Arizona went back to work Monday night to complete the first string of practices during training camp. The Wildcats have Tuesday off as the team will regroup before hitting the field for five straight practices in the coming days. Monday's practice was a bit more unique than the rest making it an interesting one to watch. It was much more toned down than the other practices as it was almost downright quiet for most of the night. Overall, the Wildcats continue with installation early in camp as coaches on both sides of the ball have added to their playbooks in recent practices. The live portions of practice continue to give me the best look at what to expect this season, and there are certainly going to be quite a few players in play as options for the coaches this year.
Here's a rundown of the notes and observations from Monday night's practice as the team reaches its first break in camp.
3 observations
2 comments
Here's a rundown of the notes and observations from Monday night's practice as the team reaches its first break in camp.
3 observations
• Fisch is thinking outside the box
There's no place to start other than with the practice itself Monday night. In a bit of a surprising move Jedd Fisch decided to split up practice to give the freshmen and newcomers an opportunity to get some more individually-focused work with the coaching staff. It's not something I have ever seen done before by previous coaching staffs in my time covering the team, but it is something that seems like it should be done more often. Brennan Carroll said it was new for him, and he has been at a lot of different programs previously. It makes sense though. When watching the first few practices the younger players for the most part didn't get a chance to even see the field for the second half of practice. The either have watched from the side or worked with GAs on their own. This "split squad" version of practice gives them time to run plays with the full-time coaching staff. It could end up allowing those younger players to catch the eye of the coaches while also giving them a crash course on learning the playbook. That is valuable for someone like Jordan McCloud who didn't have to split reps with Gunner Cruz and Will Plummer on Monday. Instead, he worked with the morning group as the only scholarship quarterback present at that practice. The reality is he needs to catch up and this is a great way to do it. I do think this is something the staff will try again, and I guess I should have known this was coming after the post-practice experiment Saturday when the staff stayed afterward to have the freshmen have their own scrimmage for a few minutes after practice.
• Jalen Harris shows potential
It was an interesting practice to watch overall. There was definitely a laid-back type of feel to Monday night's practice, but that was intercut with periods of high-intensity "live" work as a team. During those parts of practice there was a clear dominant player on the defensive side of the ball. When the offense decided to go run heavy for a portion of one of the team periods Jalen Harris shined. He came up with a few big stops that included making plays behind the line of scrimmage. I have mentioned previously that the defensive line had not had as many explosive plays as it had back in the spring, but Harris changed that perception in just a few minutes. He looks in as good of shape as I have seen from him throughout his career, and he is displaying an explosiveness right now that he will need to have to be successful. It feels like all that potential he has shown throughout his career is starting to come to a head. I thought that before last night's practice, but it's clear he is starting to hit his stride as a player late in his career.
• Tayvian Cunningham is the MVP of camp so far
Back in the spring it was clear that Stanley Berryhill III had put together the best 15 practices of anyone on the team. He was making plays and not making very many mistakes. Berryhill has remained consistent throughout camp so far, but another veteran receiver Tayvian Cunningham has been the MVP of camp so far the way I see it. He has not had a single poor practice showing so far through four days, and he has continued to make impressive plays throughout the first week. He did have an uncharacteristic drop in the end zone on a beautifully thrown deep ball from Cruz, but outside of that he made really strong plays throughout the night. If he can keep this pace going and head into the season playing like he is right now he is going to lead the team in touchdowns. He has become the top red zone threat for the quarterbacks, and there is not a player who can stretch the field like he can right now. He was also the first one returning punts Monday night, so his impact could come in a variety of ways this season.
2 comments
Arizona's coaching staff has not hit the panic button just yet when it comes the quarterback competition. The comments in the video above serve as a sort of "calm down" message from offensive coordinator Brennan Carroll. The Wildcats are four days into the competition, and it doesn't feel like the coaches are any closer to picking a starter than they were last week. There has virtually been no separation when watching practice. There are naturally other factors that will play into the final decision that go beyond what I can see during practice, but I have gone back and forth when it comes to deciding who has put together the best day over the first four practices. There is no clear leader based on what has been shown the first four days. Obviously, I didn't have an opportunity to see McCloud Monday, but based on the first three days he is still behind Cruz and Plummer when it comes to his knowledge of the offense. As I wrote above, he needs to catch up to have a shot at the job in my opinion. If pressed after these first four practices I would say Cruz is the starting quarterback if Arizona had a game tomorrow, but I could also make a legitimate case for Plummer being the guy. It's a tough spot to be in for Fisch and his staff. Clearly, the coaches think it is still too soon to make the call, but the longer nobody emerges as the clear favorite the worse situation it becomes. The next 3-4 practices are going to determine the leader with Fisch saying he wanted to have some direction by the fifth practice overall (i.e. tomorrow).
The linebacker group is arguably the most intriguing position group on the entire team. Everywhere else there is a decent feel for who will be on the field once the season opener arrives. At linebacker things are not as settled. Anthony Pandy has his spot as the Will secured it would seem. Jerry Roberts has started to emerge as the middle linebacker with Treshaun Hayward looking like the top backup there although he could ultimately make a push for the top job. The Sam position is going to be a bit TBD. Kenny Hebert started out there at the beginning of camp, but there has been different players used at that spot the last couple days. The one thing that is clear is UA has options, and Pandy likes the direction the group is moving. Monday's practice gave me the first opportunity of camp to truly get an up-close look at the linebacker unit during one-one-one drills for a time. Malik Reed is an X-factor in the entire picture. He's got great explosion and the versatility to be used in some different situations. He has Pandy ahead of him at the Will position, but I'd expect him to get a good opportunity to get on the field this year.
1 prediction• Several walk-on players will see the field this year
The split-squad practice gave me an opportunity to see who truly has a chance to contribute this season. The evening practice was clearly about having the players who are going to contribute in some capacity on the same field with the morning practice serving as the one for teaching players who still need some more work before they are ready. There were some freshmen on the field Monday night, but one thing that stood out was the number of walk-on players who were present for the evening practice. Some of them haven't played as much but had decent showings Monday. When it comes to the walk-on players I could see making an impact this season I would include safety Jaydin Young, cornerback Treydan Stukes, receiver Dorian Singer, safety Trey Cartledge, VIPER John Burton, linebacker Rashie Hodge Jr. (NMSU transfer), linebacker RJ Edwards, linebacker Dante Smith, fullback Clay Markoff (Washington St. transfer), VIPER Rourke Freeburg, tight end Connor Hutchings and tight end Alex Lines as some of the names to watch as walk-ons who figure to play some type of role this season. Those guys were present Monday night giving some insight into how they stack up with the roster essentially split in half yesterday.
