On a team known for its air-it-out, hair-on-fire offense, Brandon Lopez's job is the opposite.
He is the bruising blocker without the rock-star appeal of about any other starter in the Arizona offense. He makes sure everyone else looks good.
The senior from Cienega High School is fighting for the team's starting H-back job. Sometimes he'll block as a fullback in an I formations. Other times, he'll line up as a fullback in an offset I formation, or play barely off the line of scrimmage as a wing back.
Lopez moves back and forth in formations named Orange, Brown, Black, Deuce and Wing.
"I'm running a lot of routes, motioning a lot in the backfield, blocking," Lopez said Monday. "But I like doing that. They can use me more. I'm more versatile to the team."
As the Arizona Wildcats spring camp comes to a close this week, Lopez and converted linebacker Chris Gronkowski are sharing time at H-back. Both will combine to replace Earl Mitchell, who has spent the offseason bulking up and learning a new position, defensive tackle.
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"Brandon, every year, has gotten a little bit better," UA coach Mike Stoops said. "He seems to be really a solid H-back for us, to take over for where we played Earl last year. He has a pretty important part in this offense, and has improved. So he and Chris Gronkowski will complement each other at that H-back/fullback position."
Lopez figures he's a bit faster than Mitchell, but might not have the same pass-catching ability. Regardless, he will be measured on how he blocks — last year, Mitchell caught only five of the team's 332 completions.
"We pretty much do the dirty work," said Edwin Lopez, another linebacker-turned-H-back. "We gotta create holes and be able to block."
Brandon Lopez smiled when asked about the position's complexities — "There's really nothing difficult about it," he said — but knows what he needs to work on. Before and after each spring practice, Lopez has caught extra passes.
"We're trying to work on that, trying to get better using my hands," he said.
Lopez has some explosiveness in him. As a high school upperclassman in 2002 and 2003, Lopez rushed for 3,196 yards as Cienega's featured tailback. He added a whopping 42 scores in those two seasons.
Who knows? Maybe on a team full of offensive stars, Lopez can surprise people.
Spring practice, Day 13
• What went down: The Arizona Wildcats' two-hour-plus practice Monday featured the now-typical array of deep-ball catches. Entering their final week of spring camp, the Wildcats seemed relaxed and fairly healthy — an accomplishment in itself.
• Injury report: Safety Brandon Tatum suffered from back spasms Monday, Stoops said. Cornerback Devin Ross is still being slowed by a nagging hip flexor injury. Otherwise, Stoops declared the team "pretty healthy" after Saturday's scrimmage. Defensive tackle Johnathan Turner continued his unexplained absence.
• Up next: The Wildcats will take today off before practicing Wednesday afternoon in preparation for Saturday's 1:30 p.m. Spring Game, the last practice of camp.
