical decision to make.
Fisch said he expects to announce Arizona’s starting quarterback Monday and that the decision will be based, above all, on a “gut feeling.”
“The stats are too close,” Fisch said. “I’ve re-watched the film; there’s not going to be many things that have changed. It really will be a gut feeling on who I believe will give us the greatest chance to be successful. It’ll be the person that I believe the team will rally around ... the guy that we feel can execute the game plan.”
Returnee Will Plummer and transfer Gunner Cruz have been battling since spring. Transfer Jordan McCloud joined the competition in June.
Fisch seemed to be on the verge of making a call after the team scrimmaged Sunday. But after huddling with his assistants, Fisch decided to give it more time.
Cruz got the first-team reps during the scrimmage. McCloud took them Tuesday. Plummer will assume that role Thursday. The three will rotate during scrimmage No. 2 Saturday night. Then a decision will be made and a pecking order determined for the Sept. 4 opener against BYU.
Fisch discussed his thought process in further detail and other matters when he met with reporters Wednesday. The conversation has been lightly edited.
Jedd Fisch says he plans to name a starting quarterback on Monday. He’ll choose between Washington State transfer Gunner Cruz, returner Will Plummer and South Florida transfer Jordan McCloud.
Why did you decide to call off practice?
A: “We had a really physical practice (Tuesday). We had a full-padded tackling day on Sunday night. We’ve gone really hard every day. We haven’t given them really many bones at all.
“I wasn’t planning on doing it. I was here super late last night scripting practice. And then this morning, driving in, after re-watching the tape, just felt like they’ve been giving us incredible effort and it’s time to give them an opportunity to enjoy (themselves) a little bit.”
Jordan McCloud took the first-team reps Tuesday. What did you think of his performance?
A: “I thought he played OK. Can’t turn the ball over. We talked about that. We turned it over the most that we have all camp (two interceptions), and that was disappointing. We made some big plays, some good throws. He has very good command. Good feet. Good opportunity to move the ball.”
How will you handle the quarterbacks once the decision is made?
A: “There’s nothing that says you make a decision for life. But ... we’re not going to live in a world where they’re looking over their shoulders either. That’s the worst feeling in the world. Like, ‘Hey, you’re the starter, but don’t screw up.’ We’re not going to do that. You’re the starter until there’s a reason for you not to be the starter.”
Do you have an ongoing internal struggle between impatience and letting the process play out?
A: “I’m not probably the most patient guy in the world. But I also know that we would like to be right when it comes to picking that person that can help lead our team.
“This is not really a rarity. When you don’t have an established quarterback, you’re gonna have these competitions.
“South Carolina came out and dressed a GA (graduate assistant) to compete for their quarterback position. There’s a lot of different things going on across the country if you don’t have a returner, and we didn’t have a returner — a returning starter. We’re doing everything we can to make it right, and we’re doing everything we can to pick the right guy.”
Oftentimes, once the starter is named, at least one of the guys enters the NCAA transfer portal. How do you prevent that from happening?
A: “I would hope that guys enjoy being here, No. 1. No. 2, want to compete. No. 3 ... Matt Hasselbeck was here (recently) and talked to the quarterbacks. He went to Boston College as a true freshman and didn’t get on the field until his (junior) year. The first game, he wasn’t even the starter. At halftime, they made a change at quarterback, and they put him in. He had a (17)-year NFL career, and recently he was put in the Hall of Fame at Boston College.
“If you’re not named the starter tomorrow, what does that mean? It means that if someone gets hurt, you go in. If somebody doesn’t execute their job, you go in. If someone doesn’t play really well, you go in.
“Otherwise, your job is to get the team better and you develop as a player. And then you have years left to continue on in your career. That’s our goal, and we hope not to lose anybody.”
Extra points
Newcomers Ma’jon Wright and Carson Cota were suited up and ready to practice. Defensive tackle Mo Diallo had to deal with a registration issue and was expected to join the team for weightlifting and a walk-through later Wednesday.
During play installation, Donovan Laie lined up at left tackle with Josh Baker at left guard. Starting left tackle Jordan Morgan got banged up Tuesday.
Players who remained out included defensive tackles Kyon Barrs and Dion Wilson Jr. and linebacker Kenny Hebert.
The Wildcats’ next scheduled practice is Thursday evening. They will conduct a closed workout Friday before busing to the team hotel. Saturday’s scrimmage is set to start at 7:30 p.m. at Arizona Stadium. The team will be divided into two squads, blue and red, for the mock game. Fan fest will open at 4:30 p.m. The Wildcat Walk is scheduled for 5:15.
