Well Arizona is officially underway with spring practice and Wednesday proved to be a day where the media got a glimpse at what this team will look like - in part - this season. There is still a long way to go and there is sure to be plenty of shifting around with players as things progress over the next six weeks, but it is at least a little bit of insight into what Rich Rodriguez and his staff are working with going into the upcoming season.
As I did in fall camp I will be doing my best to bring regular report on how the position groups are working out and a look at what the two-deep depth chart would look like if Arizona was getting ready to play a game.
Injuries
I'll start with some of the injuries Arizona is working through right now. The 'Cats started off the first practice with a few key guys limited or out with injuries but some of them should be working their way back again. As you would expect Rodriguez was not completely happy talking about injuries but he did give some insight.
* Nick Wilson is expected to be held out of contact drills all spring long with Arizona not wanting him to risk anything. The 'Cats aren't leaving anything to chance and have him in a green "no-contact" jersey and that is the way it will stay this spring. As Rodriguez said Tuesday him and the staff know what they'll get out of Wilson so it is not as important to have him in green. It is much more beneficial that he stays healthy.
In this sense there is nothing physically wrong with Wilson, and Arizona hopes having him in a green jersey will keep it that way.
* One starter who was injured Wednesday was cornerback Jarvis McCall. The redshirt sophomore has a groin issue and Rodriguez said he could be back for Friday's practice but if not then he expected him back next week at the very least.
* Sani Fuimaono started fall camp working on the side with a boot on and he starts spring ball the same way. The nose tackle had a boot as well as a yellow jersey during Wednesday's practice. Luca Bruno took his spot with the second team at nose.
* Receiver Nate Phillips was another player in green, but that too is just a precaution as he works his way back from the foot surgery he had late last season.
Position breakdowns
Quarterbacks: As I mentioned in a different thread, one of the things that stood out most on the first day of spring practice is how much different Anu Solomon looks physically and how much that seems to be helping him overall. Solomon has slimmed down a bit, and he has added that weight in his shoulders and arms. Now it could be that or it could just be that he is healthy again, but he was running and moving quicker than I can ever remember seeing him in the past. He just looks lighter on his feet and moving with a lot better pace now.
Rod Smith said after practice that Jerrard Randall works for hours each day on his passing, but it was much of the same from the senior on Wednesday. The arm strength is there, but the accuracy is still all over the place. I will say that it has improved some since the end of last season, but that is still the big drawback with Randall. Brandon Dawkins was working with the third team and he still has a long way to go. He looked a little more trimmed down too, but it's clear that he is still getting comfortable with things. We will have to see where he is at by the end of spring practice to really get a gauge for how much he can push Solomon, which is what Smith said he is hoping for.
Running backs: With Wilson out of contact drills and Arizona knowing what it will get from Jared Baker for the most part, it was Zach Green who was getting a lot of run on the first day of practice. Rodriguez mentioned that he wants to see what Green will do this spring, but he also mentioned that if the redshirt sophomore can get in shape he could be a factor. To me that is not a good sign for a guy who has been in the program for a couple seasons.
To his credit Green looked at least a little bit more trimmed down and he was getting plenty of carries during Wednesday's practice. I get the sense this could be a make or break spring for Green with Arizona still recruiting the position aggressively for 2016 and a solid back coming in this summer in Orlando Bradford. Based on what I saw out of the group Wednesday, Bradford should have a shot to compete for at least the third job once he arrives and Rodriguez mentioned he wants to have three guys ready to go by the time the season comes around.
Tight ends/receivers: Another thing that stood out about Arizona's practice on Wednesday is that there is actually a tight ends group now. That position is one Rodriguez wants to utilize more this season and he now actually has some depth there. Josh Kern was running with the first group, but Trevor Wood - back at his old position again - was making some nice catches as well. The newcomers looked a little lost at times as you would expect on the first day, but Matt Morin will be an interesting one. He is the one who looks least like a tight end, but he is also a little more bulky than the others so I could see him really thriving as the h-back that has worked well for UA the last couple years.
Darrell Cloy will need some time to get adjusted. He looks quite a bit bigger than when I saw him last at the end of his senior season of high school ball, and he was just a step or two late on some plays during Wednesday's practice. He does have good height, however, so if he can get that quickness up and get up to speed then he could be a factor down the line.
