Well, where to start? In what has become one of the busiest weeks surrounding Arizona athletics there is much to get to in this week’s War Room and we will jump right in without wasting any time.
Greg Byrne
We’ll start with the biggest news of the week and news that came as somewhat of a surprise to some. Greg Byrne is indeed leaving to take over as the athletic director at Alabama after being with the Wildcats since 2010. That means Arizona will be in search of a new athletic director and there are certainly some intriguing options.
* First, though, how did it get to this point? Well, the process started back in December when talks with Alabama began but it quickly moved forward over the weekend as Byrne met with officials at Alabama and of course the person whose opinion matters most - Nick Saban. After that everything was on the table and Byrne accepted.
“I think everyone can agree that Greg Byrne is one of the highly-touted athletic directors in the country,” Arizona’s interim athletic director Erika Barnes said Monday after the news was made official. “We knew that what he’s done here has been incredible, and he’s done a lot of great things for us. So we knew that any time there was a Power Five position open his name was gonna be on that list for good reason.
“We wish him the best and I knew that it was an opportunity that in his mind he felt he couldn’t turn down. ... We’ve been talking throughout this whole process even up to just a few minutes ago. He’s a great person.”
Byrne is one athletic director whose name has come up with various jobs that have opened up whether it has been out west such as USC or in the SEC with Florida. The feeling has been that he was not going to be around Arizona for very much longer, but the abruptness of how quickly it happened was a bit of a surprise to UA even with the process beginning last month.
* Arizona is in an interesting spot with its president, Ann Weaver Hart, not returning once her current contract ends in 2018. That means there is no clear-cut direction on who will be making the hire of UA’s next athletic director. In the short term Barnes will take over for Byrne with her first day officially on the job being Feb. 1. Beyond that the process is officially started but there is really mystery, even to those involved, as to who will have the final say on making the hire.
“I don’t know, we’re not there yet,” Barnes said about determining how long she could potentially be the one in charge. “These things have happened so quickly. President Hart has been moving quickly herself, but in college athletics I don’t know how long it could be at all.”
* To many fans the most important opinion on this move could belong to basketball coach Sean Miller and he also spoke with the media Monday. Miller and Byrne have been notoriously close as a coach and athletic director and that is something the UA head coach mentioned during his time with the media on Monday.
“First of all I’m happy for Greg and his family,” Miller said. “There’s really two levels to him leaving. No. 1, I have a hard time believing that an athletic director anywhere did a better job for a university than he did for us here at Arizona. In the seven years that he was here a lot of great things happened inn terms of his overall support, relationship, direction of the men’s basketball program, which I’m in charge of. I couldn’t imagine a better relationship or better leadership.
“On a personal level, you know a friend is leaving. A friend is moving from Tucson. His wife and Greg are great friends with my wife and myself. That usually doesn’t happen in a relationship between an athletic director and a coach, but in this case it did happen. We didn’t really know each other when Greg came from Mississippi State. Obviously it’s kind of an empty feeling with him leaving only because of how meaningful he was to our program, our university and then the friendship in addition to that.
“But, I know that he’ll go on and do great things at Alabama. They’re lucky to have him. And I know that we’ll move on in a positive direction and most important get somebody here as our new athletic director who approaches things in a similar way and does a great job in their own right. I’m anxious to see that happen.”
Miller said Monday that he is more focused on coaching his team than being part of the hiring process, but he will certainly have a chance for his own input on making the hire and at least play a part in determining who it will be.
“I mean I’m the basketball coach and I’m getting ready for USC and UCLA,” he said. “That’s No. 1 and that’s my job. If asked certainly I would love to have a sense and feel for who they are, and I’m confident that that will happen.”
* On Monday we put together a list of the top early candidates to watch as things unfold, but the process could end up being a long one because of the uncertainty with who makes the hire. Click here to read our current list of potential candidates to fill Byrne’s former spot.
Football
There is of course still things that have to take place even with an interim athletic director. There are games to be played and seasons to get ready for. For UA that means getting back to work with the offseason program and preparing for spring ball.
* As we continue our weekly look at each position group recapping how things played out in 2016 along with looking ahead to 2017 this week our group of focus will have plenty of changes in the 2017 season and there will be plenty of question marks and youth to go along with a new coach.
Yup, it’s time to talk about the linebackers and new coach Scott Boone’s group for 2017.
- 2016 overview: Man, oh, man was it another rough season for Arizona’s linebacker unit. The 2016 resembled in many ways the 2015 season when it came to injuries. They took place often and they were significant. Eight different players had a chance to start this season at the three linebacker positions for UA and most of that was due to injury. Among those eight starters every one at least spent some time out because of injury. What that meant was a lot of players out of position and working through some issues. Losing Cody Ippolito with another serious knee injury certainly put the Wildcats in a tough spot having to find solutions to the problem at middle linebacker.
