The Other Guys: Arizona hopeful to use 'six or seven' receivers in games under Brent Brennan

Despite a new coaching staff, don’t expect an eye-opening amount of change in Arizona’s offense this season.

Both first-year head coach Brent Brennan and some members of his staff, who followed him from San Jose State to Arizona, have said about 20% of the verbiage used at the UA is from the SJSU days.

However, the most noticeable difference could be the number of wide receivers used.

Former head coach Jedd Fisch hinted at the idea of the Wildcats using more receivers than the usual trio last season, but Arizona mostly relied on Tetairoa McMillan, Montana Lemonious-Craig and slot receiver Jacob Cowing, who graduated and is preparing for the NFL Draft. Fisch’s explanation for mostly using three receivers was because it’s a similar model to the NFL — and he’s right. But can you blame him? McMillan had the second-most receiving yards (1,402) in a season, while Cowing was statistically one of the most productive receivers in college football history.

Brennan? His ideal number for receivers used in a single game is in the six or seven range.

“I want those guys fresh,” Brennan said. “I want our best guys to be able to play their best football late in the game. Sometimes you gotta ride the fastest horse. Depending on the flow of the game, sometimes that rotation changes based on what you need in that moment.

“Over my career we’ve done a great job in getting guys on the field, because you also want those younger guys to develop and you want them to get games in and play, so you can accelerate their development. I’m always thinking that way with the receiver position. The more football they play, the better they get — the faster they get better.”

Arizona wide receivers coach Bobby Wade, who’s also the program’s all-time receiving yards leader, said the Wildcats are “close to that number” of receivers they feel comfortable using in a game.

“I feel like we need to have a group of six or seven guys, and honestly, it all falls on who’s prepared and who’s ready to do it,” Wade said. “If we have six, we’ll play six. If we have four, we’ll play four. If we have eight, we’ll play eight. It’s just a matter of putting the best group on the field at the right moment. In order to do that, our leaders in my room have to be demanding of the group underneath them. They also have to be wiling to allow them to have their opportunities, so it’s a unique dynamic and it’s great to have T-Mac in the room — and Montana, because they’re willing to let that group have their fair share and their opportunities to prove to the coaching staff that they’re ready and available to play.”

More opportunities to play is music to the ears of Kevin Green Jr. and AJ Jones, two receivers entering their third season at Arizona after having limited roles in their first two years.

“Sounds great,” Jones said. “Having the opportunity to play more this year, sounds good.”

Following the loss of former star Dorian Singer last spring, Green was projected to start at slot receiver in 2023 while Cowing moved over to “Z” wide receiver where Singer played, but Lemonious-Craig, who dazzled in Colorado’s spring game, transferred to Arizona and became a starter, while Green logged 78 offensive snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. Lemonious-Craig was Arizona’s fifth-leading receiver behind McMillan, Cowing, tight end Tanner McLachlan and running back Michael Wiley, with 28 catches for 296 yards and three touchdowns.

“The first year is the past and now I’m just looking forward to this year, going out there and doing what I have to do in my final collegiate season to go shoot that shot at the next level,” Lemonious-Craig said. “It was a good experience overall and I love each and every player who was on that team.”

Patience and “being available” for his moment was something Green focused on during his second season at Arizona.

“Always gotta stay ready,” he said.

During Green’s two seasons at Arizona, the Los Angeles-area native also learned how to “read coverages and get a picture of what the defense is doing just by the way certain players are lined up.”

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“I learned a lot, just maturing on the field and off the field,” Green said.

Green started in Arizona’s win over Utah last season. He’s now hopeful to become a mainstay in the offense alongside McMillan and Lemonious-Craig, along with other receivers such as Jones, sophomore Malachi Riley, redshirt freshman Jackson Holman, true freshman Brandon Phelps, who’s Arizona’s all-time high school leader in career yards, receptions and touchdowns, along with walk-ons Chris Hunter, Devin Hyatt and Rex Haynes, who’ve all made impressive catches and plays throughout the spring.

Wade said Green and Riley are “finding their niche within the offense and finding ways to consistently show up.”

“That’s not necessarily at the point of attack and making catches, but just showing up on film, doing the right things and doing it consistently,” Wade said.

Later added Wade: “When we’re breaking down film, we’re able to see everything and I think the quarterbacks do a good job of recognizing personnel and where guys are, so Malachi and Kevin are doing a great job in picking up the offense and understanding where they can fit and what their role can look like.”

Learning from Wade, an all-time UA receiver and former NFL wideout, has “been great just knowing he’s been to places we’re trying to get to,” Green said.

“They’ve done a great job accepting the coaching and really giving me an opportunity to help them get better, especially with the individual work that we do when it comes to technique and understanding leverage and other technique and separation stuff that I’ve given them,” Wade said. “They’ve done a great job in listening to that, but also taking the attempt to apply it. It’s one thing to hear it and drill it, but when it becomes available, can you use that tool at that exact moment to give you optimal outcome, and I think they’ve done a great job in trying to apply the teaching at the right moment.”

And there’s plenty of teachable moments to offer Arizona’s budding receiver group between Wade, offensive coordinator Dino Babers, who has receiver experience, and Brennan, a former wide receiver at UCLA who began his coaching journey coaching the position.

“They all pour into the wide receiver position, so it’s great getting different point of views and different perspectives from different coaches,” Lemonious-Craig said.

Brennan said, “There’s a lot of eyes on that position group.”

“It’s probably a hard group to be in right now because you have people watching you,” he said.

Having Brennan and Babers — two men who coached Wade at the UA — handy “makes my job a little more difficult but it helps it as well,” according to Wade.

“It’s great for the players and the kids to hear another voice — and other voices that are aligned. I was coached by Coach Brennan and Coach Babers, so a lot of the teaching that I have came from them. There’s doubt that when they pull players aside and speak to them, I know that we’re aligned in what we’re saying, and that really helps reiterates what I’ve been speaking about in the room or the field and it’s coming from the offensive coordinator and head coach so it hits a little harder when it’s coming from them.”

Extra points

Lemonious-Craig, on why he returned to the UA: “It’s a brotherhood. When you have enough guys that want to stick together, because we did something special a year ago and we know we have another opportunity to do it again, it’s easy to draw back with your teammates when there’s a bond like that.”

Wade, on the “easy-going” McMillan: “He really enjoys football and is a great kid to be around, he has an awesome personality. I think he’s a great teammate. He’s very encouraging and a positive player, which I really enjoy because I pride myself on being positive when coaching as well. He’s everything you would want in a player.”

Arizona’s practice times on Tuesday and Thursday have moved to 3:50 p.m. at Dick Tomey Practice Fields, and Saturday’s practice at Arizona Stadium at 10:20 a.m. will be the team’s first scrimmage of the spring. Every practice this week is open to the public.