It was business as usual for the receiver group with the same batch of guys leading the way. Cayleb Jones was making plenty of ridiculous catches and Samajie Grant looks like he hasn't missed a beat. It was good to see Phillips back out there and he looked pretty good as well. Tyrell Johnson just moves so much quicker than anybody on the field, but he was still having some problems holding onto everything thrown his way. One guy I would keep an eye on is Tony Ellison.
He is coming off that redshirt season and he looked better physically Wednesday and was getting in on the action quite a bit as well.
Offensive line: As I mentioned in my quick notes after practice, I thought the offensive line looked noticeably bigger across the board led by the monster on the end Freddie Tagaloa. The Cal transfer was starting at the left tackle spot with Lene Maiava on the other side along with Cayman Bundage and Jacob Alsadek at guard while Carter Wood was handling the starting center duties. Having Tagaloa to protect Solomon will be important for the 'Cats along with having the versatility of Maiava, but there is not a lot of experience behind that starting group.
Levi Walton looked pretty good behind Wood and Layth Friekh looks like he continues to take the offseason seriously. He looked bigger than even where he was last season when he added a good amount of bulk. I envision him being part of that eight-man group that Arizona likes to go with when it comes to its linemen. He is looking much more like a college player right now with his size and that is a good thing for Arizona.
Defensive line: The starting defensive line group for Arizona has essentially stayed the same from last season outside of Jeff Worthy taking Dan Pettinato's spot at tackle. Reggie Gilbert - back for another year - looked to be in really good shape and Rodriguez mentioned afterward that the senior hit the offseason pretty hard to make himself ready for another season. Parker Zellers added maybe a little bit of weight, but he is still quite a bit smaller than the other two starters. Behind that starting group Arizona was going with a different mix of guys.
Calvin Allen was still getting work at defensive tackle with that second group, but Luca Bruno was at nose and newcomer Anthony Fotu was at end with the second unit. Fuimaono would normally be with that second group at nose, but Bruno looked a little bit bigger and he did a solid job there on the first day.
Newcomer Sharif Williams and Marcus Griffin were working with the third group and both probably still have a way to go before they make their way up the depth chart, but an big spring could help that.
Linebackers: The linebacker group is what you would expect at this stage with Scooby in the middle along with Derrick Turituri and Jake Matthews at outside backer. That group still looks like it will be mixed up as things progress throughout the spring and certainly going into the fall. One player who impressed me was DeAndre' Miller who is now back. He was running with the second group that featured Cody Ippolito and Hayden Gregory as well.
Miller looked plenty bulked up in his shoulders and upper body and he was moving well after missing so much time with that shoulder injury. If he can remain healthy he can really be a factor for Arizona, so he will be one to watch as spring practice progresses. Jamardre Cobb looks a little trimmed down like I mentioned the other day, but he is still running with the third group and Marquis Ware and Antonio Smothers were mixing in with that group as well at times.
Ware looks to still have a long way to go before he can become a contributor, but he at least looks pretty good physically at this point.
Safeties: One thing about the secondary as a whole is that it looks thin right now and looks a lot different without Jared Tevis and Tra'Mayne Bondurant, but there were some flashes by the safety group on the first day. Will Parks was Will Parks and he had an interception during the team portion of practice. The first group of safeties was as expected with Tellas Jones playing the bandit spot and Jamar Allah holding down free safety. All three of those guys made some plays and look to be the leaders going into the rest of spring.
The second group was interesting and I could see them all getting on the field at some point this season. By now Anthony Lopez has proven himself and he was at his usual spur position with the second group. Two newcomers made the next spots in the group with Paul Magloire at bandit and Devon Brewer at free safety. It's clear the coaching staff wants to see what it has with both of those guys and it was already high on both of them coming into the spring. Much like Allah had a chance to get in during spurts over the last few seasons I expect the same from Brewer if the first day is any indication.
He already looks like he has a nice handle on things and where to be and with this staff that is a big part of the battle. Magloire has the size that you like to see and as he gets more acclimated I'm sure he will stand out some more. Wednesday he had to do a lot of covering tight ends and he did a good job of that. David Price, Yamen Sanders and Rodney Carr were some of the others getting in on the action with the third group.
Cornerbacks: The story of the day for me at cornerback was how good DaVonte' Neal looked on his first day at his new position. Neal can really shine in a practice setting and he wasted no time going up against receiver after receiver and coming up with big plays. He had a number of PBUs and was really attacking all the drills with some speed. There is going to be an adjustment, but if the first day is any indication we will see how much this staff is locked in on McCall being one of the guys - Neal looked that good to me on the first day. Cam Denson looked to be a little bit bigger with emphasis on a little. He is probably never going to be the exact size you want to see a college cornerback but he at least added a little bit of bulk during the offseason.
