Arizona decided to make some changes this season with how the Tuesday player interviews are conducted. To make it easier for everyone the players were spread out across a the Sands Club giving media a chance to get some individual/small group time with several players. It made for an enjoyable experience plus players tend to be more comfortable in that type of setting rather than having a ton of cameras pointed at them all at one time.
To recap what was discussed I wanted to run down some of the things I talked about with the players who were made available Tuesday. I figure the easiest way to do that is to highlight some of the most notable things said by the players to give you an idea of what's being talked about heading into this Saturday's games.
First off a couple notes ... I know I was asked previously how many players the team will be taking and I said 70 but that number is the old number for conference games. Once conference play starts teams can take 74 players beginning this season. As far as nonconference play there is no limit. I was told today that UA is not taking everybody on the roster, but but most of the team will be making the trek out to Hawaii. So that should be pretty cool for everybody involved.
In addition to that, the team will practice a few times upon arrival to Hawaii. There will be a workout Wednesday after the team arrives and then the usual work Thursday and Friday like any other game week.
First up, we'll take a look at the offensive players who spoke Tuesday.
Jamarye Joiner
* Naturally, Joiner was a popular guy Tuesday since it was the first time the media had a chance to talk with him during his time at Arizona. The former quarterback is now listed at the top of the depth chart after his move to receiver this summer. Joiner was as polished as you will see a redshirt freshman be when talking with the media. He made strong eye contact with whatever reporter was asking him the questions and he didn't stumble for words while seemingly coming up with the right thing to say for every question asked of him. I've talked to him on many occasions going back to his days as a recruit and the growth he has made in that area is huge in a short amount of time.
This clip gives you an example of most of what Joiner had to say about his move over to receiver. He said it was 100 percent his decision to make, but it wasn't necessarily something that came easy considering quarterback is where he had always imagined he'd be playing.
Joiner said he didn't reach out to any players who have made the quarterback-to-receiver transition in the past, but he did watch film of players who have made the same move that he made this offseason. So far the transition has moved along quickly and from Noel Mazzone to Kevin Sumlin the reason given for that has been Joiner's understanding of the offense and knowing where he needs to be more than other players who are competition for playing time at the position. He had to know all those things as a quarterback and it has carried over to his new position. One thing that is different is how much running he has to do at his new spot.
"Coming from quarterback to receiver it's just conditioning," he said. "Any quarterback can go out there and run the routes how they're supposed to be run because they know them, but conditioning is not going to be the same. The only hard part about it was getting my conditioning right."
Joiner is one of the new faces at the position and there are other players just like him who will have expanded roles with the receiver unit. He said that while the experience is not there for the young receiver group he still believes the talent is there to surprise people once the season gets going.
Robert Congel
The redshirt sophomore offensive lineman came to Arizona thinking he would get his chance to play right away after playing during his freshman season for Sumlin and Mazzone at Texas A&M. It wasn't that easy once the NCAA got involved and ruled that he would have to sit out last season even though he was a walk-on player being put on scholarship at his new school. The case proved not to be strong enough for the Wildcats and Congel so instead he had to work on improving and taking time away from the field on Saturdays.
During that time that he had to sit out Josh McCauley emerged at center taking the job that looked like it was destined to belong to Congel. It was yet another hurdle for Congel after already having to go through another coaching change when Joe Gilbert left for a return to the NFL. The Colorado native has persevered through the adversity to land at the top of the depth chart at a different position as UA's new starting left guard.
Congel battled with Josh Donovan eventually taking the job away from the junior college transfer late in camp, but there is still plenty of respect between the duo that battled it out the last couple weeks.
"Football is based on competition," he said. "There's always going to be someone coming for your spot. J.D., I can't say enough good things about him, man. He's a really great player and he's got a bright future ahead of him. I've had to fight throughout college and high school. I went to IMG and had to fight for a job there when I was a zero-star guy. You know, I'm not new to competition, so it was just another fight I had to fight."
The real progress for Congel, who has been a center during his career, came when he made the move to a new position. The coaching staff likes his versatility and talent level, so getting him on the field somewhere has been part of the plan. The move to guard was one way to get it done and when that happened during camp it sparked a change for Congel.
"When I moved over to guard I was a little bit nervous because I had been playing center for so long at that point," he said. "Last year I was just playing center. Moving over to guard you've gotta play in a little bit more space, but I probably started to feel really comfortable with it the second day."
