Hey guys, it is true that center Oumar Ballo has hit the transfer portal and very much a surprise given the fact that it looked like he might stay at Arizona for another season.


Ballo was a Pac-12 First-Team All-Defense player this season and averaged 12.9 points and 10.1 rebounds.


Here's a statement from Ballo on Twitter (X):

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Hey guys, we wrapped up Day 12 of spring ball not long ago and I wanted to come in here and share my quick takes from the day.


Quick takes:


- Justin Flowe had a great practice and was in the backfield a day long with a handful of tackles for loss and a sack.


- Tetairoa McMillan might've twisted his ankle and left practice early. I'm sure it isn't a big concern, but they just shut him down the rest of the day.


- Raymond Pulido and Wendell Moe were both out, but at the practice. Pulido looks banged with a leg injury and I couldn't tell what was wrong with Moe.


We'll have more here shortly. Please feel free to ask any questions.

Here are a few observations from Day 11 of Arizona spring ball.

-Oregon State transfer running back Damien Martinez took his official visit at Arizona today and was seen on the sidelines with Quali Conley, who is currently injured with a boot on his foot.

- Jacob Manu was back in pads (red no contact jersey) and was working his way back with the first unit. Manu recorded an interception off of a deflection.

- AJ Jones and Tacario Davis, who weren't dressed but present Tuesday's practice, practiced fully on Thursday. Both offensive linemen Matthew Lado and Raymond Pulido were still not dressed and were seen on bikes.

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Arizona clearly is looking to add another high-level running back to the roster this spring. In addition to Damien Martinez visiting, the Wildcats have also reached out to Louisville transfer Peny Boone. The four-star transfer, who is currently ranked No. 28 overall by Rivals, transferred in with the Cardinals in the winter after playing at Toledo last season. He began his career at Maryland.

Arizona target Trey Townsend is on campus right now (like we've stated) and is eating with Tommy Lloyd, Steve Robinson and Jack Murphy at Momo's on Sixth and Campbell as we speak.

Hey guys, since the transfer window opened today, I wrote an article on the five positions Arizona needs to address by adding guys fron the portal.


Here's my article:

Hey guys, I'm on my way to practice, but wanted to inform you that JuCo safety Marquis Brown has committed to Arizona.


We'll have more here after practice of the addition of Brown.

Troy et al: Can anyone. share what information we have on who we are looking at in the portal to round out the losses we've had? I'm sure most of this may be tight to the vest, but I am curious if we are going to make some hard runs at proven players.

Hey guys, I wanted to get these articles on the boards and make sure everyone got a chance to see them. Both are recapping Day 9 of spring football with five takeaways from the post-practice interviews and the other is my three-point stance.


Three-point stance:



Five takeaways from Aidan:

As we have talked about in here for a while now, the possibility of Kylan Boswell entering the transfer portal was extremely high.

Well, today is that day as Boswell has officially entered the portal and will be searching for a new home.

Boswell has had and up-and-down career at Arizona and has seen his fair share of off court issues this past season.


We will have more shortly on Boswell leaving Arizona.

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Golden West College (Huntington Beach, Calif.) defensive back Marquis Brown will take an official visit to Arizona tomorrow. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound recruit was previously committed to Utah State but backed off that pledge in January. He took an official visit to NC State in January but has not been to any other schools since then. He has impressive film and could be a nice late steal in the cycle for the Wildcats.

He's a 2024 prospect so he would join the team this summer if he ends up committing. Houston and Washington State are a couple of the other programs that offered him earlier in the process.

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Arizona baseball opened up its 2024 baseball season with a 2-1 series win over No. 23 Northeastern at Hi Corbett Field.

Arizona senior right fielder Emilio Corona led the Wildcats in the opening weekend, logging four hits, six RBIs and two home runs.

The California native also showcased his defensive skills on the other end, making a perfect one bounce throw from right field to home plate to save a run Saturday against the Huskies.

"That was a beautiful play," UA head coach Chip Hale said. "...[He] didn't rush it, just made a nice one hop throw and Blake [McDonald] did a nice job tagging him."

Hale noted Saturday that he is gave guys chances to be successful in the opening weekend and it was a good opportunity to do so against a ranked team.

