Arizona wrapped up its second week Saturday with another practice before heading to Fort Huachuca in the evening to spend time with the soldiers for dinner. Rich Rodriguez said he wasn't sure if the team would go full pads, but he decided to go against it. Still, Arizona was able to do a little hitting and he liked that element of it.
Right now as Arizona tries to figure out which combinations it wants to use there are guys all over the field with different groups and being used in different spots. Things should be more settled over the next week, but for now there continues to be some shuffling.
Here is the practice report recapping the last two practices of the week for Arizona.
* Injury wise we told you about Tyrell Johnson last night as he will be shut down until close to the season with his foot injury. Trevor Wood continues to look better but he is still limited and then there is TD Gross, who had his injury pop up again today. Coaches wouldn't go into too much detail with him but that has forced even more movement with that offensive line.
* Arizona plans to have some meetings tonight and tomorrow before doing some yoga on Sunday inside RJ Gym to change things up a bit. Rodriguez said he likes the idea and he thinks it will help the team recover a little bit better after getting banged up some this fall.
Position breakdowns
Quarterbacks: If there was any room for a quarterback other than Anu Solomon to be the starter coming out of spring ball that door has been closed now. The redshirt sophomore will be the guy and his fall has gone well now through another week. As we have been saying he is much more mobile and his passes and decisions have been better this last week-plus. Jerrard Randall has the physical tools to be effective in this offense but understanding all the nuances of the scheme has taken some time. He has made progress this fall, and he has turned into a solid back-up now.
Brandon Dawkins still has work to do and Rodriguez didn't even mention him when talking about the position group Saturday. It will be interesting to see how things go for him the rest of camp.
Running backs: With Arizona knowing what it will get from Nick Wilson and Jared Baker at this point a lot of the focus from the staff has been on the third and fourth guys and right now that is Zach Green and Orlando Bradford, respectively. Today Rodriguez acknowledged the growth that Bradford has had since his arrival and he said right now the Louisiana native is one in the mix for one of the remaining spots as long as he can continue grasping the system. Green has looked much better physically this fall, and Rodriguez agreed with that but said he still needs to improve in that area so that he can stay on the field for more than just a couple plays at a time.
Receivers/Tight ends: There continues to be a steady rotation of players working with the first two units but it has mostly stuck with the same group. The first unit seems to be set with the usual names of Cayleb Jones, Samajie Grant, Nate Phillips, David Richards and a fifth in Trey Griffey. Meanwhile, it has remained Tony Ellison, Shun Brown, Johnny Jackson and Abraham Mendivil getting work in with that second unit. Arizona will have some options at the position and most of the group will get a chance to see the field a good amount this season if things hold true to fall camp.
Trevor Wood continues to work through an injury so it has been Matt Morin stepping in when needed and along with Josh Kern that trio looks like it will get a good amount of time this year.
Offensive line: With the nagging injury to Gross Arizona has had to continue moving guys around. Zach Hemmila has been the biggest mover so far this fall moving positions and groups. Still, Arizona wants him as part of its top eight by the time the season rolls around. David Catalano is a nice piece as well and he continues to get an extended look at guard and center as well. UA is pretty adamant that it does not want to move Lene Maiava any more and that is one reason why there has been a lot of shifting. He seems like a logical choice to move back inside again, but the coaching staff thinks that was a little too difficult for one guy to handle so it would rather keep him at tackle now and move others around.
Defensive line: The group is all but set, but who gets to start is still being decided with the defensive line. Luca Bruno has certainly made his case, but Jeff Worthy and Anthony Fotu have had strong camps already. Fotu looks even bigger than he did during the spring and Worthy has bounced back nicely from surgery. Bruno is the favorite right now, but Worthy certainly has a shot to move him. As Arizona gets the players it knows will play even more ready Sani Fuimaono has been able to get in the mix with the first group as well at nose.
Linebackers: The linebacker group as a whole has really come together well this fall, and one thing that often gets overlooked is that the group really seems to have a bond. Cody Ippolito has become a lot more vocal of a player these days and he has a way of keeping the group loose which has also helped keep it pretty tight-knit as well. With all the attention Scooby Wright will get this year being able to be on the same page and work as a unit will be important and right now that main players in the group have done well this summer and camp. Jake Matthews continues to be impressive with the transformation he has made with his size. He just looks noticeably bigger now than he ever has.
