A scrimmage Saturday night marked the conclusion of the Arizona Wildcats’ first training camp under Jedd Fisch.
It was different.
All but a handful of practices were open to the public and press corps. Fisch encouraged people to attend.
The setup gave multiple members of the staff and team a chance to share their stories and discuss the 2021 Wildcats. For local media, it was bountiful.
We tried to bring you the best of the best throughout camp. Now that it’s a wrap, here’s the best of the rest — a collection of quotes that didn’t make it into our daily coverage or weren’t featured prominently for one reason or another.
Spoiler alert: Defensive coordinator Don Brown makes more than a cameo here. He was the MVP of post-practice interviews (sorry, Jedd).
“The first thing I told our team is, you better win or no one will care. The second thing is, you better be good as a player or no one’s gonna pay you.” — Fisch on his message to the team regarding NIL (name, image and likeness)
“I think that’s the most that fits with the tiny four-point font.” — QB Will Plummer on having 150-200 plays on his wristband
“That sounds minimum.” — RB Stevie Rocker Jr. on the quarterbacks having up to 200 plays on their wristbands
“I do have a whiteboard. I’ve got a lot of sticky notes up on my wall. I’ve got a lot going on.” — QB Gunner Cruz on the setup at his apartment
“It’s Tucson. It’s my family. This is my atmosphere. I can’t leave here until I bring a Rose Bowl back.” — WR Jamarye Joiner on why he exited the NCAA transfer portal and returned to Arizona
“In a game I’d probably feel comfortable from 63. I could probably push it past that. But I’d say 63.” — K Lucas Havrisik on his maximum range
Arizona placekicker Lucas Havrisik says he feels comfortable from about 63 yards out.
“Pressure is a privilege. If you have the pressure on you, you know you have a chance to make an impact.” — Cruz on the pressure of the QB battle
“As you’ve noticed, I’m fairly verbal on the field. All I’m doing is creating chaos. If they can’t handle the chaos on the practice field – ‘Oh, Coach is yelling at me’ — how are they going to handle playing on Saturday?” — Brown on his coaching style
“If I was in the booth, I’d probably be scaling the booth to the ground. I’ve tried that once; it didn’t work so well. I think I made it through a quarter and ended up coming down, and that was the end of that.” — Brown on whether he’ll coach from the field or booth
“You can’t get bogged down with all that. Just try to win the game. Get your guys functioning at a high level. But I do feel this: If they don’t buy in — and I mean in, in, in — you’ve got no shot.” — Brown on whether he sets specific statistic goals for the defense
“I told Clay, ‘Ease up a little bit today, because you can hurt somebody.’ That’s a big man.” — RB coach Scottie Graham on fullback Clay Markoff (5-10, 239)
“It starts with ‘TO.’ These guys have been over the bridge; they’ve been pushed to their limit. I don’t think I could ever push them harder than TO does.” — Graham on the impact of strength coach Tyler Owens
“He came from ’Bama. I think he knows what he’s talking about.” — DE Jalen Harris on Owens
“They’re supporting each other. That’s how our room runs. Drake (Anderson) told me he’s never been in a running back room ... that was like this, where we actually like each other.” — Graham on the camaraderie in the RB room
“He tries not to get too mad or yell, but you can kind of feel that tension. You just don’t want to do that.” — RB Michael Wiley on Graham’s reaction to fumbles
“Kolbe (Cage) had the big interception. He said, ‘Coach, I turned around and I see this madman chasing me.’ Why? Because he put the ball down on the 20 like it was not important. So we had to get that fixed.” — Brown on a post-pick conversation with freshman LB Kolbe Cage
“It’s a challenge. Every day they gotta press, so every day is an interview for them.” — CB coach DeWayne Walker on the preponderance of press-man coverage in Brown’s scheme
“You gotta bring the juice. We need the energy. Don’t give into the beautiful sun. Don’t give into the fact that you have to play more reps than you normally play.” — DL coach Ricky Hunley on the importance of giving effort at all times
“It’s great to be recognized. But you’ve got to play and do well to get the actual invite. So that’s more what I’m looking forward to.” — Harris on making the watchlist for the Senior Bowl
“Actually, I think I got out there a little bit late. I didn’t have time to get down. I was trying to work a pass-rush move. I didn’t get very far.” — Harris on an interception that he deflected to himself
“It gives me an opportunity to just knock people sideways. It’s more fun.” — OL Donovan Laie on the physical nature of Fisch’s offense
“He’s a thoughtful person. He’s got great regard for his teammates, not just on the offensive line but the defense side of the ball. He’s done a fantastic job cultivating those relationships.” — OL coach Brennan Carroll on Laie’s leadership
“When Coach (Fisch) called me initially and was telling me how he was going to use the tight ends, and then (tight ends) coach (Jordan) Paopao called me and said the same thing, I was like, ‘OK, I’ve heard that spiel before. We’ll see if that’s really true.’ But it definitely came to be true.” — TE Bryce Wolma on promises that his position would be featured more in the offense
“The same stuff that we’ve talked about all along. I know that’s the boring answer. But we’re looking for the guy that can be the most consistent.” — QB coach Jimmie Dougherty on the quarterback competition
“Coaches, we make mistakes too. Schools overlooked him. I’m glad they did.” — Walker on why CB Treydan Stukes was barely recruited out of high school.
“I called my dad, of course, because he’s been with me all along. He’s been my coach since I was little and followed me through this whole journey. He was beyond proud. I think he probably started crying a little bit. Then I called my mom and told her, and she was just as excited. She started crying as soon as I told her. She loves me to death.” — “Viper” Rourke Freeburg on telling his parents he had earned a scholarship
“I just can’t go out there and let them down. They put a lot of work and money into me. So I’m just gonna go out and give my all every time.” — S Jaydin Young on earning a scholarship and living up to it
“It’s everything. I’m from Arizona. Just being able to wear that ‘A’ on my chest, I’m gonna wear it with pride.” — Young on representing his home state
“Fun isn’t the word. It was nice to get some experience. I don’t want that to ever happen again.” — Stukes on logging a career-high seven tackles in Arizona’s 70-7 loss in the 2020 Territorial Cup
