Arizona football countdown: 34 days, the number of points the Wildcats averaged in 2014

Is 34 points the magic number?

It's no secret that Arizona runs a high-tempo offense with Rich Rodriguez. The Arizona Wildcats ran over 80 plays per game in 2014, good for 6th-best in the nation.

Arizona played the 17th-toughest schedule in the nation last year and came away with 10 wins, with most of the success relying heavily on the offensive production. Arizona was 7-0 when scoring more than 34 points last season. Averaging over 460 yards a game, Arizona scored a total of 484 points on the season, good for 15th in the nation, and second in the Pac-12, behind only Oregon. The Ducks dropped 681 points.

With Anu Solomon another year wiser (hopefully) and Nick Wilson fully healthy, to go along with a slew of receivers in Cayleb Jones, Trey Griffey, Samajie Grant, David Richards and a healthy Nate Phillips, Arizona should put up comparable numbers in what seems to be an easier schedule this season.

Of course, there are times where the offense is sluggish and at a standstill. We saw this in the first half of the Fiesta Bowl and Cal games, as well as the entire UCLA and Pac-12 Championship game. Hopefully the extra year of experience prevents that from occurring in 2015.

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Pac-12 Media Days viewing info

Watch all of Pac-12 Media Days

The Arizona Wildcats are due up for Pac-12 Media Days on Friday morning. You can watch it all on Pac-12 Networks, or you can stream it for free here.

Rich Rodriguez, William Parks, and David Richards start Friday's festivities at 9:30 AM PT. Then at 10:10, the three should find themselves on the broadcast for various interviews with the Pac-12 Network.

Here's the entire schedule for Friday's teams that will go.

Are you READY for more Media Days tomorrow? This crew is FREE to watch online, and here's how: http://t.co/WIECqzSuqJ http://pic.twitter.com/WmJYT0sS7B

— Pac-12 Networks (@Pac12Networks) July 31, 2015

Mike Leach is probably some must-see TV at the end. Glad the Pac-12 saved the best for last.

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Arizona football: Wildcats ranked 22nd in preseason coaches poll, picked to finish 4th in the Pac-12 South

Football is coming soon.

The preseason coaches poll was released today, and the Arizona Wildcats check in at No. 22 in the country. There are a total of six Pac-12 schools in the top 25, with Arizona being the lowest-ranked of the six.

RANK	TEAM	RECORD	POINTS	1ST PLACE VOTES	PREV	CHANGE	HI/LOW
1	Ohio State	14-1	1598	62	NR		–
2	TCU	12-1	1487	1	NR		–
3	Alabama	12-2	1452	1	NR		–
4	Baylor	11-2	1365		NR		–
5	Oregon	13-2	1260		NR		–
6	Michigan State	11-2	1230		NR		–
7	Auburn	8-5	1103		NR		–
8	Florida State	13-1	1057		NR		–
9	Georgia	10-3	1026		NR		–
10	USC	9-4	1014		NR		–
11	Notre Dame	8-5	883		NR		–
12	Clemson	10-3	838		NR		–
13	LSU	8-5	727		NR		–
14	UCLA	10-3	697		NR		–
15	Ole Miss	9-4	668		NR		–
16	Arizona State	10-3	577		NR		–
17	Georgia Tech	11-3	573		NR		–
18	Wisconsin	11-3	470		NR		–
19	Oklahoma	8-5	407		NR		–
20	Arkansas	7-6	377		NR		–
21	Stanford	8-5	365		NR		–
22	Arizona	10-4	299		NR		–
23	Missouri	11-3	229		NR		–
24	Boise State	12-2	190		NR		–
25	Tennessee	7-6	166		NR		–

It's a bit of a surprise to see the Pac-12 South Champs fall outside the top 20, especially when you see Stanford ranked one spot ahead of the Wildcats. Arizona brings back six starters on offense, and six starters on defense. Of those 12 returning include Anu Solomon, Nick Wilson, Cayleb Jones, Samajie Grant, Jacob Alsadek, William Parks, Reggie Gilbert, and of course, Scooby Wright III.

Arizona was also selected to finish fourth in the Pac-12 South by the media, behind USC, UCLA and Arizona State, with USC beating Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship Game. Surprisingly, the media has Arizona with 155 total points, and California with 179 points.

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Arizona football recruiting: 4-star offensive guard Michael Eletise talks about his decision to commit to Arizona

Despite all the Washington rumors, Eletise committed to Arizona

Arizona landed yet another 4-star recruit this week in Michael Eletise, ranked No. 9 among all offensive guards in the nation. The 6-4 315lb Hawaiian native had over 42 college offers and chose the Wildcats over Arizona State, Ole Miss, Nebraska, and Washington. "It feels pretty good, I'm not gonna lie," Eletise said about committing to Arizona.

I had predicted that Eletise was going to Washington, as it had seemed as if the Huskies were the leader throughout his entire recruitment process. When he announced that he was committing just a week after his visit to Washington, it seemed like a done deal, especially since he had only taken one unofficial to Arizona back in March. But for him, it was just a matter of trying to balance his family, school work and football that made him realize he had to commit soon.

"I realized school is going to start soon. So that kind of pushed things a little forward. I thought I had all the time in the world. I'll take my official visits and everything, keep my grades up and it'll be all good. But once I got home I realized it's going to tough to keep grades up with football and all the other activities at the same time, so I kind of made the call. There was my top two, and it really wouldn't have changed, so I just decided I'm going to make the decision and it'll be okay."