Devin Holiday had a nice day starting in place of McCall and it will be interesting to see how much he can push now that he is healthy again. The staff has always really liked what he brings to the table and once again he was in that starting spot. Neal ran with the second group as expected, but I suspect by the time the season arrives he can be pushing for that starting job. Kwesi Mashack was running opposite Neal with that second group and he looked pretty good.
You get the sense the staff wants him to be good and was giving him plenty of attention on the first day. Jace Whittaker didn't do too much as he is still working his way back from that torn ACL he had to have repaired at the end of his senior season. He was mostly off to the side on the first day of practice.
Special teams: It was pretty much business as usual with the special teams unit. Casey Skowron and Drew Riggleman look to have their spots locked up, but I'm sure the coaching staff wants to see other guys push them. Neal was still fielding punts and Rodriguez didn't sound like he has any plans to take him off those duties any time soon even though he did have his struggles there at times last year. Tyrell Johnson and Nate Phillips also going to be a big part of those return teams.
Depth chart
Offense
QB: Anu Solomon; Jerrard Randall
RB: Nick Wilson; Jared Baker; Zach Green
R: Cayleb Jones or Trey Griffey
R: Samajie Grant; Tyrell Johnson
R: Nate Phillips; Tyrell Johnson
R: David Richards; Trey Griffey
TE: Josh Kern; Trevor Wood
OT: Freddie Tagaloa; Layth Friekh
OG: Cayman Bundage; Kaige Lawrence
C: Carter Wood; Levi Walton
OG: Jacob Alsadek; Zach Hemmila
OT: Lene Maiava; TD Gross
Defense
DT: Jeff Worthy; Calvin Allen
NT: Parker Zellers; Luca Bruno
DE: Reggie Gilbert; Anthony Fotu
LB: Derrick Turituri; Hayden Gregory
LB: Scooby Wright, Cody Ippolito
LB: Jake Matthews, DeAndre' Miller
Spur: Will Parks, Anthony Lopez
Bandit: Tellas Jones, Paul Magloire
FS: Jamar Allah, Devon Brewer
CB: Devin Holiday; DaVonte' Neal
CB: Cam Denson; Kwesi Mashack
As I did in fall camp I will be doing my best to bring regular report on how the position groups are working out and a look at what the two-deep depth chart would look like if Arizona was getting ready to play a game.
Injuries
I'll start with some of the injuries Arizona is working through right now. The 'Cats started off the first practice with a few key guys limited or out with injuries but some of them should be working their way back again. As you would expect Rodriguez was not completely happy talking about injuries but he did give some insight.
* Nick Wilson is expected to be held out of contact drills all spring long with Arizona not wanting him to risk anything. The 'Cats aren't leaving anything to chance and have him in a green "no-contact" jersey and that is the way it will stay this spring. As Rodriguez said Tuesday him and the staff know what they'll get out of Wilson so it is not as important to have him in green. It is much more beneficial that he stays healthy.
In this sense there is nothing physically wrong with Wilson, and Arizona hopes having him in a green jersey will keep it that way.
* One starter who was injured Wednesday was cornerback Jarvis McCall. The redshirt sophomore has a groin issue and Rodriguez said he could be back for Friday's practice but if not then he expected him back next week at the very least.
* Sani Fuimaono started fall camp working on the side with a boot on and he starts spring ball the same way. The nose tackle had a boot as well as a yellow jersey during Wednesday's practice. Luca Bruno took his spot with the second team at nose.
* Receiver Nate Phillips was another player in green, but that too is just a precaution as he works his way back from the foot surgery he had late last season.
Position breakdowns
Quarterbacks: As I mentioned in a different thread, one of the things that stood out most on the first day of spring practice is how much different Anu Solomon looks physically and how much that seems to be helping him overall. Solomon has slimmed down a bit, and he has added that weight in his shoulders and arms. Now it could be that or it could just be that he is healthy again, but he was running and moving quicker than I can ever remember seeing him in the past. He just looks lighter on his feet and moving with a lot better pace now.