Safeties: Carter Hehr continues to get some good time with the second unit as Arizona mixes and matches different players at different positions. As was mentioned before Anthony Lopez has his hand pretty well wrapped so it is limiting in some ways although he is still practicing. To help him while he recovers Arizona has moved some players around. The first unit has remained in tact and doesn't look like it will change, but Hehr has moved to bandit while Paul Magloire was spending time at spur with the second group today. Magloire has been working at spur instead of bandit (where he was in the spring and to start August camp) the past couple days and he looks comfortable there.
It will be interesting to see how that second unit comes together in the remaining portion of camp, but right now there are some options.
Cornerbacks: The cornerback group continues to be a fun one to monitor. Today during the open portion it was freshman Sammy Morrison working with the first unit along with DaVonte' Neal while Cam Denson was with the second group along with Kwesi Mashack. Denson still has the best chance at being a starter when all is said and done, but Morrison getting some work with the first unit is telling. Right now that group of four looks to be the favorites once the season starts as Jarvis McCall continues to try and stay healthy.
Depth Chart
Offense
QB: Anu Solomon; Jerrard Randall
RB: Nick Wilson or Jared Baker; Zach Green
WR: Cayleb Jones; Abraham Mendivil
WR: David Richards or Trey Griffey; Tony Ellison
Slot: Nate Phillips; Shun Brown
Slot: Samajie Grant; Tyrell Johnson or Johnny Jackson
TE: Josh Kern, Trevor Wood
OT: Freddie Tagaloa, Layth Friekh
OG: TD Gross; David Catalano
C: Cayman Bundage; Zach Hemmila or David Catalano
OG: Jacob Alsadek; Kaige Lawrence
OT: Lene Maiava; Gerhard de Beer
Defense
DT: Luca Bruno or Jeff Worthy
NT: Parker Zellers; Sani Fuimaono
DE: Reggie Gilbert; Anthony Fotu
LB: Derrick Turituri; Cody Ippolito
LB: Scooby Wright; Haden Gregory
LB: Jake Matthews; DeAndre' Miller
Spur: Will Parks; Anthony Lopez or Paul Magloire
Bandit: Tellas Jones; Carter Hehr
FS: Jamar Allah; Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles
CB: Cam Denson; Kwesi Mashack
CB: DaVonte' Neal or Jarvis McCall; Sammy Morrison
Right now as Arizona tries to figure out which combinations it wants to use there are guys all over the field with different groups and being used in different spots. Things should be more settled over the next week, but for now there continues to be some shuffling.
Here is the practice report recapping the last two practices of the week for Arizona.
* Injury wise we told you about Tyrell Johnson last night as he will be shut down until close to the season with his foot injury. Trevor Wood continues to look better but he is still limited and then there is TD Gross, who had his injury pop up again today. Coaches wouldn't go into too much detail with him but that has forced even more movement with that offensive line.
* Arizona plans to have some meetings tonight and tomorrow before doing some yoga on Sunday inside RJ Gym to change things up a bit. Rodriguez said he likes the idea and he thinks it will help the team recover a little bit better after getting banged up some this fall.
Position breakdowns
Quarterbacks: If there was any room for a quarterback other than Anu Solomon to be the starter coming out of spring ball that door has been closed now. The redshirt sophomore will be the guy and his fall has gone well now through another week. As we have been saying he is much more mobile and his passes and decisions have been better this last week-plus. Jerrard Randall has the physical tools to be effective in this offense but understanding all the nuances of the scheme has taken some time. He has made progress this fall, and he has turned into a solid back-up now.
Brandon Dawkins still has work to do and Rodriguez didn't even mention him when talking about the position group Saturday. It will be interesting to see how things go for him the rest of camp.
Running backs: With Arizona knowing what it will get from Nick Wilson and Jared Baker at this point a lot of the focus from the staff has been on the third and fourth guys and right now that is Zach Green and Orlando Bradford, respectively. Today Rodriguez acknowledged the growth that Bradford has had since his arrival and he said right now the Louisiana native is one in the mix for one of the remaining spots as long as he can continue grasping the system. Green has looked much better physically this fall, and Rodriguez agreed with that but said he still needs to improve in that area so that he can stay on the field for more than just a couple plays at a time.
