Yogi Roth knows his stuff. The Pac-12 Networks football analyst can break down X’s and O’s with any commentator in the country.
I had a chance Thursday to speak with Roth, who’s part of the broadcast team for Arizona’s “spring game” Friday night. (It is neither spring nor a game; hence the quotation marks.) You can find some of Roth’s thoughts on the Wildcats program here in my preview of the open practice. Meanwhile, here are some additional nuggets from our conversation:
- Roth believes Arizona is facing a “unique turning point.” Although the Pac-12 Conference remains as deep as ever, the South Division is up for grabs with so many teams having lost key personnel and/or needing to break in new quarterbacks. So the time was right for Rich Rodriguez to make a major move, and he did exactly that by overhauling the defensive staff.
- “Where do you make the next step?” Roth asked. “You’ve got to make a step in recruiting.” Roth said the energy the new coaches – Jahmile Addae, Vincent Amey, Donté Williams and Marcel Yates – bring to the recruiting trail “becomes infectious.”
- Roth considers the recent commitment of four-star athlete Greg Johnson to be significant, regardless of whether he ends up signing. “You’ve got to create some buzz,” Roth said. When I suggested that Arizona is now in the game with big-time recruits, Roth took it a step further. “They’re not only in it,” he said, “but they’re winning it from a perception standpoint.”
- Roth predicts Yates’ defense will prove troublesome for the rest of the Pac-12, in particular the schools with new quarterbacks. Roth recently watched film of the Fiesta Bowl between Arizona and Boise State – whose defense Yates coached – and noted how many different fronts and looks the Broncos threw at Anu Solomon. “Schematically, it’s going to be hard on those quarterbacks,” Roth said. “I think this Arizona defense will be a surprise.”
- Roth cited two offensive keys for the Wildcats. One is finding a center. The three main combatants (as far as we know) are Zach Hemmila, Levi Walton and Nathan Eldridge. The other is receiver Trey Griffey becoming “a baller,” as Roth put it. “They need him to become that big guy,” Roth said. “He should. He has proven he can. He just needs to stay healthy.”
- Roth’s X-factor for the Arizona offense is senior tight end Josh Kern. Kern has grown from a skinny quarterback into a full-sized tight end (6-5, 235). He hasn’t been utilized very much as a pass catcher, but Roth believes that could change this season. If Kern does emerge, he really could help Solomon and the Wildcats in the red zone. Arizona tied for 80th in the nation in red-zone touchdown percentage (81.03) last season, per TeamRankings.com.
- Finally, Roth believes freshman quarterback Khalil Tate is too talented an athlete to not have a role. If Roth is right, don’t be surprised if Rodriguez develops a package of plays for Tate. Roth also said it’s critical that Tate take advantage of spring practice and the entire offseason, including the coaching sessions that are now allowed over the summer.
