Do the Arizona Wildcats really have a competition at quarterback? Or is all the talk of one simply coach-speak?
It’s hard to say definitively, especially in early March. But it’s clear that Rich Rodriguez and his staff are giving Brandon Dawkins every opportunity to prove himself and make a run at two-year starter Anu Solomon. Freshman Khalil Tate is getting a ton of reps as well, especially with Solomon nursing a hamstring injury.
Additionally, every time he gets asked about it, Rodriguez responds with the same refrain.
Take Monday, for example.
Reporter: “Is this more of a quarterback competition than maybe some people would think?”
Rodriguez: “Oh sure it is. I’m confident in Anu and I’m confident in Brandon, because they’ve played. Of course Khalil and Zach (Werlinger) are in the competition as well. I think our guys all know, you compete for it all the time, even during the season.”
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Except in rare cases – Scooby Wright, for instance – coaches don’t like to concede starting positions. They want everyone – from the first-stringers to the walk-ons – to remain hungry and motivated.
Praising Dawkins’ progress might be a way to push Solomon to new heights. Or it might be something else.
Everyone around the team seems to think last year’s Arizona State game was a turning point of sorts for Dawkins. He didn’t start. The Wildcats didn’t win. But he proved he could handle himself in a pressure-packed situation.
“I think he got a lot of confidence in the ASU game,” Rodriguez said. “He was really nervous, as you’d expect. As the game went along, he calmed down a little bit. The biggest thing with that is taking advantage of your opportunity and taking the next step in preparation. I think he’s done that. But there’s another level he can get to this summer.”
Added quarterbacks coach Rod Smith: “I think he’s a lot further along than he was last year at this time. It’s night and day. He’s getting more comfortable. He’s settling into his own skin, per se, and realizing what an opportunity he might have in front of him. … He’s still having fun playing the sport. He ain’t going to change his personality. At the same time, he’s taking things a lot more seriously. He’s working more. He’s doing the little things more than what he did before.”
Regardless of what ends up happening, Dawkins’ maturation is a positive development for him and the program. In terms of size and athleticism, he has a higher upside than Solomon. And if the competition - or even the perception of it - forces Solomon to raise his game, that's a boon too.
Dawkins isn’t on Solomon's level yet, as I chronicled here. But the closer Dawkins gets, the more interesting Arizona’s quarterback situation becomes.