Although he had many believing that he was heading to Washington, he said that he was actually pretty set on Arizona for a couple days before announcing that he would commit. "It was between the two schools but I prayed about it and I woke up one day and I just knew. I knew that this was going to be my school. This is the school I'm supposed to go to. It felt right and it felt like this was the best decision for me," he said about the timing of his commitment.

When I first spoke to Michael Eletise back in June, he had said that a relationship with the coaching staff was one of the most important factors in deciding with the school, citing Ragle and Dudek as the two most influential coaches in his recruitment. "I love Coach Ragle and Coach Matt. I talked to them almost every single day. They're genuinely good people. My coach knows Coach Ragle and told me about him because I guess my coach worked for him back in the day and that kind of made a big decision for me. The coaches are a very big part of the situation," he said about the coaching staff.

Eletise was invited to Nike's The Opening, where some of the top recruits from across the nation go head to head in position drills, 7-on-7 and more. Eletise, was one of those top recruits invited.

"It was very humbling to go up against those guys. Over here, you're the top dog on one island and you go over there and you're with a bunch of other top dogs. It's just humbling to see how you stack up against good players. I'm allowed to get away with stuff here because they say I'm the biggest and I'm good, but over there everyone is really big and really good. It showed what I have to work on and it was really helpful. I was talking to other offensive linemen and how they got here and where they're from and everyone is just so talented and hard working. It was an eye opener for me."

Eletise says the he will plan an official visit soon to Tucson, so that he can continue meeting his future teammates. He wants on getting faster and improving his techniques, so he'll be able to run and keep up with Arizona's high-powered offense.

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College basketball teams are reportedly coming to NBA 2K16, and Arizona could be one of them

In the newest version of NBA2K, you might be able to lead Sean Miller to his first Final Four appearance

There hasn't been a college basketball video game since NCAA Basketball 2010 was released by EA Sports in 2009. However, it looks like college basketball may be returning to video games - well sort of.

2KSports, the creator of the ever-so-popular NBA2K series, has reportedly acquired the licensing to 11 schools through the Collegiate Licensing Company. Those 11 schools are: Arizona State, UConn, Georgetown, Kansas, Louisville, Michigan, Texas, UCLA, Villanova, Wisconsin, and yes, your Arizona Wildcats.

There could be more than 11 schools when the game comes out though, since not every school is licensed through the Collegiate Licensing Company. Kentucky, for example, is not.

ESPN's Darren Rovell has since confirmed those early reports.

2K has indeed gotten the licenses to at least 10 college teams & will have college basketball.

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) July 21, 2015

However, it's still unclear what exactly Rovell means by 2K "will have college basketball". One thing's for sure, it will not be a full-fledged college basketball game like the ones that used to be made earlier in the millennium. College sports video games have been completely abolished due to ongoing lawsuits.

Instead, the popular theory is that the college aspect of the game could be a major addition to "MyPlayer" mode.

If you haven't played 2K, "MyPlayer" mode is where you create and customize your own player. In previous years, when you start, your player is fresh out of college and in the pre-draft process. You then play in the "Rookie Showcase" game, and get drafted somewhere in the first round based on your performance.

Well, many have guessed that the addition of college basketball will be used to make that storyline a little more compelling. Some have speculated that you will be able to play a few games with your college team in the NCAA Tournament. Not only will you get to play as your favorite college team, but it will impact your draft stock as well.

At the same time however, others believe that the colleges may be featured in something much more minor, and you won't be able to play with the teams at all. It is worth noting that Spike Lee is directing the storyline this year, so it definitely wouldn't surprise me to see it become much more in-depth. But whatever the case, it is certain that the likeness of current college players will not be used.

Alternatively, 2K would use completely randomized computer-generated players. Perhaps they can throw in players that are now in the pros, like Stanley Johnson and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. After all, your "MyPlayer" is supposed to be in the same rookie class as the players that were just drafted in June.

Imagine creating your "MyPlayer" and deciding to play alongside Stanley and Rondae to take on Sam Dekker, Frank Kaminsky, and Wisconsin in the Elite Eight. It would be so awesome. Unfortunately, nothing has been confirmed yet, so it's probably best not to get too excited just yet.

That being said, we'll see if any more information gets leaked between now and the release date, which is September 29th.

Stay tuned.

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Arizona football countdown: 36 days, the number of career starts for Jonathan McKnight

An underrated part of Arizona's secondary

One guy on the 2014 version of the Arizona Wildcats who probably didn't get enough credit for what he did was senior cornerback Jonathan McKnight.

McKnight was the lone upperclassman at the position last season. He had to make up for the shortcomings of Jarvis McCall, who was taken advantage of time and time again last year.

Then when McCall went down with injury, McKnight was paired with true freshman Cam Denson. While it seems that Denson is poised to have a great 2015, having that freshman combo as his other corner had to have been difficult for McKnight.

Even though he recorded just one interception last year, his 13 pass break ups were by far the most on the team (William Parks had eight). You almost never noticed McKnight on the field because he was consistently locking down his receiver, while on the other side of the field, that was certainly not the case.

