College football isn’t easy — even for the athletic freaks who can make it look that way.
Arizona freshman receiver Tetairoa McMillan often is described in such terms. “T-Mac is a freak,” quarterback Jayden de Laura said Saturday night.
It’s a compliment. But it doesn’t guarantee success.
McMillan, the highest-rated UA recruit of the modern era, revealed a startling fact after the Wildcats’ scrimmage at Arizona Stadium: Through the first five practices of training camp, veteran cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace held the freshman without a catch. It was a humbling — but helpful — experience for McMillan.
“He pushed me to be a better player every day,” McMillan said.
Starting with practice No. 6, McMillan began to assert himself. He began to figure it out.
McMillan started winning some of those battles with Roland-Wallace, a fourth-year veteran and one of the better corners in the Pac-12. It just took McMillan time to learn how to use his big, growing body against experienced players, such as Roland-Wallace, who’d had years of weight training in college strength programs.
“High school compared to college strength is a lot different,” said McMillan, who dominated the competition on both sides of the ball at Servite High in Anaheim, California.
“People are in the weight room. They’re outlifting everybody. They’re doing more than I did coming in. So just getting used to the strength, getting used to the hand fights, getting used to the tugs, getting used to the holds, all that stuff.”
Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan is the highest-rated player to ever commit to the Wildcats.
McMillan, who’s listed at 6-5, has put on about 15 pounds of muscle since enrolling at Arizona in January. He said Saturday that he currently weighs 200 pounds. He’ll likely be in the 215-220 range by the time his college career is over.
The added weight hasn’t affected McMillan the way he expected.
“I got faster,” he said. “So I feel a lot lighter even though I’m heavier, which is weird.”
McMillan said his average speed in practice has ticked up by 2-3 mph. He had several yards of separation on the first play of the scrimmage, but de Laura overthrew him.
On the third series for the first-team offense, the two connected for a pair of 25-plus-yard gains. The first saw McMillan stiff-arm classmate Ephesians Prysock on a pass over the middle. The second came on a throw up the right sideline against tight coverage.
McMillan’s ability to work the sidelines and catch jump balls is his calling card. But early in camp, most of those passes fell incomplete.
Both McMillan and de Laura needed to make some adjustments. Receivers coach Kevin Cummings urged McMillan to be more physical. De Laura endeavored to throw a more catchable ball.
“We figured out that we need to stop letting the ball hit the ground,” de Laura said. “Keep it in his hands. So just switching the way I throw, understanding where he wants the ball, where it’s comfortable for him to catch it.”
McMillan’s talent is immense and indisputable; de Laura also praised his football IQ. UA defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen, a former USC assistant, said McMillan reminds him of ex-Trojan JuJu Smith-Schuster. They have different body types, but both immediately displayed “the ability to go after the football,” Nansen said.
USC has been an assembly line for NFL wide receivers. Over the past three seasons, Roland-Wallace clashed with the latest batch. McMillan couldn’t ask for a better professor to teach his Intro to College Football course.
“He’s patient, he’s big, he’s strong, fast,” McMillan said of Roland-Wallace, whom he considers “the No. 1 corner in the Pac-12 for sure.”
“He has a swag to him. He’s been in the game. He’s experienced. He’s played some of the top people.
“He’s definitely faster, stronger and more patient than a lot of the dudes I played in high school.
“So I feel like me going up against him every day, it’s gonna make the game that much easier.”
Arizona coach Jedd Fisch, left, talks to wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan during a practice earlier this month.
Something he ate
De Laura won’t be doing an NIL deal with Chipotle anytime soon.
De Laura said he missed practice Wednesday because of food poisoning after a meal at the popular restaurant chain.
“Woke up in the morning. wasn’t feeling good,” de Laura said. “So I was deciding whether I’m gonna go to the facility or not. The last time I was sick, I didn’t go and Coach (Jedd Fisch) got mad at me for not checking in.
“So I went to the trainer, checked in. I took medicine to get everything out. I took Pepto (Bismol), and it didn’t work. I walked into Coach’s office, used the bathroom in his office, and he was like, ‘Just go home, get out of here.’ ”
De Laura returned to practice the next day, and he played well in Saturday’s scrimmage. After missing on his first two pass attempts, de Laura put together a long string of completions and looked as confident in the offense as he has at any point. His 11-yard touchdown pass to Dorian Singer on a fade ball to the right corner of the end zone was perfectly placed.
Still, de Laura was hard on himself.
“If I was to give it a letter grade, maybe a B, B-minus,” de Laura said. “Missed a couple throws. First play (the overthrow to McMillan) could have been an 80-yard touchdown.”
Fisch liked what he saw for the most part.
“I thought Jayden played really well,” Fisch said. “I gotta watch the film, but standing back behind him, watching most of the decisions that he made, listening to him in the huddle, he did a really nice job.”
Extra points
Freshman tailback Rayshon “Speedy” Luke had the play of the night Saturday, racing through the first-team defense for a 70-yard touchdown. Luke weaved through traffic before pulling away from the secondary. He has lived up to his nickname thus far.
Receiver Anthony Simpson again was active in the passing game, with his best catch coming on a low throw from de Laura. Simpson ran across the middle, slid to the turf and cradled the ball. Fisch said Simpson, who’s playing on multiple special-teams units, regularly runs 6,000 yards during a practice.
Tailback D.J. Williams returned after missing or being limited the previous few days and played well, including a run where he displayed good vision and patience before bouncing to the outside for an 11-yard gain.
Tailback Stevie Rocker Jr. looked nifty on a 19-yard run against the ones. Arizona has no shortage of options at that position.
Edge rusher Jeremy Mercier returned after missing most of the past week and was a presence around the line of scrimmage, recording a tackle for loss, a sack and a pass breakup.
Freshman Russell Davis II continued his superb camp, notching a pair of sacks. He has gained 23 pounds since arriving on campus and has worked his way into a regular role.
Veteran defensive tackle Paris Shand had two quarterback pressures and a pass breakup. Defensive end Jalen Harris had a sack. Roland-Wallace had a tackle for loss and a pass breakup. Safety Jaxen Turner was credited with a blocked field goal.
Receiver Jacob Cowing, who has been out for more than a week, dressed and participated in warmups. Fisch said he expects Cowing to be available for practice Tuesday.
Players who did not participate in the scrimmage included defensive linemen Tiaoalii Savea, JB Brown and Isaiah Johnson; cornerbacks Treydan Stukes and Isaiah Mays; and safety DJ Warnell. Fisch said he expects Savea and Stukes to be back for the Sept. 3 opener at San Diego State.
Arizona ran approximately 108 plays, with the first-team offense facing the second-team defense and vice versa. Eighteen plays were devoted to special teams.
Quarterback Braxton Burmeister, a former UA commit, played the first series in SDSU’s scrimmage Saturday. The two-time transfer is expected to start vs. the Wildcats.
