The busy times just keep on rolling for Arizona as the fun time of the basketball season is getting underway and football is in the middle of its spring practice schedule. There is of course recruiting to always talk about as well. Without further ado here is this week’s War Room.
Football
It’s an interesting time for Arizona. It is only midway through spring ball, but the original plans had UA already getting close to wrapping things up. That hasn’t quite worked out as coaching departures and hires meant slowing down the process a bit. Thursday the Wildcats held what would have been their spring game, but instead it was used a showcase that didn’t quite go as planned.
We’ll discuss that later in the War Room, but for now we’ll start with a new big pick up for the ‘Cats that went down over the weekend.
* It was kept a bit quiet, but Arizona had a number of recruits out from Vegas over the weekend and among that group was a college player looking for a new home himself. Former USC defensive tackle Noah Jefferson, a one-time top-55 recruit, decided to make Tucson his next home announcing his decision Sunday. The sophomore played against Alabama in 2016, but an injury and personal issues derailed his second season. He did have three tackles in the game coming off a season in which he played in 12 games and had 23 tackles as a freshman.
Academics, personal issues and injury have all culminated in Jefferson being away from USC since last season – about three months now. He has not been a part of what the Trojans are doing so much that they don’t even qualify it as a transfer. Still, USC’s loss is Arizona’s gain as the Wildcats need an influx of size at the nose tackle position and at 6-foot-6 and 315 pounds Jefferson will help do that.
The biggest question going forward will be if Arizona can get him eligible. At this stage the staff is not certain it can do so, but the thinking is because he only played one game last season and was injured for most of it that it can use the 2016 season as a medical redshirt year and get him eligible for the 2017 season. That process is going to take some time and UA has not had a ton of success in getting those players eligible who it has tried to over the last few years including most recently Zach Benjamin who UA felt it had a strong case for yet still failed to get him on the field.
If Jefferson isn’t able to play in 2017 he would then just sit and use his redshirt season in 2017 and have two years to play starting 2018. As a 2015 recruit Jefferson finished his class ranked as the No. 52 prospect in the class and the top-rated recruit from Nevada. He certainly has plenty of upside and Arizona is in a position where it can and almost has to take a chance on a player like Jefferson.
* Rich Rodriguez left open the possibility for more additions when he announced his 2016 signing class last month and reiterated it again Monday after practice. The expectation was that transfers would make up a big portion of that group. Jefferson is one, but another is Florida grad transfer center Cameron Dillard. The Michigan-based offensive lineman has connections to Rodriguez and the Wildcats are one of two teams the veteran player will choose from. He visited Tucson for Arizona’s first spring practice along with his wife. That was a good trip for the Wildcats but he also visited North Carolina as well.
The past weekend was his opportunity to try and think on his decision and there should be some news on his final choice soon and may]be as soon as this week.
* The Wildcats made two additions official on Monday as well. Brian Knorr’s hiring as Special Teams Coordinator was made official completing Arizona’s staff for the season. The NCAA might move forward with a 10th assistant at which time UA would add another full-time coach, but for now Knorr making the move over from Ohio State is it for the year. The former Ohio University head coach was most recently at Ohio State as a quality control coach with kicking as his focus.
Prior to that he was the defensive coordinator at Indiana and also had stints at Wake Forest and his alma mater, Air Force, as well. Knorr’s ties are to the Ohio area but he has also recruited the Inland Empire and Texas previously as well and will contribute to UA’s efforts in those areas as well, but his main job will be to help UA improve on the field.
“I’ve always been a part of special teams, but the last 6-8 years I’ve been a defensive coordinator prior to last year,” Knorr said Monday after his first practice with the team. “So, I’ve been on the defensive end. When I was a head coach I coordinated the special teams. ... But last year and the year before is when I primarily helped with the special teams.”
His background has a ton of coaching linebackers in it and part of what Arizona was looking for when making the hire was finding someone who could also help the team’s pass rush and that means Knorr will help with that as well in addition to working with the specialists.
“I’ve talked to both Vince (Amey) and the defensive coordinator (Marcel Yates) and we’ve talked a little bit about where I’ll fit in,” he said. “Very similar to some of the structure that we had at Indiana. We were an odd-front team that went to some more even and coached a very similar position as the stud with Arizona. So wherever they need me or wherever I can help out, I enjoyed watching the guys fly around today.”
In addition to Knorr the Wildcats also finally announced the signing of 2017 quarterback K’Hari Lane from Georgia. The big signal caller committed to the ‘Cats a few weeks ago but he just got around to signing thus making him officially part of the class. As we have detailed previously Lane has a big arm and there’s always a chance to at least get in the mix with UA’s current group. At this point he is expected to be out in Tucson this summer with the rest of the class that signed back in February.