Rod Smith said after practice that Jerrard Randall works for hours each day on his passing, but it was much of the same from the senior on Wednesday. The arm strength is there, but the accuracy is still all over the place. I will say that it has improved some since the end of last season, but that is still the big drawback with Randall. Brandon Dawkins was working with the third team and he still has a long way to go. He looked a little more trimmed down too, but it's clear that he is still getting comfortable with things. We will have to see where he is at by the end of spring practice to really get a gauge for how much he can push Solomon, which is what Smith said he is hoping for.
Running backs: With Wilson out of contact drills and Arizona knowing what it will get from Jared Baker for the most part, it was Zach Green who was getting a lot of run on the first day of practice. Rodriguez mentioned that he wants to see what Green will do this spring, but he also mentioned that if the redshirt sophomore can get in shape he could be a factor. To me that is not a good sign for a guy who has been in the program for a couple seasons.
To his credit Green looked at least a little bit more trimmed down and he was getting plenty of carries during Wednesday's practice. I get the sense this could be a make or break spring for Green with Arizona still recruiting the position aggressively for 2016 and a solid back coming in this summer in Orlando Bradford. Based on what I saw out of the group Wednesday, Bradford should have a shot to compete for at least the third job once he arrives and Rodriguez mentioned he wants to have three guys ready to go by the time the season comes around.
Tight ends/receivers: Another thing that stood out about Arizona's practice on Wednesday is that there is actually a tight ends group now. That position is one Rodriguez wants to utilize more this season and he now actually has some depth there. Josh Kern was running with the first group, but Trevor Wood - back at his old position again - was making some nice catches as well. The newcomers looked a little lost at times as you would expect on the first day, but Matt Morin will be an interesting one. He is the one who looks least like a tight end, but he is also a little more bulky than the others so I could see him really thriving as the h-back that has worked well for UA the last couple years.
Darrell Cloy will need some time to get adjusted. He looks quite a bit bigger than when I saw him last at the end of his senior season of high school ball, and he was just a step or two late on some plays during Wednesday's practice. He does have good height, however, so if he can get that quickness up and get up to speed then he could be a factor down the line.
It was business as usual for the receiver group with the same batch of guys leading the way. Cayleb Jones was making plenty of ridiculous catches and Samajie Grant looks like he hasn't missed a beat. It was good to see Phillips back out there and he looked pretty good as well. Tyrell Johnson just moves so much quicker than anybody on the field, but he was still having some problems holding onto everything thrown his way. One guy I would keep an eye on is Tony Ellison.
He is coming off that redshirt season and he looked better physically Wednesday and was getting in on the action quite a bit as well.
Offensive line: As I mentioned in my quick notes after practice, I thought the offensive line looked noticeably bigger across the board led by the monster on the end Freddie Tagaloa. The Cal transfer was starting at the left tackle spot with Lene Maiava on the other side along with Cayman Bundage and Jacob Alsadek at guard while Carter Wood was handling the starting center duties. Having Tagaloa to protect Solomon will be important for the 'Cats along with having the versatility of Maiava, but there is not a lot of experience behind that starting group.
Levi Walton looked pretty good behind Wood and Layth Friekh looks like he continues to take the offseason seriously. He looked bigger than even where he was last season when he added a good amount of bulk. I envision him being part of that eight-man group that Arizona likes to go with when it comes to its linemen. He is looking much more like a college player right now with his size and that is a good thing for Arizona.
Defensive line: The starting defensive line group for Arizona has essentially stayed the same from last season outside of Jeff Worthy taking Dan Pettinato's spot at tackle. Reggie Gilbert - back for another year - looked to be in really good shape and Rodriguez mentioned afterward that the senior hit the offseason pretty hard to make himself ready for another season. Parker Zellers added maybe a little bit of weight, but he is still quite a bit smaller than the other two starters. Behind that starting group Arizona was going with a different mix of guys.
Calvin Allen was still getting work at defensive tackle with that second group, but Luca Bruno was at nose and newcomer Anthony Fotu was at end with the second unit. Fuimaono would normally be with that second group at nose, but Bruno looked a little bit bigger and he did a solid job there on the first day.
Newcomer Sharif Williams and Marcus Griffin were working with the third group and both probably still have a way to go before they make their way up the depth chart, but an big spring could help that.
Linebackers: The linebacker group is what you would expect at this stage with Scooby in the middle along with Derrick Turituri and Jake Matthews at outside backer. That group still looks like it will be mixed up as things progress throughout the spring and certainly going into the fall. One player who impressed me was DeAndre' Miller who is now back. He was running with the second group that featured Cody Ippolito and Hayden Gregory as well.