Brian Casteel
The junior receiver has had opportunities to get on the field, but staying out there has been a challenge. Whether it has been injury or simply players ahead of him on the depth chart the California native has not been able to fully spread his wings as a member of the Wildcats. He will get that chance this season as he is listed as one of two starters in the slot heading into the first game. Casteel has dropped weight and continued to improve his skill set in hopes of making the most of his opportunity this season.
One of his injuries became so severe that he was almost forced to give up the game entirely. Being on the path he is headed on this season is certainly something that took quite a bit of work on his end.
"My freshman year I played on special teams and I guess got the feel for just playing college football," he said. "Last season I got injured and it kind of put me out the entire season. I had a back injury that could've ended my career, but I'm just blessed to be where I am today and able to play. This season I'm just ready to show what I can do since I haven't been able to show that. ... It's been pretty frustrating, but I kind of just put my head down and kept going.
"I knew that God had a path for me and I had to follow that path and eventually would be able to show what I can do if I just keep pushing and keep going."
Casteel has done the chasing over the course of his career as one of the players trying to take a job away from other players. This year he's at the top of the list and while that will bring him opportunity there are other players at his position who want to get on the field just as much as he does. The junior said his approach to the competition is not going to change as he heads into what will be his most significant season yet.
"My mindset has been the same all throughout the process even when I was a backup and wasn't the starter," he said. "I kept working. Now that I've become the starter I've kept the same mindset as if I wasn't the starter. Our coach preaches that competition makes everybody better, so having guys that can compete with me for the position is just going to make me even better, so I appreciate it."
Casteel is one of the players at the top of the list when it comes to the big topic of the offseason. UA's receiver group has talent, but nobody knows what those players will look like once game day rolls around since the experience is lacking with the unit. The UA junior slot receiver remains confident that the talent will get a chance to show itself and outweigh the inexperience of his group.
"We all know that there's talent in that room," he said. "In both rooms, outside and inside. I think the main key is going out there and playing as hard as we can and showing what we can do."
Khalil Tate
Leadership has been a big buzz word this offseason and there is no player who it has been mentioned in connection with more than the senior quarterback. Reading between the lines it's clear that was not something that stood out about him last year, and it is something he has wanted to change and take ownership of this time around. That continued to be the focus for Tate when he spoke with the media Tuesday.
In addition to that it is clear he is much more comfortable with understanding what the coaching staff is looking for from him and the rest of the team. Tate said that is something that became clear to him over the last few weeks with everyone getting on the same page in regards to the expectations from the coaching staff in the second year in Tucson for the group.
To recap what was discussed I wanted to run down some of the things I talked about with the players who were made available Tuesday. I figure the easiest way to do that is to highlight some of the most notable things said by the players to give you an idea of what's being talked about heading into this Saturday's games.
First off a couple notes ... I know I was asked previously how many players the team will be taking and I said 70 but that number is the old number for conference games. Once conference play starts teams can take 74 players beginning this season. As far as nonconference play there is no limit. I was told today that UA is not taking everybody on the roster, but but most of the team will be making the trek out to Hawaii. So that should be pretty cool for everybody involved.
In addition to that, the team will practice a few times upon arrival to Hawaii. There will be a workout Wednesday after the team arrives and then the usual work Thursday and Friday like any other game week.
First up, we'll take a look at the offensive players who spoke Tuesday.
Jamarye Joiner
* Naturally, Joiner was a popular guy Tuesday since it was the first time the media had a chance to talk with him during his time at Arizona. The former quarterback is now listed at the top of the depth chart after his move to receiver this summer. Joiner was as polished as you will see a redshirt freshman be when talking with the media. He made strong eye contact with whatever reporter was asking him the questions and he didn't stumble for words while seemingly coming up with the right thing to say for every question asked of him. I've talked to him on many occasions going back to his days as a recruit and the growth he has made in that area is huge in a short amount of time.
This clip gives you an example of most of what Joiner had to say about his move over to receiver. He said it was 100 percent his decision to make, but it wasn't necessarily something that came easy considering quarterback is where he had always imagined he'd be playing.
Joiner said he didn't reach out to any players who have made the quarterback-to-receiver transition in the past, but he did watch film of players who have made the same move that he made this offseason. So far the transition has moved along quickly and from Noel Mazzone to Kevin Sumlin the reason given for that has been Joiner's understanding of the offense and knowing where he needs to be more than other players who are competition for playing time at the position. He had to know all those things as a quarterback and it has carried over to his new position. One thing that is different is how much running he has to do at his new spot.
"Coming from quarterback to receiver it's just conditioning," he said. "Any quarterback can go out there and run the routes how they're supposed to be run because they know them, but conditioning is not going to be the same. The only hard part about it was getting my conditioning right."