This year, I would imagine Denson becomes the new Jonathan McKnight, shutting down whatever receiver is on his side of the field, and then a healthy competition between McCall and Devin Holiday will be ongoing for the other half. With all the talk of losing Tra'Mayne Bondurant, Jared Tevis and Jourdon Grandon, you could definitely argue that losing McKnight will have the biggest impact on the Arizona defense in 2015.

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Arizona football: Jamardre Cobb and Marquis Ware need a strong fall camp performance

A lot of people have been asking about Cobb and Ware lately

This week, I came out with defensive depth chart predictions and with it, came some questions, mostly about Jamardre Cobb and Marquis Ware. Only Ware was listed on my depth chart, behind Scooby Wright III, who should seemingly never come off the field.

Both came into the program with high expectations. The duo of four-star linebackers out of Salesian High School (Los Angeles, CA) were both ranked as top 20 linebackers in the nation - Cobb at No. 17 and Ware at No. 16. Many believed that they could come in and start immediately, securing the linebacker corps with Scooby Wright in the middle.

But both had nagging injuries throughout their senior year at Salesian. Ware injured his shoulder, had surgery and went to rehab. It was said that his shoulder was so weak that he couldn't bench press the bar. Slowly, but surely, he's regained his strength and is in the mix to see the field as a redshirt freshman. The one thing Rich Rodriguez has emphasized is his conditioning heading into the season, with a need for improvement.

Cobb injured his hamstring early on at Arizona, which held him back and kept him a bit out of shape. He was the more likely of the two to play last season as freshmen considering the injuries, but was redshirted as well. I talked to him this spring and said the hamstring was feeling better. He said he wanted to work on using his eyes more and recognizing his responsibilities on the field. "I got more responsibilities than I had in high school. Like in high school I just sit back and make a play, now I have to open up, get in pass coverage and all that. It's a big difference and that's what I'm working on," Cobb said about his progression.

Their playing time totally depends on what kind of shape they're in. The injuries held them back, putting them a bit out of shape to run in Arizona's system, but Rich Rodriguez this spring said that they're getting to where they need to be.

It would be nice to see these two step up in the defense this year, considering the fact that this is realistically Scooby's last year at Arizona. We might see them on special teams, or very limited reps later in the season, but I'd say it's more realistic to see them step up into a role come 2016. Having them take over the linebackers and live up to those expectations would be nice. But as much as we want to see them on the field, it's important to remember that they still have four years of eligibility.

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Arizona football countdown: 37 days: 37 years ago, Arizona joined the Pac-10 and played in their first Pac-10 conference game

37 years ago, Arizona beat Oregon State in their first Pac-10 conference game amid some controversy

In 1931, the Arizona Wildcats joined the Border Conference. A conference that once consisted of New Mexico State, New Mexico, Arizona, Arizona State, Texas Tech, Northern Arizona, UTEP, West Texas A&M, and Hardin-Simmons.

Arizona left the Border Conference after the 1960 season (the conference as a whole folded in 1961), and after a year of being an "independent", Arizona joined the Western Athletic Conference in 1962.

Arizona would stay in the WAC for 16 years (1962-1977) and the football team went 88-82-2 in that span, including two 9-2 seasons in 1974 and 1975. Arizona was also co-champions of the conference twice. Once in 1964, and once in 1973.

Then in 1978, Arizona (along with Arizona State) joined Pacific-8 conference. Of course, the current members were Stanford, Cal, Washington, Washington State, Oregon, Oregon State, UCLA, and USC.

It seemed like an odd fit at first. Most notably, the Arizona schools are not located on the Pacific coast. There were also concerns from Pac-8 members that Arizona and Arizona State were not on the same level academically as the other schools.

The Pac-8 expansion to the Pac-10 required unanimous approval by the conference's members, and despite some concerns from some of the schools, the expansion was approved.

Arizona's first Pac-10 football game took place on September 16th, 1978 against the Oregon State Beavers in Arizona Stadium in front of 49,000 fans. There was some controversy before the game. Javier Morales of AllSportsTucson.com describes it:

Arizona’s first Pac-10 game against Oregon State included controversy off the field, fueled perhaps by former UA coach Tony Mason in a surreptitious way.

According to former Tucson Citizen columnist Corky Simpson, a mysterious classified ad placed in the Los Angeles Times earlier in the week inspired the victory over Oregon State.

The classified ad was clipped out of the Times and tacked on the bulletin board in the Arizona locker room. It read:

"We welcome the Arizona schools to the Pac-10. Now we no longer have to be on the bottom."

It was signed, "Oregon State boosters."

The Wildcat players used this trash talk from "Oregon State boosters" as motivation, and Arizona would go on to win 21-17 in their inaugural Pac-10 game. It was a historical win.

"It was an exciting time," Arizona QB John Krohn told the Tucson Citizen. "There was a lot of buzz on campus and talk around town about us moving into the ‘big time.’ As players, we felt going in that we were probably in the middle of the Pac-10 competitively, but to go out there and show it, in your first game in the league, was something special".

But why would Oregon State fans want to motivate Arizona players, while also making fun of their school for usually being at the bottom of the conference? It turns out, Arizona's coach, Tony Mason, placed the ad in the paper to fire up his team. More from Javier Morales:

After the Wildcats defeated the Beavers, one of the players hoisted a placard bearing the words of the Times advertisement. UA linebacker Corky Ingraham told reporters, "That clipping was the difference. It got us up more than anything."