“Yeah, I think you vet everybody out whether they’re a five-star or a two-star,” Rodriguez said about recruiting Lane. “But I think you’ve gotta make a decision based on a guy we feel can compete for the job and have success at this level. Watched him on film and talked to everybody at his school his coaches and people they love the guy. So, we needed more guys there and we’re still talking to some others.
“This class is not done yet. ... The quest for good players is never ending and the staff is working hard at it.”
* Arizona continues to go through spring practice and it will continue this week, but Thursday was an important day - or at least it was supposed to be - for the ‘Cats as they held their second open practice of the spring with the televised spring showcase. It was essentially a glorified practice and it didn’t quite accomplish what Rodriguez hoped, but nonetheless the media was able to watch and get an idea of where things stand halfway through the spring. Because the job wasn’t quite accomplished Rodriguez has added another open practice to the end of the schedule to take place on March 31 as a make-up of sorts for Thursday’s lack of truly being what the UA head coach wanted it to be.
Here is our breakdown of each position group after watching the team go through its practice with a closer look at some of the key players in each group.
- Quarterbacks: We’ve said many times that the real progress for Arizona’s quarterbacks will come after spring ball is over as the summer workouts and August camp play out. Spring practice and practice in general limits what each quarterback does best and that is run the ball, but still the passing element is where the staff wants to see the most improvement so in that sense it is working out well for both Khalil Tate and Brandon Dawkins. The good news right now is that neither is regressing and there has at least been some forward movement from both over the last couple weeks. There were some good decisions made Thursday along with some errant throws but there is still slight bits of progress each time we are able to watch.
The other bit of good news for UA is the rest of the group seems improved outside of the two scholarship players right now. Zach Werlinger and Gunther Johnson actually made some impressive throws Thursday night and while UA hopes it never gets down to using the third and fourth players the reality is it could always happen and those two quarterbacks have looked improved this spring.
- Running backs: Nick Wilson was gone attending a funeral so he didn’t participate, but it gave the other members of the group a chance to shine. It was our first chance to see the team in full pads and Arizona’s running backs are going to present an interesting dynamic to the team this year. Each has his own style and all were about as advertised in the spring showcase. The standout of the group was JJ Taylor although he wasn’t being taken to the ground much as UA is being cautious with him. However, he clearly was the best player on the field in the practice and made several strong runs that would have likely been touchdowns in games.
Nathan Tilford and Zach Green were also impressive to provide a change up to Taylor’s speed and quickness. Tilford had some nice carries including a strong touchdown run that had him fighting off numerous tackles to get in the end zone. Overall the group is going to be Arizona’s strongest unit if it stays healthy and so far this spring the improvement the staff has been looking for has been there as well.
Football
It’s an interesting time for Arizona. It is only midway through spring ball, but the original plans had UA already getting close to wrapping things up. That hasn’t quite worked out as coaching departures and hires meant slowing down the process a bit. Thursday the Wildcats held what would have been their spring game, but instead it was used a showcase that didn’t quite go as planned.
We’ll discuss that later in the War Room, but for now we’ll start with a new big pick up for the ‘Cats that went down over the weekend.
* It was kept a bit quiet, but Arizona had a number of recruits out from Vegas over the weekend and among that group was a college player looking for a new home himself. Former USC defensive tackle Noah Jefferson, a one-time top-55 recruit, decided to make Tucson his next home announcing his decision Sunday. The sophomore played against Alabama in 2016, but an injury and personal issues derailed his second season. He did have three tackles in the game coming off a season in which he played in 12 games and had 23 tackles as a freshman.
Academics, personal issues and injury have all culminated in Jefferson being away from USC since last season – about three months now. He has not been a part of what the Trojans are doing so much that they don’t even qualify it as a transfer. Still, USC’s loss is Arizona’s gain as the Wildcats need an influx of size at the nose tackle position and at 6-foot-6 and 315 pounds Jefferson will help do that.
The biggest question going forward will be if Arizona can get him eligible. At this stage the staff is not certain it can do so, but the thinking is because he only played one game last season and was injured for most of it that it can use the 2016 season as a medical redshirt year and get him eligible for the 2017 season. That process is going to take some time and UA has not had a ton of success in getting those players eligible who it has tried to over the last few years including most recently Zach Benjamin who UA felt it had a strong case for yet still failed to get him on the field.
If Jefferson isn’t able to play in 2017 he would then just sit and use his redshirt season in 2017 and have two years to play starting 2018. As a 2015 recruit Jefferson finished his class ranked as the No. 52 prospect in the class and the top-rated recruit from Nevada. He certainly has plenty of upside and Arizona is in a position where it can and almost has to take a chance on a player like Jefferson.
* Rich Rodriguez left open the possibility for more additions when he announced his 2016 signing class last month and reiterated it again Monday after practice. The expectation was that transfers would make up a big portion of that group. Jefferson is one, but another is Florida grad transfer center Cameron Dillard. The Michigan-based offensive lineman has connections to Rodriguez and the Wildcats are one of two teams the veteran player will choose from. He visited Tucson for Arizona’s first spring practice along with his wife. That was a good trip for the Wildcats but he also visited North Carolina as well.
