Five key questions from Arizona spring football

Lots of question marks 

The 2015 season marked the end of the Arizona Wildcats’ steady ascent under Rich Rodriguez. For the first time during his tenure, Arizona’s record wasn’t the same or better than the previous year.

The results prompted Rodriguez to make changes, and they were significant. He overhauled the entire defensive coaching staff.

The changes bring questions as the Wildcats prepare to open spring practice Friday afternoon.

“We’ve got a lot of question marks – more question marks, probably, since maybe our first year here,” Rodriguez said this week. “But I think we have some talent. The attitude has been good so far.”

Every team faces questions entering every spring and training camp. Arizona just happens to have more than usual right now. Here are five of the most pressing ones: 

1. What will the new defensive scheme look like, and how long will it be before it really takes hold? 

Rodriguez and first-year defensive coordinator Marcel Yates won’t reveal the exact structure of the defense, and Rodriguez said installing the system is “further down the list of importance” behind technique and fundamental work. He also stressed that the changes Arizona needs to improve defensively go beyond schematics.

The Wildcats ran a 3-3-5 system during Rodriguez’s first four seasons. Yates ran what was called a 4-2-5 at Boise State, although the fourth lineman was more of a hybrid end-linebacker.

“We were four- or five-man rush more than we were three-man rush,” Rodriguez said. “Everybody runs an odd front, everybody runs an even front and everybody runs something in between. It’s not a scheme per se.

“The 3-3-5 has been very successful for a long, long time. But it’s not new or as different as it used to be. So you have to make adjustments. To paint it as a coach thing or a scheme thing is too convenient.”

Yates said tackling and causing turnovers will be major points of emphasis. But attitude and intensity will be just as important.

“If there’s one thing I want you to say about our defense it’s that we play hard,” Yates said. “We need to fly around, we need to finish plays.

“There’ll be breakdowns. They won’t know the defense as well as they should come the fall. But at least they can control how hard they play, and we can control how hard they play by staying on top of them.” 

2. Does Arizona have the talent on defense to make a sizable improvement? 

Rodriguez clearly wasn’t satisfied with Arizona’s defensive personnel heading into the offseason. Based on his comments this week, he still isn’t.

“We’ll still struggle at times because we’re not as talented as we need to be on defense,” Rodriguez said. “But in the future we’ll be talented, and I think we’ll get this defense to where our fans want it to be.”

In changing the defensive staff, Rodriguez repeatedly highlighted the need to beef up recruiting. The additions of Yates and cornerbacks coach Donté Williams, and the promotions of Jahmile Addae (safeties) and Vincent Amey (defensive line), are expected to pay dividends in future recruiting classes. This year’s class includes 13 defensive players, with another – graduate transfer Michael Barton, a linebacker from Cal with starting experience – expected to arrive in summer.

Three defensive newcomers will participate in spring practice: linebacker Kahi Neves, cornerback Antonio Parks and safety Isaiah Hayes. There are plenty of holes to fill, with Arizona having lost middle linebacker Scooby Wright, defensive lineman Reggie Gilbert and three of its top four safeties.

Williams, for one, is confident the new staff can coach up whoever is currently available.

“I definitely do think, athletically, the guys we have are going to get the job done,” he said. “It’s about us making sure we get the best out of those guys.” 

3. Is freshman quarterback Khalil Tate ready to push for playing time? 

Tate is definitely the most intriguing player to watch in spring practice. Although Arizona appears to be set at the position with incumbent Anu Solomon and promising backup Brandon Dawkins, Tate possesses a skill set that could force some alterations to the QB depth chart.

If, that is, he is far enough along to warrant real playing time. The product of Junipero Serra High in Gardena, California, is considered extremely talented but raw. The coaching staff won’t overburden him mentally, at least at the outset.

“More than anything, it’s fundamentally being able to do the things we require of our quarterbacks,” Rodriguez said. “That’s the thing that we’ll see with Khalil this spring. Coach (Rod) Smith will teach him some of the things that you have to have to be a successful quarterback, and we’ll see if he can execute that.

“He’ll learn the plays and the schemes as we go along. That’s not nearly as important as the fundamental part that we teach and he learns this spring.” 

4. Can Trey Griffey fill the big-receiver/go-to guy role vacated by Cayleb Jones? 

Griffey offered glimpses of his immense potential at the end of last season. His 95-yard catch-and-run touchdown against Arizona State in the regular-season finale might have been the Wildcats’ play of the year. He followed that up by catching two balls for 64 yards in the New Mexico Bowl.

With Jones (6-foot-3) and David Richards (6-4) no longer around, the 6-3, 209-pound Griffey is Arizona’s biggest returning receiver. The redshirt senior possesses the requisite tools to become a No. 1 receiver. But he still must prove he can handle that responsibility and stay healthy for a full season. Griffey missed six games last year and caught only 11 balls after snagging 31 the previous season.

“Trey has played a lot of football for us over the years. He’s a senior now. He’s earned everything he’s gotten,” receivers coach Tony Dews said. “He’s been great to coach. A humble kid. It was just unfortunate for him that he was slowed down by some injuries at the beginning of this past season. … I’m anxious to see him cut loose and go play.”

Arizona’s leading returning receivers are Nate Phillips (44 receptions) and Samajie Grant (31). Both primarily play out of the slot. Junior Cam Denson is moving from cornerback to receiver. He’ll play inside and outside, Rodriguez said. 

5. Who will do the kicking and punting for the Wildcats? 

Arizona needs to replace two standout specialists: punter Drew Riggleman and kicker Casey Skowron. Riggleman earned second-team All-Pac-12 honors after averaging 45.3 yards per punt last season. Skowron made 18 of 22 field-goal attempts, including 7 of 9 between 40 and 49 yards.

The leading candidate to replace Skowron is redshirt sophomore Josh Pollack, who has minimal experience (two kickoffs, one successful extra point).

“We’ll take a hard look at Josh Pollack. That’s why he’s on scholarship,” special-teams coach Charlie Ragle said. “We think he’s going to be the right guy for the job. But he’s got to go out this spring and show us that.

“It’s probably a little bit different when you come in (and) there’s a guy in place that’s had some success. Where do you fit? He’s kind of been in that shadow of Casey, so to speak, for two years. Now we’ve had a lot of conversations about, it’s his time to be the guy. We’ve got to see that progression from a maturity standpoint, and obviously from a physical standpoint. We hope he’s ready to answer the bell. And I think he will be.”

Walk-on Ollie Graybar will compete with Pollack.

As for the punting job, Ragle said Arizona has “a couple of guys that we feel good about.” Both are walk-ons: redshirt freshman Matt Aragon (Cienega High) and redshirt sophomore Jake Glatting. Pollack also is capable of punting, but Ragle said he’d prefer that Pollack focus on one task.

Ragle didn’t rule out adding another specialist or two to provide further competition in training camp.