Scooby Wright and Anu Solomon among Heisman Hopefuls

Sports Illustrated putting two Wildcats on Heisman watch

Just over three months until college football returns, which means it's time to talk about Heisman candidates. Sports Illustrated has Scooby Wright III and Anu Solomon as guys to keep an eye on for the most-prized award in college football.

Scooby Wright was in the conversation as a Heisman finalist last season, finishing 9th in voting as a sophomore. He returns his junior year, serving as the anchor of a defense that is still a work in progress. He'll continue to guide Cody Ippolito, Derrick Turituri and Jake Matthews, who was just awarded a scholarship on Thursday after serving as a walk-on for two years. Leading the nation in tackles, forced fumbles and 4th in the nation in sacks, ESPN mock drafts have him going in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

Anu Solomon is a bit of a surprise here, especially considering his performance in the last few games of 2014. He was just a freshman and he was playing on an ankle that was most certainly not 100% healthy throughout the last six games of the season, but quarterback coach Rod Smith said it best at spring practice. "You don't want to make excuses, but he obviously wasn't 100% like he was in the beginning either. Still, your brain is sometimes your biggest asset, and his brain wasn't hurt. That don't effect your decisions. So, he's gotta get smarter."

Staying healthy is going to be the challenge for Arizona this season. With no bye week until after the Arizona State game, which forces Arizona to play 12-straight games, Rich Rodriguez is going to pay a little more attention to the reps and usage of his impact players.

Arizona returns a majority of their offense for Anu and Scooby will remain the focal point of the defense, putting them both in the Heisman race.

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts http://ift.tt/1FdEDPZ
via IFTTT