The Arizona Wildcats concluded their final training camp practice on Thursday, before the "First Look" scrimmage that's open to the public on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.ย
Here are a few notes and observations from the last two days at Dick Tomey Practice Fields:ย
* Arizona added a former Phoenix-area star for the upcoming season. Three-star wide receiver and Scottsdale Saguaro High School standout Deric English is joining the team as a walk-on.ย
The 6-4, 210-pound English was a part of the 2023 recruiting cycle and held offers from Louisville, Penn State, Oregon, Michigan State, Florida State and Utah, among others. English suffered a severe knee injury late in his junior season.ย
* The Wildcats continue to work on the "dollar" package, a 3-1-7 scheme Arizona incorporated more in the second half of last season. Arizona's first defensive line in the "dollar" package had Cal transfer edge rusher Orin Patu, UCLA transfer defensive tackle Tyler Manoa and sophomore edge rusher Russell Davis II, with Oregon transfer Justin Flowe as the single linebacker, and a seven-man secondary that included four safeties โ Gunner Maldonado, Dalton Johnson, Isaiah Taylor and Genesis Smith โ and three cornerbacks: Ephesians Prysock, Cal Poly transfer Dylan Wyatt and Tacario Davis.
* Wyatt recorded interceptions in back-to-back practices on Tuesday and Wednesday. On his second interception, Wyatt jumped quarterback Noah Fifita's pass on a curl route and returned it for a touchdown. Wyatt and Jai-ayviauynn Celestine have emerged as impactful cornerbacks for the Wildcats this season.ย
* Maldonado has been wearing a red jersey, signaling he's limited due to injury. Redshirt freshman AJ Jones, who's been out most of this week, returned on Thursday in a red jersey. Offensive tackle Joe Borjon remains out for undisclosed reasons. With left tackle Jordan Morgan (knee) limited in training camp, freshman Rhino Tapa'atoutai took reps with the starting offense in the team periods on Thursday.
* Sophomore wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan continues to shine in training camp. On Thursday, McMillan was heavily defended by Wyatt and Prysock in one-on-one coverage drills and managed to haul in the passes. McMillan caught a 31-yard pass from quarterback Jayden de Laura with three defensive backs within reach. McMillan later brought in a 25-yard touchdown in the back of the end zone. McMillan is on a tear this training camp.ย
*ย Former Arizona wide receiverย Stanley Berryhill IIIย was in attendance for Arizonaโs practice on Thursday; he also spoke to the team following practice. Berryhill, who spent his rookie season with the Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions, was waived by Detroit in the wake of his six-game suspension for violating the NFLโs gambling policy for placing bets on non-NFL games at the Lions facility. Berryhill was Detroitโs โgunnerโ on punt coverage, a role he carved out in his final season at Arizona.
