Giants running back Gary Brightwell runs drills during the Giants’ Wednesday practice on the UA campus. It’s a homecoming for Brightwell, who spent the 2017-20 seasons with the Wildcats. The Giants will practice in Tucson through Friday, then fly to Los Angeles for Sunday’s game against the Chargers.

 Rebecca Sasnett photos, Arizona Daily Star

Gary Brightwell emerged from the Cole and Jeannie Davis Sports Center, his cleats clickety-clacking on the concrete. He wore a red, white and blue football uniform. It could have been any mild, sunny Wednesday afternoon during his four years as an Arizona Wildcat.

Things have changed, though. The uniform features a different shade of blue. Brightwell is a professional now, a rookie for the New York Giants trying to find his place in a cutthroat business.

Was he happy to be back? Of course.

“This is like my second home,” Brightwell said.

But even while serving as an ambassador for Tucson during the Giants’ layover here — “I get a new question every second,” he said, most of them about where to get a haircut — Brightwell is focused on his craft. He’s striving to get better every day, because he knows any day could be his last.

“It’s way different than college,” Brightwell said after the Giants’ midday practice on the UA campus. “You know you gotta bring it every day. I’m thinking I’m coming into a cakewalk. But really, it was nothing like it. You gotta grind every day ... to earn a spot, to earn a name.”

As a player with a local connection, Brightwell earned a spot on the podium Wednesday — an usual development for a running back who has one carry and one reception through 12 games.

When first-year coach Joe Judge told Brightwell and his teammates that they’d be training at Arizona this week, the rookie running back couldn’t help but smile. When he arrived, the warm air felt good. The desert smelled familiar.

The Giants elected to spend the week here instead of returning to New Jersey after their game at Miami. They face the Chargers in Los Angeles on Sunday.

Judge wanted to reduce the wear and tear on his players’ bodies as they enter the final leg of the NFL’s first 17-game season. He sought the “lighter feeling” of a college town and viewed an extended stay in Tucson as an opportunity for his 4-8 team to regroup and refresh.

“This place had the university, it had the facilities, had a coaching staff we have some familiarity with,” Judge said, referring to the UA staff led by Jedd Fisch, who has spent over half his coaching career in the NFL. “They were very hospitable to us. A lot of places don’t entertain this. They couldn’t have been more welcoming.”

The connections go beyond Brightwell. Brandon Sanders, Arizona’s coordinator of football alumni and high school relations, played for the Giants in the late 1990s. Linebacker Blake Martinez, who’s out for the season because of injury, is a graduate of Canyon del Oro High School.

Brightwell came to Arizona from the Northeast. He grew up in Chester, Pennsylvania, about a half-hour southwest of Philadelphia. He attended high school in Middletown, Delaware, and Baltimore.

Giants running back Gary Brightwell answers questions following Wednesday’s practice at the Dick Tomey Practice Fields. Brightwell is a former UA player who was taken by the Giants in the sixth round of this year’s draft.

Brightwell began his UA career in 2017 as a special-teams player. He never stopped contributing to those units — even as he became a regular at running back — and that was a big reason the Giants selected him in the sixth round of this year’s NFL draft.

He has lived up to his reputation. Brightwell is tied for the team lead with eight special teams tackles. That total ranks third among rookies across the league, per Giants.com.

“Can he eventually be a starter? He’ll grow in that role and kind of find that for himself,” Judge said. “While he’s developing as a running back, he’s a guy that should be an impact player in the kicking game. You need these players on your roster.”

Brightwell has appeared in 11 games. He’s one of six players in the running back room, which is headlined by injury-plagued former No. 2 overall pick Saquon Barkley and also features veteran Devontae Booker.

Brightwell, who rushed for 1,305 yards and nine touchdowns at Arizona, has played only 12 offensive snaps. He isn’t content with being a backup, but he understands the current hierarchy.

“I’m not even worrying about that right now,” Brightwell said. “I’m just focused on getting some more wins (and) doing my job. If I do that, things are gonna come.”

Giants cornerback James Bradberry runs a drill during Wednesday afternoon’s practice.

Brightwell always exuded confidence during his time at Arizona. That hasn’t changed. But he has discovered a new reality in the NFL, having seen players come and go on a weekly basis.

“Any player coming in that gets drafted, they’re gonna think, ‘Yeah, I got a spot.’ But it’s not that way,’ ” Brightwell said. “You still gotta work — day in, day out. Because if you don’t, you’re gone the next day — probably the next minute.

“No matter what position you play, the competition is real. ... You never know what you’re going to expect or get. Every week is something new.”

Brightwell has leaned on the veterans in the RB room for advice. They have taught him the value of watching film, paying attention to details and storing that information for future use.

Brightwell also has embraced his role on special teams, where he has played 171 snaps. He even said he’d like to become a special-teams coach when his playing days are done.

The longer Brightwell can contribute in that area, the longer he can put that off.

“You ideally want to carry 3-4 running backs, and that third or fourth running back has to (have) an impact in the kicking game,” Judge said. “They’ve got to make plays for you in coverage and in the return game.

“He’s made a lot of plays for us so far. He’s really demonstrated that what we thought he could be, he will be.

“He’s far from where he’s going to be as he keeps on developing as a player. He’s a hard worker. He’s a tough kid. He comes to work every day with a good attitude. I know he’s excited to be back here.”

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Contact sports reporter Michael Lev at 573-4148 or mlev@tucson.com. On Twitter @michaeljlev