UA mixed and matched until finally landing on using Michael Barton at the middle linebacker spot with Paul Magloire at the “will” position. Both seniors Barton and Magloire provided enough for UA to at least stay relatively competitive at the position, but tackling was an issue all year long for the entire unit. DeAndre’ Miller was the other main piece to the group and while he was set up in the new scheme to make his biggest impact yet it just didn’t quite happen and by the end of the season he was splitting quite a bit of time with John Kenny at the “stud” position.
One bright spot toward the end of the season was the play of Brandon Rutt who helped generate some turnovers, which is something that was again lacking from the group in 2016.
- 2017 outlook: The linebacker unit in the upcoming season will be completely revamped. Arizona had so many seniors on the roster last season that now it will be all about youth and working through issues as players begin their college careers. Before the arrival of a couple players to start this semester UA was down to just a few scholarship linebackers and didn’t even have a group that reached double digits. There will certainly be jobs open and it should not be a surprise when multiple freshmen see the field in 2017.
The biggest issue for the Wildcats going into the new year is the middle linebacker spot. As of now there isn’t one and that can potentially lead to some issues moving forward. There are lesser known names who could slide into the role, but the chances of a freshman getting the job come September are fairly high at the moment.
Miller will be the veteran of the linebacker unit as the only senior but as spring ball approaches there are others who have been around who will get their shot. The staff has liked what it has been able to see from players like Rutt and Carrington Vaughn so far as well. In addition to those three UA has a pair of linebackers coming off redshirt seasons, Kahi Neves and Jacob Colacion, who made some noise during their year sitting out. Both should be able to contribute in their second seasons and could push for starting jobs in 2017.
Where the real influx of talent will come is with the incoming recruiting class as the Wildcats move to a more youthful group and if the work to get players in at the midyear point is any indication that means you are more likely than not to see some true freshmen on the field this year. Tony Fields and Jose Ramirez are already on campus as early enrollees and more help will come this summer. Josh Brown has a chance to be the starting middle linebacker in the upcoming year while Colin Schooler could find his way onto the field as well in his first season.
In addition to that Kylan Wilborn and Jalen Harris could end up taking some time, but both have the potential to be impact players in time as well.
The thing that should come as a change is that Arizona will be bigger at linebacker in the upcoming season and more versatile. There are incoming players who have a chance to play a couple different spots but the direction the team is now headed in at the position is a good one. That will come with bumps as UA saw this season on the back end playing numerous young safeties, but the group is more talented than it has been and will just have to work through the youth.
Greg Byrne
We’ll start with the biggest news of the week and news that came as somewhat of a surprise to some. Greg Byrne is indeed leaving to take over as the athletic director at Alabama after being with the Wildcats since 2010. That means Arizona will be in search of a new athletic director and there are certainly some intriguing options.
* First, though, how did it get to this point? Well, the process started back in December when talks with Alabama began but it quickly moved forward over the weekend as Byrne met with officials at Alabama and of course the person whose opinion matters most - Nick Saban. After that everything was on the table and Byrne accepted.
“I think everyone can agree that Greg Byrne is one of the highly-touted athletic directors in the country,” Arizona’s interim athletic director Erika Barnes said Monday after the news was made official. “We knew that what he’s done here has been incredible, and he’s done a lot of great things for us. So we knew that any time there was a Power Five position open his name was gonna be on that list for good reason.
“We wish him the best and I knew that it was an opportunity that in his mind he felt he couldn’t turn down. ... We’ve been talking throughout this whole process even up to just a few minutes ago. He’s a great person.”
Byrne is one athletic director whose name has come up with various jobs that have opened up whether it has been out west such as USC or in the SEC with Florida. The feeling has been that he was not going to be around Arizona for very much longer, but the abruptness of how quickly it happened was a bit of a surprise to UA even with the process beginning last month.
* Arizona is in an interesting spot with its president, Ann Weaver Hart, not returning once her current contract ends in 2018. That means there is no clear-cut direction on who will be making the hire of UA’s next athletic director. In the short term Barnes will take over for Byrne with her first day officially on the job being Feb. 1. Beyond that the process is officially started but there is really mystery, even to those involved, as to who will have the final say on making the hire.
“I don’t know, we’re not there yet,” Barnes said about determining how long she could potentially be the one in charge. “These things have happened so quickly. President Hart has been moving quickly herself, but in college athletics I don’t know how long it could be at all.”
* To many fans the most important opinion on this move could belong to basketball coach Sean Miller and he also spoke with the media Monday. Miller and Byrne have been notoriously close as a coach and athletic director and that is something the UA head coach mentioned during his time with the media on Monday.
“First of all I’m happy for Greg and his family,” Miller said. “There’s really two levels to him leaving. No. 1, I have a hard time believing that an athletic director anywhere did a better job for a university than he did for us here at Arizona. In the seven years that he was here a lot of great things happened inn terms of his overall support, relationship, direction of the men’s basketball program, which I’m in charge of. I couldn’t imagine a better relationship or better leadership.