The Wildcats' pitching staff played poised, yet aggressive throughout each of the three games, with starting pitchers LHP Jackson Kent, RHP Clark Candiotti and RHP Anthony Susac combining for 12 allowed hits, three earned runs and 17 strikeouts in 15 innings.

It wasn't just the starters who shined, however, with senior RHP Cam Walty earning the win on Sunday after holding off a potential Husky comeback to seal the 9-3 victory.

The Wildcats (2-1) will host Utah Tech on Tuesday at 2 p.m. for what will be their last game at Hi Corbett Field until mid-March.

Hey guys, today was the first scrimmage of spring ball and we just finished post-practice interviews, which is uploading now. So, I wanted to jump in and share some of my quick takes from the day.


Quick takes:


- Chubba Ma'ae is going to be the guy filling in for Bill Norton. He was the other DT along with Isaiah Johnson and the pair held their own today.


- The second-team defense line is a little undersized with Sterling Lane, Keanu Mailoto, Julian Savaiinaea and Dominic Lolesio. Arizona will need to add size both inside and out on the line.

- Raymond Pulido was back practicing as the starting left tackle. He has been out for a week, or so and was missing on Thursday. Pulido is back, but still something to keep an eye on come Tuesday.


We'll have more here in a little. Feel free to comment.

Hey guys, I wanted to jump in and talk a little about the Kentucky basketball job and what impact that could have on Arizona.

Now, the favorites for the Kentucky job are Nate Oats, Bruce Pearl, Scott Drew and Dan Hurley. Those are the names that have popped up the most.

However, if buyouts and contracts come into play, a name to watch is Arizona HC Tommy Lloyd.

Now, I think Kentucky will get either Oats, Hurley, or Drew. Still, Lloyd's name is starting to come up for the job. So, I wanted you guys to be aware of that.

Hey guys, we've just ended Day 8 of spring football practice and I wanted to come jump in and share my quick takes from the day.


Quick takes:


- Raymond Pulido wasn't at practice today from what I was able to see. Pulido has been out, but fully dressed the last week, or so. But, today I couldn't spot him on the field.

- Tyler Loop got some reps at punter today and could be a do-it-all kicker for the team. Loop has experience punting before and might have to do it for the 2024 season again.

- Matthew Lado has looked really good on the second-team o-line. Lado has the size and frame and looked solid in pass protection lining up at left tackle.


We'll have more as always. And as a heads up, the three-point stance will be different today with just observations, but around eight observations as a midway point of camp.

Hey guys, we are nearly wrapping up Day 7 of spring football and I wanted to jump in and share some of my quick takes from the day ahead of the interviews.


Quick takes:


- Jacob Manu is didn't participate in practice and wasn't in uniform. Again, this staff won't comment on any injuries and won't during the season as well.

- Filling in for Jacob Manu was Kamuela Ka'aihue and he was able to hold his own and is clearly ahead of Justin Flowe abd Leviticus Su'a.

- I think Arizona really needs to add a QB to be the No. 2 guy behind Noah Fifita. And what I mean by that is that the team needs a break glass guy in Case of an emergency in the middle of a game.

We'll have more after practice as always.

Hey guys, we are wrapping up Day 6 of spring practice and just finished up post-practice interviews. I wanted to jump in and share some of my quick takes from the day.


Quick takes:


- Isaiah Johnson moving up the depth chart

Defensive tackle Isaiah Johnson has moved up and was working with the first-team unit during Saturday's. He replaced Keanu Mailoto and joined Bill Norton on the front line.

- Jai-Ayviauynn Celestine had an up and down day


While working with the second-team defense, cornerback Jai-Ayviauynn Celestine had a pick off Noah Fifita, but also had plays where he got burned.


- Josh Oglesby was fired up


I really haven't heard offensive line coach Josh Oglesby get fired up very much in practice until Saturday. Today, Oglesby was very fired up and was on players left and right. You could hear him clearly from the stands.


We'll have more shortly, as always.

What a jolt this will send through the CBB world. Assuming this crosses the finish line, it’ll be interesting to see who Kentucky goes after and if Tommy is someone they pursue.

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Arizona is shut out no more. The Wildcats have landed their first 2025 commitment this evening, and he has Bay Area connections. Three-star tight end Kellan Ford has announced his pledge to the Wildcats this evening picking UA over Washington, Arizona State, Cal, Boston College, Oregon State and others. The staff's connections to the Bay Area certainly helped here, and now the Wildcats can get off an running.