The past weekend was his opportunity to try and think on his decision and there should be some news on his final choice soon and may]be as soon as this week.
* The Wildcats made two additions official on Monday as well. Brian Knorr’s hiring as Special Teams Coordinator was made official completing Arizona’s staff for the season. The NCAA might move forward with a 10th assistant at which time UA would add another full-time coach, but for now Knorr making the move over from Ohio State is it for the year. The former Ohio University head coach was most recently at Ohio State as a quality control coach with kicking as his focus.
Prior to that he was the defensive coordinator at Indiana and also had stints at Wake Forest and his alma mater, Air Force, as well. Knorr’s ties are to the Ohio area but he has also recruited the Inland Empire and Texas previously as well and will contribute to UA’s efforts in those areas as well, but his main job will be to help UA improve on the field.
“I’ve always been a part of special teams, but the last 6-8 years I’ve been a defensive coordinator prior to last year,” Knorr said Monday after his first practice with the team. “So, I’ve been on the defensive end. When I was a head coach I coordinated the special teams. ... But last year and the year before is when I primarily helped with the special teams.”
His background has a ton of coaching linebackers in it and part of what Arizona was looking for when making the hire was finding someone who could also help the team’s pass rush and that means Knorr will help with that as well in addition to working with the specialists.
“I’ve talked to both Vince (Amey) and the defensive coordinator (Marcel Yates) and we’ve talked a little bit about where I’ll fit in,” he said. “Very similar to some of the structure that we had at Indiana. We were an odd-front team that went to some more even and coached a very similar position as the stud with Arizona. So wherever they need me or wherever I can help out, I enjoyed watching the guys fly around today.”
In addition to Knorr the Wildcats also finally announced the signing of 2017 quarterback K’Hari Lane from Georgia. The big signal caller committed to the ‘Cats a few weeks ago but he just got around to signing thus making him officially part of the class. As we have detailed previously Lane has a big arm and there’s always a chance to at least get in the mix with UA’s current group. At this point he is expected to be out in Tucson this summer with the rest of the class that signed back in February.
“Yeah, I think you vet everybody out whether they’re a five-star or a two-star,” Rodriguez said about recruiting Lane. “But I think you’ve gotta make a decision based on a guy we feel can compete for the job and have success at this level. Watched him on film and talked to everybody at his school his coaches and people they love the guy. So, we needed more guys there and we’re still talking to some others.
“This class is not done yet. ... The quest for good players is never ending and the staff is working hard at it.”
* Arizona continues to go through spring practice and it will continue this week, but Thursday was an important day - or at least it was supposed to be - for the ‘Cats as they held their second open practice of the spring with the televised spring showcase. It was essentially a glorified practice and it didn’t quite accomplish what Rodriguez hoped, but nonetheless the media was able to watch and get an idea of where things stand halfway through the spring. Because the job wasn’t quite accomplished Rodriguez has added another open practice to the end of the schedule to take place on March 31 as a make-up of sorts for Thursday’s lack of truly being what the UA head coach wanted it to be.
Here is our breakdown of each position group after watching the team go through its practice with a closer look at some of the key players in each group.
- Quarterbacks: We’ve said many times that the real progress for Arizona’s quarterbacks will come after spring ball is over as the summer workouts and August camp play out. Spring practice and practice in general limits what each quarterback does best and that is run the ball, but still the passing element is where the staff wants to see the most improvement so in that sense it is working out well for both Khalil Tate and Brandon Dawkins. The good news right now is that neither is regressing and there has at least been some forward movement from both over the last couple weeks. There were some good decisions made Thursday along with some errant throws but there is still slight bits of progress each time we are able to watch.
The other bit of good news for UA is the rest of the group seems improved outside of the two scholarship players right now. Zach Werlinger and Gunther Johnson actually made some impressive throws Thursday night and while UA hopes it never gets down to using the third and fourth players the reality is it could always happen and those two quarterbacks have looked improved this spring.
- Running backs: Nick Wilson was gone attending a funeral so he didn’t participate, but it gave the other members of the group a chance to shine. It was our first chance to see the team in full pads and Arizona’s running backs are going to present an interesting dynamic to the team this year. Each has his own style and all were about as advertised in the spring showcase. The standout of the group was JJ Taylor although he wasn’t being taken to the ground much as UA is being cautious with him. However, he clearly was the best player on the field in the practice and made several strong runs that would have likely been touchdowns in games.
Nathan Tilford and Zach Green were also impressive to provide a change up to Taylor’s speed and quickness. Tilford had some nice carries including a strong touchdown run that had him fighting off numerous tackles to get in the end zone. Overall the group is going to be Arizona’s strongest unit if it stays healthy and so far this spring the improvement the staff has been looking for has been there as well.