Simpson writes that nobody knew where the ad came from or who paid for it, "but everybody suspected the loquacious UA head coach."

He asked Mason before the former coach passed away in 1994 if he had paid for the mysterious classified ad. "Me?" Mason told Simpson with a wink.

It's not crazy if it works.

Joining the Pac-10 (now the Pac-12) has obviously been a great move for the University of Arizona. It has placed the school in association with schools that are renowned for their academic prestige, like Stanford and Cal, while also putting them in the same conversation as some traditional athletic powerhouses like USC and UCLA.

I think it's fair to say that without the leap from the WAC to Pac-10, Arizona would not be nearly the school it is today.

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Arizona football recruiting: 6-4 290lb defensive tackle Markell Utsey commits to Arizona

Another big dude for Arizona in just over 12 hours

Just over 12 hours ago, Arizona landed the commit of 6-4 315lb offensive guard Michael Eletise. Today, Markell Utsey announced via Twitter that he has committed to The University of Arizona.

Blessed to say I am Committed to the University Of Arizona #BearDown ⬇️ http://pic.twitter.com/AQwVnIKzPw

— Markell Utsey (@_50Problems) July 28, 2015

He is now the fifth defensive line commit for Arizona, and the 11th commit in the month of July. Rich Rodriguez has clearly addressed the need for size on the defensive line and will have plenty of able bodies down the road. At 6-4 290lbs, he is by far the biggest in size for 2016.

How he was discovered by Arizona is pretty interesting. Utsey had told me that he was very interested in Arizona a few weeks ago, but that was prior to the commitment of Jabari Watson, Jake Burton and Josh Allen. I was fairly confident that he would end up at Arizona, but it was hard to gage after so many commitments. But for right now, I think this would officially take 3-star defensive end Evan Weaver out of the mix.

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Arizona football: Predicting the offensive depth chart

Arizona returns six starters on offense, including the nucleus of Solomon, Wilson and Jones.

Quarterbacks

Anu Solomon

Anu Solomon will look to improve on his first year as the starting quarterback for Arizona. This is the first time Rich Rodriguez will have his returning starter at quarterback. Give him two years, and he could be in the Heisman conversation. Maybe.

Jerrard Randall

Maybe we see him from time to time for some special formations and packages out of Rich Rod's offense. Randall will be a great replacement if Anu needs to step out of a series, or even the remainder of a game with a lead. But if Anu Solomon were to go down for an extended period of time, it's up to Randall to step up.

Brandon Dawkins

Considering the depth that Arizona will be getting in the next two years, it seems as if Brandon Dawkins will continue to be pushed to the bottom of the depth charts. Although, at this point, a transfer wouldn't make sense, unless he truly has a desire to play at a Nevada/Fresno State caliber program. He could move up to the No. 2 quarterback next season due to the influx of youth.

Running Backs

Nick Wilson

He's going to be the workhorse for the offense this season, but his touched must be limited early on to keep him fresh all season long. Arizona has plenty of depth to work around Wilson, but none nearly as dynamic and powerful a runner as he is. He's starting to receive some serious attention from across the nation, which hopefully puts the defensive focus on him, allowing Anu to air it out more.

Jared Baker

A reliable, veteran running back, similar to Daniel Jenkins. Can bust out a big run every now and then and doesn't mess up. He was drowned out a bit last year by Nick Wilson and Terris-Jones Grigsby, but now he has the chance to take some of the pressure off Wilson and receive plenty of touches.

Jon Haden

Converting from receiver to running back, Jon Haden will have to compete for the third spot. Typically, the third running back hasn't seen a lot of touches under Rich Rodriguez, but with 12 straight games without a bye week, Haden could see some extended looks.

Orlando Bradford

It might be smart for Orlando Bradford to take a redshirt year, but he's got a lot of potential and could emerge as an explosive runner for Arizona. It wouldn't be crazy to think that Bradford could come in immediately and give the backfield a potent one-two punch with Nick Wilson.

Receivers (Outside)

Cayleb Jones

The premier receiver for Arizona. He has the ability to go up for a ball and come down with it. He has to be Anu Solomon's go-to guy this season, coming back to the ball, pulling in the catch with his strength, and bailing Anu out when the pocket collapses.

Trey Griffey/David Richards

To me, Griffey has the most dependable hands. You'll never see him drop a catch or miss something he should have had. A big target with decent speed that can stretch the secondary down the sideline. He's come to be a go to receiver for the out route. David Richards is one of the few Mike Stoops boys left of this time and provides veteran leadership. He's another big target, very similar to Griffey, who will most likely split time with him.

Receivers (Slot)

Samajie Grant/Tony Ellison

Pretty much a do-it-all guy for Arizona, despite his size. He has a rare combination of speed, strength, and route running. All spring long corners named him as the hardest receiver to guard. He should be on track to have an great junior season. A guy that impressed in the spring game, Tony Ellison is a guy who could surprise a few people in the offense. He's definitely a name to look for this season.

Nate Phillips/Tyrell Johnson

Nate Phillips should be back to his normal self again after suffering a broken foot late last season. He could be the beneficiary of the stacked core of receivers in a four-wide set, with so much attention going to Cayleb on the outside and Samajie in the slot. One of the fastest guys in the nation, Tyrell Johnson can stretch the field and be used in many ways. With so many weapons on offense, Rich Rodriguez has the personnel and speed to get creative with sweeps and reverses. With DaVonte Neal on defense, Tyrell Johnson should take over Neal's reps and more.