“On a personal level, you know a friend is leaving. A friend is moving from Tucson. His wife and Greg are great friends with my wife and myself. That usually doesn’t happen in a relationship between an athletic director and a coach, but in this case it did happen. We didn’t really know each other when Greg came from Mississippi State. Obviously it’s kind of an empty feeling with him leaving only because of how meaningful he was to our program, our university and then the friendship in addition to that.
“But, I know that he’ll go on and do great things at Alabama. They’re lucky to have him. And I know that we’ll move on in a positive direction and most important get somebody here as our new athletic director who approaches things in a similar way and does a great job in their own right. I’m anxious to see that happen.”
Miller said Monday that he is more focused on coaching his team than being part of the hiring process, but he will certainly have a chance for his own input on making the hire and at least play a part in determining who it will be.
“I mean I’m the basketball coach and I’m getting ready for USC and UCLA,” he said. “That’s No. 1 and that’s my job. If asked certainly I would love to have a sense and feel for who they are, and I’m confident that that will happen.”
* On Monday we put together a list of the top early candidates to watch as things unfold, but the process could end up being a long one because of the uncertainty with who makes the hire. Click here to read our current list of potential candidates to fill Byrne’s former spot.
Football
There is of course still things that have to take place even with an interim athletic director. There are games to be played and seasons to get ready for. For UA that means getting back to work with the offseason program and preparing for spring ball.
* As we continue our weekly look at each position group recapping how things played out in 2016 along with looking ahead to 2017 this week our group of focus will have plenty of changes in the 2017 season and there will be plenty of question marks and youth to go along with a new coach.
Yup, it’s time to talk about the linebackers and new coach Scott Boone’s group for 2017.
- 2016 overview: Man, oh, man was it another rough season for Arizona’s linebacker unit. The 2016 resembled in many ways the 2015 season when it came to injuries. They took place often and they were significant. Eight different players had a chance to start this season at the three linebacker positions for UA and most of that was due to injury. Among those eight starters every one at least spent some time out because of injury. What that meant was a lot of players out of position and working through some issues. Losing Cody Ippolito with another serious knee injury certainly put the Wildcats in a tough spot having to find solutions to the problem at middle linebacker.
UA mixed and matched until finally landing on using Michael Barton at the middle linebacker spot with Paul Magloire at the “will” position. Both seniors Barton and Magloire provided enough for UA to at least stay relatively competitive at the position, but tackling was an issue all year long for the entire unit. DeAndre’ Miller was the other main piece to the group and while he was set up in the new scheme to make his biggest impact yet it just didn’t quite happen and by the end of the season he was splitting quite a bit of time with John Kenny at the “stud” position.
One bright spot toward the end of the season was the play of Brandon Rutt who helped generate some turnovers, which is something that was again lacking from the group in 2016.
- 2017 outlook: The linebacker unit in the upcoming season will be completely revamped. Arizona had so many seniors on the roster last season that now it will be all about youth and working through issues as players begin their college careers. Before the arrival of a couple players to start this semester UA was down to just a few scholarship linebackers and didn’t even have a group that reached double digits. There will certainly be jobs open and it should not be a surprise when multiple freshmen see the field in 2017.
The biggest issue for the Wildcats going into the new year is the middle linebacker spot. As of now there isn’t one and that can potentially lead to some issues moving forward. There are lesser known names who could slide into the role, but the chances of a freshman getting the job come September are fairly high at the moment.
Miller will be the veteran of the linebacker unit as the only senior but as spring ball approaches there are others who have been around who will get their shot. The staff has liked what it has been able to see from players like Rutt and Carrington Vaughn so far as well. In addition to those three UA has a pair of linebackers coming off redshirt seasons, Kahi Neves and Jacob Colacion, who made some noise during their year sitting out. Both should be able to contribute in their second seasons and could push for starting jobs in 2017.
Where the real influx of talent will come is with the incoming recruiting class as the Wildcats move to a more youthful group and if the work to get players in at the midyear point is any indication that means you are more likely than not to see some true freshmen on the field this year. Tony Fields and Jose Ramirez are already on campus as early enrollees and more help will come this summer. Josh Brown has a chance to be the starting middle linebacker in the upcoming year while Colin Schooler could find his way onto the field as well in his first season.
In addition to that Kylan Wilborn and Jalen Harris could end up taking some time, but both have the potential to be impact players in time as well.
The thing that should come as a change is that Arizona will be bigger at linebacker in the upcoming season and more versatile. There are incoming players who have a chance to play a couple different spots but the direction the team is now headed in at the position is a good one. That will come with bumps as UA saw this season on the back end playing numerous young safeties, but the group is more talented than it has been and will just have to work through the youth.