Receivers/Tight ends: There continues to be a steady rotation of players working with the first two units but it has mostly stuck with the same group. The first unit seems to be set with the usual names of Cayleb Jones, Samajie Grant, Nate Phillips, David Richards and a fifth in Trey Griffey. Meanwhile, it has remained Tony Ellison, Shun Brown, Johnny Jackson and Abraham Mendivil getting work in with that second unit. Arizona will have some options at the position and most of the group will get a chance to see the field a good amount this season if things hold true to fall camp.
Trevor Wood continues to work through an injury so it has been Matt Morin stepping in when needed and along with Josh Kern that trio looks like it will get a good amount of time this year.
Offensive line: With the nagging injury to Gross Arizona has had to continue moving guys around. Zach Hemmila has been the biggest mover so far this fall moving positions and groups. Still, Arizona wants him as part of its top eight by the time the season rolls around. David Catalano is a nice piece as well and he continues to get an extended look at guard and center as well. UA is pretty adamant that it does not want to move Lene Maiava any more and that is one reason why there has been a lot of shifting. He seems like a logical choice to move back inside again, but the coaching staff thinks that was a little too difficult for one guy to handle so it would rather keep him at tackle now and move others around.
Defensive line: The group is all but set, but who gets to start is still being decided with the defensive line. Luca Bruno has certainly made his case, but Jeff Worthy and Anthony Fotu have had strong camps already. Fotu looks even bigger than he did during the spring and Worthy has bounced back nicely from surgery. Bruno is the favorite right now, but Worthy certainly has a shot to move him. As Arizona gets the players it knows will play even more ready Sani Fuimaono has been able to get in the mix with the first group as well at nose.
Linebackers: The linebacker group as a whole has really come together well this fall, and one thing that often gets overlooked is that the group really seems to have a bond. Cody Ippolito has become a lot more vocal of a player these days and he has a way of keeping the group loose which has also helped keep it pretty tight-knit as well. With all the attention Scooby Wright will get this year being able to be on the same page and work as a unit will be important and right now that main players in the group have done well this summer and camp. Jake Matthews continues to be impressive with the transformation he has made with his size. He just looks noticeably bigger now than he ever has.
Safeties: Carter Hehr continues to get some good time with the second unit as Arizona mixes and matches different players at different positions. As was mentioned before Anthony Lopez has his hand pretty well wrapped so it is limiting in some ways although he is still practicing. To help him while he recovers Arizona has moved some players around. The first unit has remained in tact and doesn't look like it will change, but Hehr has moved to bandit while Paul Magloire was spending time at spur with the second group today. Magloire has been working at spur instead of bandit (where he was in the spring and to start August camp) the past couple days and he looks comfortable there.
It will be interesting to see how that second unit comes together in the remaining portion of camp, but right now there are some options.
Cornerbacks: The cornerback group continues to be a fun one to monitor. Today during the open portion it was freshman Sammy Morrison working with the first unit along with DaVonte' Neal while Cam Denson was with the second group along with Kwesi Mashack. Denson still has the best chance at being a starter when all is said and done, but Morrison getting some work with the first unit is telling. Right now that group of four looks to be the favorites once the season starts as Jarvis McCall continues to try and stay healthy.
Depth Chart
Offense
QB: Anu Solomon; Jerrard Randall
RB: Nick Wilson or Jared Baker; Zach Green
WR: Cayleb Jones; Abraham Mendivil
WR: David Richards or Trey Griffey; Tony Ellison
Slot: Nate Phillips; Shun Brown
Slot: Samajie Grant; Tyrell Johnson or Johnny Jackson
TE: Josh Kern, Trevor Wood
OT: Freddie Tagaloa, Layth Friekh
OG: TD Gross; David Catalano
C: Cayman Bundage; Zach Hemmila or David Catalano
OG: Jacob Alsadek; Kaige Lawrence
OT: Lene Maiava; Gerhard de Beer
Defense
DT: Luca Bruno or Jeff Worthy
NT: Parker Zellers; Sani Fuimaono
DE: Reggie Gilbert; Anthony Fotu
LB: Derrick Turituri; Cody Ippolito
LB: Scooby Wright; Haden Gregory
LB: Jake Matthews; DeAndre' Miller
Spur: Will Parks; Anthony Lopez or Paul Magloire
Bandit: Tellas Jones; Carter Hehr
FS: Jamar Allah; Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles
CB: Cam Denson; Kwesi Mashack
CB: DaVonte' Neal or Jarvis McCall; Sammy Morrison