Tight Ends

Trevor Wood/Matt Morrin

Probably the most polished tight end of the group, he's been in the offense for a while and could get some good looks from Solomon down the seam. At 6-5 250lbs, he's a true tight end that Rich Rodriguez can mix into the offense in the running or passing game. Former quarterback from SDSU, Rich Rodriguez noted that Matt Mortin has an arm, and was seen throwing the ball a few times in spring practice. At 6-5, he'll be another big target for Solomon to find. It's his first year with the program so he might be used sparingly, but in such a fast paced offense, he could definitely get some reps between Wood and Kern.

Josh Kern/Darrel Cloy Jr.

Could be a huge vertical threat down the middle of the field. In a three wide set, having Jones, Griffey and Grant, with Kern lined up, he could be a game changer. With some nice talent at tight end, we could see Wood and Kern split time, or even a two tight end set a few times a game. The newest tight end of the group. He has more of a solid frame at 6-2 255lbs. Probably still a little raw coming in as an early enrollee freshman. It might wise just to redshirt him for this year, considering the receiver and tight end combinations that can be pulled off.

Offensive Line

Freddie Tagaloa/Layth Friekh

We'll finally get to see Cal transfer Freddie Tagaloa, 6-6 315lb tackle, project Anu's blindside. Tagaloa has been receiving a lot of attention lately and could be a pivotal piece to Arizona's offense in his first year as a starter. Layeth has the potential to develop into a seasoned veteran on the  offensive line with his progression. He's 6-5 280lbs, which nice to think about going forward.

Jacob Alsadek/Zach Hemmila

The freshman All-American will help project Anu's blindside. At 6-7 300lbs, he's going to be keeping the backfield safe. He's a guy who is already getting NFL evaluations and could help keep the sack numbers down this year for Arizona. Honestly not too sure who else could fill in at left guard, so here's Zach Hemmila's name. He's been in the system for a few years and could be ready to go, just in case.

Carter Wood/David Catalano

Carter Wood has some experience in Arizona's system already as a center, which leads me to believe that he should be the starter. Hopefully this year he doesn't throw up on the ball before sending it back to Anu to throw. Catalano comes in as a graduate transfer, and is also a viable option.

Cayman Bundage/Levi Walton

Cayman Bundage had some issues to end the season last year and might need to get back into game shape, but he'll provide the line with size and experience once again. Levi Walton saw some reps at center this spring, so he's probably one of the next guys in line to see the field for Arizona. He might be drowned out in the center competition, but he could probably fill in at guard, an easier position to handle without making the reads of the center.

Lene Maiava/Jordan Poland/Kaige Lawrence

Maiava will be able to focus on the right tackle position this year, which could help with his consistency. Moving back and forth between right and left guard on a weekly basis was probably tough, but now standing in at 6-5 300lbs, he can help stop the edge rush. Jordan Poland would have been here, but oh well. There doesn't seem to be anyone else who sticks out at right tackle, so here's Kaige Lawrence's name.

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Arizona Football Recruiting: 4-star offensive guard Michael Eletise commits to Arizona

Michael Eletise has committed to Arizona

After much await, Michael Eletise has announced his commitment to The University of Arizona. After narrowing it down to Arizona, Arizona State, Nebraska, Ole Miss and Washington, Eletise has now put an end to his recruitment. The 6-4 315lb Hawaiian is ranked No. 9 among all offensive guards in the nation and had over 40+ scholarship offers.

Prior to today, I would have said 65/35 Washington over Arizona. It was clear that Ole Miss and Nebraska weren't heavily in the mix and Arizona State seemed to be just a name in the conversation. Washington was deemed to be the leader from the beginning, something about the program just seemed to hold his interest. But, within the past 24 hours or so, the word rumors of Eletise to Arizona started swirling madly.

Arizona will now have one of the best offensive lines to look forward to. Eletise has the potential to come in as an immediate starter for Arizona, replacing Cayman Bundage once he graduates. Going forward, that would give the future quarterbacks an offensive line of Freddie Tagaloa, Jacob Alsadek, Levi Walton, Michael Eletise and Keenan Walker, given a full recovery. That's a big offensive line to look forward to, and that's not even mentioning the up-and-coming recruits currently in the system.

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Report: Austin Hill to sign with the New York Jets, again

Austin Hill is headed back to the Big Apple for a second opportunity with the Jets

Austin Hill continues make his way around the NFL. Right after the NFL Draft ended, he was reportedly headed to the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent.

It turns out Hill failed his physical with the Seahawks, so he signed with the New York Jets for rookie minicamp. He apparently didn't impress the Jets, as they went in another direction, which then led Hill to sign with the Oakland Raiders. He was a Raider for about two weeks, and then was waived on May 28th.

Hill has been off the radar since then, but according to Manish Mehta from the New York Daily News, the Jets have decided to bring the former Arizona wideout back for another go-around:

Jets are signing former University of Arizona WR Austin Hill, per source. Hill participated in Jets rookie minicamp. (With Raiders too).

— Manish Mehta  (@MMehtaNYDN) July 27, 2015

At this point, Hill may be nothing more than a training camp body. He'll need to standout in both training camp and preseason to have a shot of making the team.

