The last week of spring football practice wraps up Saturday with the Spring Showcase inside Casino del Sol Stadium, and the Arizona offense is in one of the best standing points it has been in a long time.
It all starts with the simple fact that the Wildcats have retained the offensive coordinator for a consecutive season. While it has not always looked good in the spring, Seth Doege is pleased with where his players are in their development.
“It hasn’t always been pretty, but they’ve always responded,” he said on his players. “They’re a resilient group. I’m really excited about the progress we’ve made through the spring.”
Offensive line in very healthy spot
The return of senior offensive lineman Tristan Bounds means the offensive staff did not necessarily have to start from scratch this spring. The staff has described his return as a big sigh of relief.
The hardest thing for Bounds right now is understanding that he is still on a long journey of recovery.
“It’s really easy to want to look ahead to the next milestone of what’s coming, but just being where my feet are is the hardest thing,” he said. “Makes it a lot easier when you have great teammates. You can lean on them, and those guys are always with me, always supporting me throughout this whole process.”
Having a Heisman candidate quarterback means you need a top tier offensive line, and in order to do that, they all need to stay healthy. Up to this point, all of the big guys up front have remained healthy and it has led to a productive spring.
“I do think we’re at a healthy, healthy spot at o-line that we haven’t had these last couple years,” said Doege.
One of those guys that has stayed healthy has also become one of the most improved players this spring. Redshirt freshman Louis Akpa has caught the attention of the staff.
“He’s really surpassed what I thought he was going to do this spring, and he’s made some really good calls in the run game, as well as the past game,” said Doege. “He’s really throwing people across his face and doing it at a violent rate, and really looks like he belongs out there.”
Skill players fitting into roles
One area of development that Doege has been pleased with is that his skill players are figuring out their roles within the gameplan for the offense. For sophomore Giovanni Richardson, it was figuring out how to work in the slot.
“He’s kind of mastered what we’re trying to do with that slot position, and so because of that, we can do a lot of different stuff with that slot when it comes to option routes, choice routes, different concepts,” said Doege.
Then with redshirt junior Tre Spivey, it was all about becoming more consistent and routine oriented.
“He’s gotten to a point where he’s consistently lining up correctly, he’s consistently getting to his depth, he’s consistently winning on routes, he’s consistently going up and attacking the football,” said Doege. “
When looking at the tight end room, there is a mix of young guys and veterans. However, that experience won’t necessarily matter. Being able to block in the run game will be the number one priority. The talent is already there, now can they be consistent with the fundamentals.
“They’re extremely athletic, so they’re going to be a problem when you split them out,” said Doege. “They’re only a problem if we contribute on the football and and that’s going to take some process.”
Redshirt freshman Shane King and freshman Henry Gabalis have shown potential but the inexperience may be the difference on whether or not they see the field in the fall.
“Their route running, how explosive they are when they really do run away from a man coverage player, and their ability to separate has been fun to watch now,” said Doege.
More than likely it will be Illinois transfer Cole Rusk leading the charge when the first game arrives. However, it all comes down to who will be able to run block the best.
CATSYS Awards
The Arizona athletics department had its annual student-athlete award ceremony on Monday night. The football team was able to walk out with some new hardware.
One of the more prestigious awards won last night was the “Sapphire Award” by Noah Fifita. It recognizes the top male student-athlete as Arizona’s Most Valuable Player.
Fifita winning the award surprised absolutely no one, and it just shows how much he does connect to the entire athletics department.
“Doesn’t surprise me at all,” said Doege. “Noah does a great job of connecting with our team and connecting with our community and connecting with different sports, different athletes of different sports around campus. He does a great job just connecting with Arizona athletics.”
Winning the award over other talented student-athletes like Jaden Bradley and Jay Friend added even more significance to the achievement for Fifita.
“Those are some great names, Jay is awesome, and obviously we all know who JB is, so it is a prestigious award that I’m really grateful for,” said Fifita.
Other awards that the football team brought home included the “Unsung Hero” award given to Chubba Maae, the “AD Award for Community Service” given to the team as a whole, and the “Men’s Community Service Award” given to Genesis Smith.