The 6-foot-5, 215-pound recruit is the prototypical pass-catching tight end who should only get better by the time he arrives in Tucson. He has been moving quickly through the recruiting process and had official visits set up with a number of programs including Arizona. UW, ASU and Cal had also been in line to host him on official visits this spring and summer.

Like most high school tight ends, he'll need time to improve his blocking but he could be an early contributor in the passing game.

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So, I've have meant to add these items on the stuff I've written in articles, or on the boards. However, I haven't added it yet and wanted to share some stuff in here.


Notes:


- Arizona has 14 scholarships available and will be looking to add in the portal when it opens.


- Right now, Arizona has three QB on the roster and wants to add at least one more for depth. But, the Wildcats might add two QBs.


- Syndric Steptoe is gone. He has left for Washington in a new role (not sure what it is, but it isn't coaching) and a pay raise as well. I expect his son to possibly leave Salpointe and then go to UW when he graduates high school.

Hey guys, well wrapped up around 7 p.m. buy I had to finish some things up.

However, I wanted to jump in here and share some of my quick takes from the day.


Quick takes:


- Raymond Pulido is battling

So, I love Raymond Pulido and his talent. However, he is always battling injuries and missed most of practice today with his left ankle tapped up. Pulido is a mega talent and will make the NFL, but he is very injury prone and that is something to keep an eye on.


- Johno Price is out


The last two practices cornerback Johno Price has been out and working out with the training staff on the sidelines.

While on the field, Price has been very good and looks the part. I see why the staff brought him in and he has potential.


- Dalton Johnson has been rock solid

The secondary for the defense has been locked in and leading the way has been safety Dalton Johnson. He has looked the part of an NFL safety and has been flying to the ball.



We will have more shortly. Sorry this us up a little late, but feel free to comment with question on anything.

Not sure if you all have heard or not, but yesterday we lost a true Wildcat legend. Heath Bray passed away from a heart attack. Not sure anyone need red and blue like Heath. Sad day. I pray for his family and friends.

Today was the first day of full pads for Arizona in spring practice, meaning a lot more contact today.


I wanted to jump in and share my thoughts on the practice before we get started with interviews.


Quick takes:


- Quali Conley is a load


Running back Quali Conley might be smaller than most backs, but the man is really had to take down. Conley has a great ability to bounce off tacklers and find the hole.


- Roberto Miranda is a guy to watch


I know, tight end Roberto Miranda has been here for quite sometime and really hasn't shown much on the field. However, he has had a great spring and his hands have improved.


- Jai-Ayviauynn Celestine is a talker


Out of all the defensive backs Jai-Ayviauynn Celestine has been the most vocal. Celestine had a great swat against Tetairoa McMillan and let him hear all about it for two, or three plays.


We'll have more after practice, as always. But, feel free to ask any questions, or add to the conversation.

Hey guys, Arizona will be starting Day 5 of spring practice today around 3:45 p.m. and I wanted to jump in a share some notes that's I haven't written about yet.


Quick notes:


1. Movement

- We still don't know what the offense is going to look like exactly. And, we probably won't until near the end of spring, or the start of training camp because Dino Babers wasn't to keep that close to his vest.

However, one thing I've notices is that there is a ton of pre-snap movement from two tight ends move to the other side of the line, running backs shifting in-and-out and receiving going in motion.

This offense will have a good amount of motion.


2. Turran Willams is on campus

- One of the few recruits that stayed with the new staff was three-star DB Turran Willams and he is on campus and at practice. However, he hasn't suited up and is only with the position group with a clipboard.

I'm not 100% sure what is happening, but will find out as soon as I can.


3. Joseph Borjon isn't part of the plan


Jedd Fisch's staff like the potential of tackle Joseph Borjon, but size and footwork have always been an issues.

Well, this staff has him on the third-team offense and I just see him getting buried on the depth chart.



Also, I'm not sure I posted this in here yet, but here's my three-point stance from Tuesday's practice:

Hey guys, we have entered the thick of transfer season for college basketball. To give you guys an idea on what it takes to get high-level starter, Keshad Johnson was a very sought-after and it came down to Kentucky and Arizona.

Word has come out that Johnson got 400K from Arizona for this season.

So, let that be the base of what it will take to get guys like Johnson, or even Caleb Love to Tucson.