Hill was once a pretty highly-ranked wide receiver prospect after racking up nearly 1,400 yards and 11 TD's in his sophomore season. Unfortunately, he tore his ACL before his junior year, and he never returned to his previous form.

Hopefully he can now.

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Arizona football countdown: 38 days, Jared Tevis stays home to lift program to new heights

A Tucson kid brings Arizona to the next level

The end of Jared Tevis' career was not exactly how anyone drew it up. Watching him leave in the first half of the Fiesta Bowl with an elbow injury was an unfortunate sight to say the least.

But thanks to this hometown kid, Arizona found itself in the Fiesta Bowl in the first place.

After playing high school ball at Canyon Del Oro in Oro Valley, Tevis walked on to the Arizona Wildcats team in 2010. He redshirted his first year out of high school, and played almost exclusively on special teams in 2011.

The 2012 Spring practices is when it really started clicking for Tevis, as he earned a scholarship at the end of the spring session.

He came out like a madman to start the 2012 season, picking up 12 tackles against Toledo, which would be his single-game high for the next year and a half. And in the next game, the signal that things had changed under Rich Rodriguez, Tevis had two interceptions against Oklahoma State in the Wildcats' 59-38 win over the then-No. 18 Cowboys.

Those were the only two interceptions of that season for Tevis, and he only had three more the rest of his collegiate career. But his importance to the rise of the program can not be overlooked, despite being overshadowed by guys like Tra'Mayne Bondurant and Jonathan McKnight in Arizona's secondary.

Last season, Tevis finished the year second on the team in total tackles with 120, trailing only Scooby Wright III. That seems crazy to me.

Three of the most important players in the transition from Stoops to RichRod: Tevis, Ka'Deem Carey, and Jake Fischer, all went to high school in Oro Valley. Without them in the locker room, who knows what happens in Arizona Stadium the last few years.

Not bad for a walk-on from Oro Valley. Thank you Jared for the memories.

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Arizona football: Predicting the defensive depth chart

Arizona lost six starters on defense last year, here's what the projected depth chart could look like for week one.

Defensive Line

Reggie Gilbert/Timmy Hamilton

Back for his 5th season, Reggie Gilbert will anchor the defensive line. His size and leadership will help in the trenches. He's a guy who probably won't come off the field much. Arizona picked up JUCO transfer Timmy Hamilton, and he should be able to have an impact immediately. There hasn't been much talk of him up until now, but he would be a nice surprise to provide the line with depth.

Marcus Griffin/Parker Zellers/Sharif Williams

Marcus Griffin, a former 4-star recruit, has the size that Rich Rodriguez is looking for. At 6-0 300lbs, he's the biggest defensive linemen that has been with the program. Parker Zellers has the experience, and the will to keep up on the defensive line, but it's his size that could hold him back. He could be play playing linebacker, but does have what it takes to play on the line. It's hard to tell whether Sharif Williams will redshirt or not. He is by far the biggest on the line, 6-2 320lbs, but lacks the conditioning after suffering an ACL injury a while back during his grey shirt year.

Jeff Worthy/Anthony Fotu

Jeff Worthy battled injuries all season long and he'll need good health to be successful this season. He's another guy with experience and a big body to hold up the offensive line and keep them busy. Anthony Fotu is another JUCO transfer, who could take over a starting role at end or tackle. He's fairly versatile and could be a great addition to the defensive line.

Linebackers

Cody Ippolito/Jake Matthews

Cody Ippolito was a pleasant surprise last year, as was Jake Matthews. Ippolito finished 6th in tackles as a redshirt sophomore and will be the beneficiary of having Scooby Wright III next to him. Jake Matthews has apparently put on some good weight, and will see the field plenty as a junior, now on scholarship after walking on as a highly-touted baseball prospect out of Ironwood Ridge.

Scooby Wright/Marquis Ware/Sir Thomas Jackson

Scooby Wright is gonna do Scooby Wright things. Marquis Ware should be in better shape this season, allowing him to see the field. He was a 4-star recruit, so he has a lot of hype to live up to. He would be huge for Arizona if he can produce this year as a redshirt freshman. Sir Thomas Jackson fell off the map after his redshirt sophomore year. He played quite a bit as a redshirt freshman, totaling 31 tackles. Since then, he's totaled just six tackles. We can only hope that he gets back onto the field to help out the linebacker depth.

Derrick Turituri/DeAndre' Miller

Derrick Turituri is a big dude. He's broken a lot of records this offseason in the weight room and has proved to be a solid linebacker. He still has two more seasons and should be able to help stop the run. DeAndre' Miller battled a shoulder injury in 2014, but looks to bounce back and find a role on the defense. He's someone not too many know about, and could step up and provide the defense with valuable reps.

Corners

Cam Denson/Devin Holiday/Kwesi Mashack

Cam Denson seems to be the number one corner for Arizona. He's athletic and has the speed, just needs to work on his strength when jamming his receiver on man-to-man. He did get beat a number of times last year on the long ball, with many teams attacking the true freshman. He's a guy who I think will have a breakout season. Devin Holiday got a lot of good looks in the spring game and was even out there on first team. He's a guy who could see a big supporting role at corner. Kwesi Mashack is someone coaches seemed to like this spring. He's a feisty, little guy, but he knows how to play smart in coverage. I expect him to be someone to step up for a few drives per game.