Miller looked plenty bulked up in his shoulders and upper body and he was moving well after missing so much time with that shoulder injury. If he can remain healthy he can really be a factor for Arizona, so he will be one to watch as spring practice progresses. Jamardre Cobb looks a little trimmed down like I mentioned the other day, but he is still running with the third group and Marquis Ware and Antonio Smothers were mixing in with that group as well at times.
Ware looks to still have a long way to go before he can become a contributor, but he at least looks pretty good physically at this point.
Safeties: One thing about the secondary as a whole is that it looks thin right now and looks a lot different without Jared Tevis and Tra'Mayne Bondurant, but there were some flashes by the safety group on the first day. Will Parks was Will Parks and he had an interception during the team portion of practice. The first group of safeties was as expected with Tellas Jones playing the bandit spot and Jamar Allah holding down free safety. All three of those guys made some plays and look to be the leaders going into the rest of spring.
The second group was interesting and I could see them all getting on the field at some point this season. By now Anthony Lopez has proven himself and he was at his usual spur position with the second group. Two newcomers made the next spots in the group with Paul Magloire at bandit and Devon Brewer at free safety. It's clear the coaching staff wants to see what it has with both of those guys and it was already high on both of them coming into the spring. Much like Allah had a chance to get in during spurts over the last few seasons I expect the same from Brewer if the first day is any indication.
He already looks like he has a nice handle on things and where to be and with this staff that is a big part of the battle. Magloire has the size that you like to see and as he gets more acclimated I'm sure he will stand out some more. Wednesday he had to do a lot of covering tight ends and he did a good job of that. David Price, Yamen Sanders and Rodney Carr were some of the others getting in on the action with the third group.
Cornerbacks: The story of the day for me at cornerback was how good DaVonte' Neal looked on his first day at his new position. Neal can really shine in a practice setting and he wasted no time going up against receiver after receiver and coming up with big plays. He had a number of PBUs and was really attacking all the drills with some speed. There is going to be an adjustment, but if the first day is any indication we will see how much this staff is locked in on McCall being one of the guys - Neal looked that good to me on the first day. Cam Denson looked to be a little bit bigger with emphasis on a little. He is probably never going to be the exact size you want to see a college cornerback but he at least added a little bit of bulk during the offseason.
Devin Holiday had a nice day starting in place of McCall and it will be interesting to see how much he can push now that he is healthy again. The staff has always really liked what he brings to the table and once again he was in that starting spot. Neal ran with the second group as expected, but I suspect by the time the season arrives he can be pushing for that starting job. Kwesi Mashack was running opposite Neal with that second group and he looked pretty good.
You get the sense the staff wants him to be good and was giving him plenty of attention on the first day. Jace Whittaker didn't do too much as he is still working his way back from that torn ACL he had to have repaired at the end of his senior season. He was mostly off to the side on the first day of practice.
Special teams: It was pretty much business as usual with the special teams unit. Casey Skowron and Drew Riggleman look to have their spots locked up, but I'm sure the coaching staff wants to see other guys push them. Neal was still fielding punts and Rodriguez didn't sound like he has any plans to take him off those duties any time soon even though he did have his struggles there at times last year. Tyrell Johnson and Nate Phillips also going to be a big part of those return teams.
Depth chart
Offense
QB: Anu Solomon; Jerrard Randall
RB: Nick Wilson; Jared Baker; Zach Green
R: Cayleb Jones or Trey Griffey
R: Samajie Grant; Tyrell Johnson
R: Nate Phillips; Tyrell Johnson
R: David Richards; Trey Griffey
TE: Josh Kern; Trevor Wood
OT: Freddie Tagaloa; Layth Friekh
OG: Cayman Bundage; Kaige Lawrence
C: Carter Wood; Levi Walton
OG: Jacob Alsadek; Zach Hemmila
OT: Lene Maiava; TD Gross
Defense
DT: Jeff Worthy; Calvin Allen
NT: Parker Zellers; Luca Bruno
DE: Reggie Gilbert; Anthony Fotu
LB: Derrick Turituri; Hayden Gregory
LB: Scooby Wright, Cody Ippolito
LB: Jake Matthews, DeAndre' Miller
Spur: Will Parks, Anthony Lopez
Bandit: Tellas Jones, Paul Magloire
FS: Jamar Allah, Devon Brewer
CB: Devin Holiday; DaVonte' Neal
CB: Cam Denson; Kwesi Mashack
