Suited up
Arizona treated Saturday like a business trip — even though they weren't going far.
The Wildcats walked down Cherry Street to Arizona Stadium in team-issued navy blue suits, an idea the players proposed to coach Jedd Fisch in the offseason.
“They came to me at the end of last season or probably in the spring and said, ‘For our travel, can we eliminate the warmup suits and go with a jacket-and-tie mentality and treat it more like a business trip?’ … A lot of teams do it across the country, and they were all for it and felt great about it,” said Fisch. “All of our kids got measured and tailored up and we gave them a bunch of selections in regards to ties. We’re pretty uniform in regards to the suits. That’s what they asked for. That was all the players.”
Arizona defensive tackle Kyon Barrs was a part of the leadership council that pitched the idea.
“We know it’s a business trip any time we go out there, so we decided to throw the suits on. … Every game is a business,” Barrs said. “We’re not here to play around, so when it’s a business trip, you have to look the part.”
Former RichRod staffer returns to Tucson
Mike Leach wasn’t the only familiar face donning maroon and white at Arizona Stadium for the Wildcats’ home opener Saturday night.
Leach's Mississippi State staff includes former UA assistant Steve Spurrier Jr., former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Ryan Lindley and a pair of other staffers who are familiar to Wildcats fans.
Ex-UA softball standout Brittany Lastrapes (now Brittany Thackery) is Leach’s associate director of football administration.
Former Arizona recruiting coordinator Matt Dudek is MSU's associate director of player personnel. Dudek worked at the UA for five seasons under then-head coach Rich Rodriguez before accepting a similar role at Michigan.
Dudek joined MSU’s staff in 2021.
Dudek said he still cheers for the Wildcats from afar.
“Jedd (Fisch) has these guys on the right track, and there’s some excitement around Tucson, you can feel it. I know it’s been lacking over the last several years here,” Dudek said. “Being around town the last couple days, you can definitely tell the excitement has been renewed for Wildcats football, which makes me happy — minus on Saturday.”
The Star talked to Dudek about his time at the UA.
How do you reflect on your time at Arizona?
A: “We had some great wins. Beating Oregon, Scooby Wright as the best defensive player of the year that year, being a part of building Lowell-Stevens (Football Facility) and the early development of the indoor (practice center) — it was cool to drive by it and see it as a building now instead of a drawing on a piece of paper. … It was cool to walk back on the mall for a brief moment. We had a lot of great memories and won a lot of football games, and I don’t think anyone has won as many games as Rich Rodriguez had during that five-year span, and I’m just grateful that I was a part of that.”
What do you take away from working for RichRod, Harbaugh and Leach?
A: “Add Greg Schiano and Dave Wannstedt to that list as well. I’ve had some fun ones. With Rich, his passion — and people laugh about it — but his passion and love for the team shined through, and that’s why we were able to win so many games. Working for him was great. It was Jekyll and Hyde on the field, and you didn’t know what was going to be said. But in the office, it was always a family atmosphere. Jim Harbaugh … I was very happy at Michigan and proud of help building what they’re playing with right now and last year. When the opportunity came up to work in the SEC and work with Mike Leach, who is one of the greatest coaches of all time, it was an easy decision. And Coach Leach is awesome. He reminds me a lot more of Rich than Jim did — and it’s not even close, they were polar opposites. Coach Leach is just a normal guy. He wants to be in on the jokes in the office and cares about your family, super smart, and I love just sitting down and talking to him. You never know where the conversation is going to lead to, but it’s always awesome and interesting, and I’m proud and happy to work for him.”
Do you have a favorite recruiting story at Arizona?
A: “As a whole, and I might be setting myself up for failure, but I don’t think there’s a particular person or story, but that OKG (Our Kinda Guy) mantra that we brought, that really carried us. There weren’t a whole lotta stars on those guys, but they turned out to be great stars, like the Khalil Tates, the Scooby Wrights, the Will Parks and a bunch of other guys still playing in the league.”
What do you make of Rodriguez’s journey since his time at Arizona?
A: “I’m happy he’s the head coach at Jacksonville State. I know I wouldn’t want to put them on the schedule. I’m just proud that he’s back and being a head coach, and I wouldn’t be surprised he’s a head coach somewhere else in a few years after building Jacksonville State through their transition into Division I. I mean, he’s the perfect guy to do it. He’s done it time and time again. Those folks over there are very lucky.”
Jacksonville State offensive coordinator and former Arizona running backs Calvin Magee died just before the season; what was your relationship like with him?
A: “We worked (together) at Pitt very briefly. … Calvin was always the voice of reason with me and he was the voice of reason for everybody. He was a very kind man, very direct, he always let you know what was going on. Then at Arizona, he was a big reason why my name came up for that job. I wouldn’t be sitting here today without him, and I know that. He’s a massive part of my journey, and it was awesome to see him around the office. His players loved him. When I say loved him, I mean, they adored him. He was Rich’s right hand, so any time Rich got hot and bothered, he’d be the calming force or he’d be the one gassing it up because he knew when to gas him up. But he was an incredible, wonderful man and it’s a sad loss for the football community and a huge loss for everyone he touched.”
Local standouts pay a visit
Several Tucson-area players were in attendance for Arizona’s home opener — notably five-star Salpointe Catholic edge rusher Elijah Rushing.
The 6-foot-6-inch, 235-pound Rushing, who was named the Star’s top player in Tucson for the 2022 season, is rated by 247Sports.com as the top edge rusher and the 15th-best prospect for the '24 recruiting class.
Sabino sophomore Shamar Berryhill, who landed an offer from the Wildcats this summer, attended the game alongside his brother Savaughn and Sabino quarterback Cameron Hackworth.
He said it
“What Jedd has done, he’s sort of taken on the digital-age personality of Dick Tomey and is actually engaging with the community, making it fun and doing everything he possibly could before he ever fielded a team. It’s been awesome, and that’s what Tucson craves. A lot of coaches look at that, like, ‘Really? I just want to coach football.’ But you need a special guy to turn a program around, not just for the sake of the players and winning football games, but for the inclusiveness of the Tucson community. I’m thrilled. He’s controlling the things he can control and that’s not an easy task.” — Former Arizona and NFL offensive lineman John Fina, on Jedd Fisch