Jarvis McCall/DaVonte' Neal

Jarvis was battling an injury all spring long and was held out from contact drills. He has the most experience of all the corners and can continue to learn in his starting role. DaVonte' has made the switch from receiver to corner and it looks to be paying off for him already. Going from a crowded wide receiver group to a secondary lacking depth, he could come up with some big plays this season for Arizona.

Safeties

William Parks/Anthony Lopez

The leader of the secondary, Will Parks, will be asked to do a lot. He'll be in his natural habitat at the spur position, which will allow him to roam the field freely and blitz. This is a big year for Parks, as he could be NFL-bound given a solid outing in his senior year. Anthony Lopez proved to be a dependable safety last year, coming up with some big time tackles in the open field.

Jamar Allah/Devon Brewer

Jamar received high praise from Rich Rod this spring, saying that he was stepping up as a leader for the secondary. He should be able to fill in at the free safety spot in place of Jourdan Grandon. Learning behind him will be early enrollee Devon Brewer, who saw a lot of action in the spring game and also received high praise from the coaches.

Tellas Jones/Paul Magloire

The big hitting duo of Tellas Jones and Paul Magloire will hold down the bandit position. Many receivers say that Tellas is the hardest-hitting defensive back on the team, with Paul Magloire probably not too far behind him. Both are built like linebackers and will make natural plays on the ball, jarring a few balls lose after a hit.

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Sonoran Hot Reads: Is Arizona getting a Keyshawn Johnson?

An ex-athlete's son at wide receiver is old hat now

A while back, Keyshawn Johnson was on campus, bringing some guys who are now Arizona commits, and also notably brought his son, Keyshawn Jr. Well, over the weekend, Keyshawn Jr. announced his top eight schools, and Arizona is on the list. The other seven? Alabama, Clemson, Nebraska, Ohio State, Ole Miss, UCLA and USC. That's quite the impression Arizona left on him.

Guessing that RichRod made a couple of these faces when he heard that Arizona made that list, and the company that they are in.

More football

- Get ready for a Michael Eletise announcement Monday evening. Arizona is one of five schools the talented lineman is deciding between

- How many wins do you think Arizona will get this year? I say nine. Gabe says ten.

- One of those teams we both think will beat the Cats is USC. Here's the super in-depth Trojans preview

- It's been a few days since I've done one of these, so get all caught up with our football countdown. Day 39 remembers one of Antoine Cason's most important plays of his collegiate career

Basketball

- If you didn't hear, Brandon Ashley signed a deal with the Dallas Mavericks. He's not guaranteed a roster spot, but at least he's getting a shot

- Kyle Fogg and Overseas Elite advanced to "The Tournament" final four. Fogg scored 17 of their 77 points

- Kaleb Tarczewski and Team USA won bronze at the Pan American Games

- Bruce Pascoe had a lot of recruiting notes based on some AAU play in Vegas

Baseball

- JJ Matijevic is now 5th in the Cape Cod League in batting average, and Bobby Dalbec leads the league with nine home runs despite missing a good chunk of the season

Other sports

- This Hallie Wilson catch is amazing

- So is this picture of Alex Flanagan and Bob Baffert

Tucson news

- There's a chance Sun Tran workers could go on strike at the end of the week

@whatsuptucson @weatherchannel nice #Tucson night http://pic.twitter.com/i7Az4kOgDw

— EuGene Holubec (@Meangene1649) July 27, 2015

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Wildcat Radio Podcast: New Commitments and the NorCal Schools

Pac-12 North and South Standing Predictions

Utah is no longer a bottomfeeder and the Pac-12 North is looking weak

Pac-12 Media Days are coming up later this week, which means the Pac-12 preseason media poll will be coming as well. I went through all 12 schedules, handing out wins and losses to each team after every week. Here are the results.

Pac-12 South

USC Trojans	11-1
Arizona Wildcats	10-2
Arizona State Sun Devils	9-3
Utah Utes	8-4
UCLA Bruins	8-4
Colorado Buffaloes	4-9

Pac-12 North

Oregon Ducks	11-1
Stanford Cardinal	7-5
Washington Huskies	6-6
Oregon State Beavers	5-7
Washington State Cougars	4-8
California Golden Bears	3-9

You might be thinking, what are Arizona's losses here? I marked them down as the game at USC and at Arizona State. It's painful to think about another loss in Tempe, but with 12 straight games, in one of the toughest places to play in the Pac-12, it'll be tough for Arizona to push through the always hard-fought Territorial Cup game.

The Pac-12 South is loaded. Utah is no longer a push over in this conference and should be taken seriously, especially in games at Rice-Eccles Stadium. UCLA returns a lot of starters, but they'll be running with a true freshman quarterback, albeit the No. 1 pro-style quarterback recruit for 2015. USC always has the hype around them and have been mildly disappointing, falling short of expectations. This year, I think Cody Kessler leads the Trojans to a Pac-12 Championship, over Oregon.

The Pac-12 North, according to this predictions, seems like the punching bag of the Pac-12 South. Maybe I don't give the north enough credit, but it's hard to think that Oregon State can be successful without Sean Mannion, nine new starters on defense, and a new head coach taking over a program that was in good hands under Mike Riley.

