During my recent visit with Arizona Wildcats coach Rich Rodriguez – who since has been on a stealth mission to hire multiple defensive coaches – I asked him about some of the young players on his roster. Specifically, I wanted to know which players faced particularly important offseasons, starting with spring practice.
Rodriguez rattled off 10 names – eight of whom will be redshirt freshmen in 2016.
“From a teaching standpoint, it’s all the freshmen who came in last year that didn’t play,” Rodriguez said. “The new kids who came in and redshirted – that year’s over now. It’s time for them.”
These are the 2015 freshmen Rodriguez listed off the top of his head (in alphabetical order):
- TE Brion Anduze
- DL Finton Connolly
- OL Cody Creason
- OL Nathan Eldridge
- OL Alex Kosinski
- S Anthony Mariscal
- WR Cedric Peterson
- DL Sharif Williams
Rodriguez did not elaborate on any but Anduze, who he said "is going to be a really good player.” Rodriguez did mention two other players: cornerback Dane Cruikshank and free safety Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles.
Cruickshank transferred to Arizona from Citrus (Ca.) College but redshirted last season. He has two more years of eligibility. Rodriguez said the staff will look at Cruikshank “at a couple positions on defense,” so the 6-foot-1, 191-pounder might not be locked in at cornerback.
Flannigan-Fowles played in all 13 games as a UA freshman, including one start. He had 28 tackles, including one TFL, one interception and one forced fumble. Rodriguez said “a year in the weight room is going to be good” for Flannigan-Fowles, who’s listed at 6-2, 182. Flannigan-Fowles did not play as a senior at Mountain View High because of an eligibility issue and wasn’t expected to have as big a role as he did in 2015.
The development of these and other young players will be the primary focus of spring practice, which will consist mainly of individual drills and fundamental work. Rodriguez conveyed that message to the team in a meeting Wednesday night.
As for the new defensive coaches, I’m told an announcement could come as soon as Saturday, which is 10 days from when the first two jobs were posted.