Joiner is one of the new faces at the position and there are other players just like him who will have expanded roles with the receiver unit. He said that while the experience is not there for the young receiver group he still believes the talent is there to surprise people once the season gets going.
Robert Congel
The redshirt sophomore offensive lineman came to Arizona thinking he would get his chance to play right away after playing during his freshman season for Sumlin and Mazzone at Texas A&M. It wasn't that easy once the NCAA got involved and ruled that he would have to sit out last season even though he was a walk-on player being put on scholarship at his new school. The case proved not to be strong enough for the Wildcats and Congel so instead he had to work on improving and taking time away from the field on Saturdays.
During that time that he had to sit out Josh McCauley emerged at center taking the job that looked like it was destined to belong to Congel. It was yet another hurdle for Congel after already having to go through another coaching change when Joe Gilbert left for a return to the NFL. The Colorado native has persevered through the adversity to land at the top of the depth chart at a different position as UA's new starting left guard.
Congel battled with Josh Donovan eventually taking the job away from the junior college transfer late in camp, but there is still plenty of respect between the duo that battled it out the last couple weeks.
"Football is based on competition," he said. "There's always going to be someone coming for your spot. J.D., I can't say enough good things about him, man. He's a really great player and he's got a bright future ahead of him. I've had to fight throughout college and high school. I went to IMG and had to fight for a job there when I was a zero-star guy. You know, I'm not new to competition, so it was just another fight I had to fight."
The real progress for Congel, who has been a center during his career, came when he made the move to a new position. The coaching staff likes his versatility and talent level, so getting him on the field somewhere has been part of the plan. The move to guard was one way to get it done and when that happened during camp it sparked a change for Congel.
"When I moved over to guard I was a little bit nervous because I had been playing center for so long at that point," he said. "Last year I was just playing center. Moving over to guard you've gotta play in a little bit more space, but I probably started to feel really comfortable with it the second day."
Brian Casteel
The junior receiver has had opportunities to get on the field, but staying out there has been a challenge. Whether it has been injury or simply players ahead of him on the depth chart the California native has not been able to fully spread his wings as a member of the Wildcats. He will get that chance this season as he is listed as one of two starters in the slot heading into the first game. Casteel has dropped weight and continued to improve his skill set in hopes of making the most of his opportunity this season.
One of his injuries became so severe that he was almost forced to give up the game entirely. Being on the path he is headed on this season is certainly something that took quite a bit of work on his end.
"My freshman year I played on special teams and I guess got the feel for just playing college football," he said. "Last season I got injured and it kind of put me out the entire season. I had a back injury that could've ended my career, but I'm just blessed to be where I am today and able to play. This season I'm just ready to show what I can do since I haven't been able to show that. ... It's been pretty frustrating, but I kind of just put my head down and kept going.
"I knew that God had a path for me and I had to follow that path and eventually would be able to show what I can do if I just keep pushing and keep going."
Casteel has done the chasing over the course of his career as one of the players trying to take a job away from other players. This year he's at the top of the list and while that will bring him opportunity there are other players at his position who want to get on the field just as much as he does. The junior said his approach to the competition is not going to change as he heads into what will be his most significant season yet.
"My mindset has been the same all throughout the process even when I was a backup and wasn't the starter," he said. "I kept working. Now that I've become the starter I've kept the same mindset as if I wasn't the starter. Our coach preaches that competition makes everybody better, so having guys that can compete with me for the position is just going to make me even better, so I appreciate it."
Casteel is one of the players at the top of the list when it comes to the big topic of the offseason. UA's receiver group has talent, but nobody knows what those players will look like once game day rolls around since the experience is lacking with the unit. The UA junior slot receiver remains confident that the talent will get a chance to show itself and outweigh the inexperience of his group.
"We all know that there's talent in that room," he said. "In both rooms, outside and inside. I think the main key is going out there and playing as hard as we can and showing what we can do."
Khalil Tate
Leadership has been a big buzz word this offseason and there is no player who it has been mentioned in connection with more than the senior quarterback. Reading between the lines it's clear that was not something that stood out about him last year, and it is something he has wanted to change and take ownership of this time around. That continued to be the focus for Tate when he spoke with the media Tuesday.
In addition to that it is clear he is much more comfortable with understanding what the coaching staff is looking for from him and the rest of the team. Tate said that is something that became clear to him over the last few weeks with everyone getting on the same page in regards to the expectations from the coaching staff in the second year in Tucson for the group.
