Arizona Wildcats coach Rich Rodriguez delivers a message to the incoming freshmen before they even arrive on campus
“I tell the recruits, ‘I don’t ever guarantee that you’re going to start as soon as you come here,’ because that’s not fair to them or the guys on the team,” Rodriguez said. “But we don’t recruit anybody to be backups.
“If we’re recruiting and signing you, it’s because we think you can play and contribute at this level.”
That philosophy applies to everyone, including four-star quarterbacks oozing with upside.
Quarterback Khalil Tate is the headliner in Arizona’s 2016 signing class, which Rodriguez formally announced Wednesday. Tate already is enrolled in school, giving him a chance to get acclimated and participate in spring practice, which begins next Friday.
Tate’s credentials are impressive: He amassed 4,000 total yards and 43 touchdowns as a dual-threat senior at Junipero Serra High School in Gardena, California. His talent is obvious.
“He can run around you. He can run over you,” said Greg Biggins, national recruiting analyst for Fox Sports and Scout.com. “He’s thick. He’s 200 pounds easy. He looks like he’s 210. He probably has the biggest hands I shook all season. He can throw the ball 70 yards in the air.”
But no matter how great his talent , is it realistic to think Tate can compete for playing time this season?
He faces an uphill climb. Two-year starter Anu Solomon returns for his redshirt junior season.
Although Solomon was slowed by injuries at times last year — and Rodriguez became impatient with him at other times — the Las Vegas product had a higher completion percentage and efficiency rating than in his breakout 2014 campaign.
The presumed backup, Brandon Dawkins, also flashed potential last year as a redshirt freshman. Against Arizona State, Dawkins accounted for 383 total yards and three touchdowns but also threw two interceptions.
Tate came to Arizona in large part because the coaching staff believes he can play quarterback at the collegiate level. Other interested schools viewed him as an “athlete” who’d fit better at receiver or defensive back.
“We had the benefit of seeing him in person a couple times,” Rodriguez said. “Not just throw, but his demeanor and technique.
“He’s a willing runner. Sometimes when you’re a willing runner like that, you get labeled as an athlete. But he can really throw it. He’s got a great opportunity this spring to learn and get a lot of reps. I think his future is there.”
Despite his ability and production, Tate remains raw as a quarterback. Biggins said Tate needs to become better at working through pass progressions. Blair Angulo, the west region recruiting analyst for Rivals.com, described Tate’s quarterbacking as “up and down.”
“He’ll make a Cam Newton throw and fit it in the best window,” Angulo said. “Then on another play, he’ll do something really questionable — miss a guy by 5-10 yards or throw into tight coverage.
“But what makes him so special is his ability to make plays. He does some miraculous things in the pocket. That’s going to be his calling card.”
The feeling is that if Tate can succeed anywhere as a quarterback, it will be in Rodriguez’s system. He has a history of getting the best out of athletic passers.
“That’s what they talked about,” said Scott Altenberg, Tate’s high school coach. “The Pat White days.”
Rodriguez’s scheme and Tate’s skill-set seem like a perfect match. The question isn’t whether he’ll thrive in it. It’s when.
Regents to vote on coordinators’ deals
The Arizona Board of Regents will vote Friday whether to approve multiyear contracts for football assistants Marcel Yates and Calvin Magee.
The contracts are expected to be approved. If so, it’s believed it would be the first time any Arizona assistant coaches have received multiyear deals.
Yates, the Wildcats’ defensive coordinator, came to the UA last month from Boise State. Magee — who has the title of associate head coach, co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach — has been on staff since December 2011.
Yates’ proposed salary is $500,000 per year, according to the Board of Regents’ latest agenda. That’s approximately $170,000 less than predecessor Jeff Casteel earned last year.
Magee’s proposed salary is $520,000, an increase of $20,000 over his current salary.
Per the agenda, the university is asking the board “to make an exception to Policy 6-303, which limits the contract term of a service professional to one fiscal year. The basis for this request is that multiyear appointments for football offensive and defensive coordinators are becoming common in the industry and are deemed necessary to maintain program competitiveness.”
Still scheming
Rodriguez remained coy about the defensive scheme Arizona will run under Yates, saying “the coaches still don’t know” and “we’re still working out all the kinks.”
The Wildcats ran a 3-3-5 system under Casteel. Yates’ defense at Boise was considered a 4-2-5, but one of the defensive ends was a hybrid type of player. That seems to be the direction Arizona is headed, based on Rodriguez’s comments Wednesday.
He said the staff is seeking linebackers who can rush the passer “but also be able to play in space.” They need to be 6-3 or 6-4 and about 235 pounds. Three of Arizona’s signees — linebackers Jalen Cochran, Francisco Nelson and Kahi Neves — fit that description.