As much as I think Jared Goff can be successful in this conference, California has a brutal schedule, as they include Texas in their non-conference, and a stretch at Utah, at UCLA, USC and at Oregon. Ow.

Washington had three first round picks on defense and only managed to win eight games. Without their starting quarterback, who retired from football, and their three defensive stars, it's hard to see them improving in 2015.

The Pac-12 preseason media poll will be coming out soon, so we'll keep our eyes peeled to see how the media stacks up the Pac-12.

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Arizona football countdown: 39 days, Antoine Cason's 39-yard pick-six propels Arizona's upset of #8 Cal in 2006

Cason's pick-six helped lead Arizona to one of its biggest wins in program history

After having a putrid 12-34 record from 2002-2005, 2006 was an important year for Arizona football. They finished 6-6, which was the team's first non-losing record since 1999.

One of the biggest victories in 2006 was Arizona's 24-20 win over the No. 8 California Golden Bears at Arizona Stadium.

After trailing 17-3 in the third quarter, Arizona was able to tie the game after two touchdown runs by Chris Henry. Then, with just under 13 minutes left in the 4th quarter, Antoine Cason stepped in front a pass from Nate Longshore and took it the distance for a 39-yard pick-six to put the 'Cats up 24-17.

If you recall, later in the 4th quarter DeSean Jackson caught an apparent go-ahead 63-yard touchdown pass with just over two minutes left in the game.

It turns out Jackson stepped out of bounds well before reaching the end zone. A few plays later, former Arizona linebacker Ronnie Palmer would put the nail in the coffin in the upset with an interception.

The fans would storm the field as the clock expired, and with good reason. Not only did Arizona complete an upset of a top-10 team, the program was starting to climb out of the deep abyss known as the "John Mackovic years".

For Cason, this big play was one of many in his storied career at Arizona. The following year in 2007, Cason would go on to win the Jim Thorpe Award (the award for the nation's top defensive back), and was named as a consensus All-American. He then became the first Arizona Wildcat to be selected in the first round since Trung Canidate in 2000.

He's undoubtedly one of the best players in Arizona football history.

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Arizona football countdown: 40 days, the number of sacks allowed by the Wildcats in 2014

Going to need to cut down on this number in 2015

We are now just 40 days away from Arizona Wildcats football.

Hopefully, if we do this next year, this post could find itself closer to the season-opener.

Arizona allowed 40 sacks last season, which ranked 105th out of 125 FBS teams. Now, that's only 8th in the Pac-12 (ASU, Washington State, Oregon State and UCLA worse per game numbers), but this number needs to come down a lot if the Wildcats want to repeat as Pac-12 South champs.

Granted, I understand that Arizona runs more plays than most teams in the country, which means more sack chances for the opponent. And Arizona doesn't run the ball as much as some of the best teams in this stat, but this is a combination of things that need to get better.

While the offensive line was loaded with experience last year, the coaches will tell you that their play was, for the most part, average in 2014. This year, putting Freddie Tagaloa on Anu Solomon's blind side, and letting Lene Maiava focus on one position (RT), I believe that you will see better protection overall from the line. Center is probably the biggest question mark anywhere on the field for Arizona heading into fall camp, but I believe that with the spring reps, and offseason workouts this summer, center will turn out just fine no matter who it is.

The second part of decreasing this number is Anu Solomon and his increased awareness in the pocket. This was probably most obvious on the final drive of the Fiesta Bowl, where instead of throwing the ball away, the redshirt freshman took a sack, and time ran out on the comeback attempt.

With another year of experience, another year of watching game film, and another year with all of his primary weapons, Solomon's pocket awareness should be much better this season, which could transform him into one of the best quarterbacks in the nation. He's also improved himself physically, which might allow for him to escape pressure more often, and not injure his ankle several times like last year.

All those sacks last year led to a ton of three-and-outs and punts as well. If you're not losing yards on sacks, the offense is gaining more first downs, the defense is getting more rest, and everyone gets better.

Cut down on the sacks, and Arizona's right back in the mix for a Pac-12 Championship.

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Brandon Ashley signs multi-year, partially guaranteed contract with Dallas Mavericks

A possible shot at making an NBA roster

From going undrafted, to landing a spot on the summer league team for the Atlanta Hawks in Las Vegas, Brandon Ashley will now head to Dallas. Reports are saying that he has signed a multi-year, partially guaranteed contract with the Dallas Mavericks.

Although his deal has some guaranteed money, it's no guarantee that he will make the team. According to ESPN's Marc Stein, he is all part of a plan to secure the best unsigned talent from around the league.

New buzzword in Dallas is "optionality." Mavs plan to bring more than 15 guaranteed contracts to camp and eating money in search of best mix

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) July 25, 2015

In seven games with the Hawks, Ashley averaged 10.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists. It seems likely that he'll find himself heading to the Texas Legends, Dallas' D-League affiliate, to spend some time there.

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Arizona football countdown: 41 days, and a 41-yard Jared Baker receiving touchdown

The bright spot of the USC game

Last year's USC game is probably one that most Arizona Wildcats fans want to forget, but there was certainly a bright spot.

Jared Baker was forced to take over at running back, and he made the most of it, scoring three touchdowns, including a great 41-yard reception on a wheel route.

This game gives me hope that Arizona has real depth at running back again this year. Nick Wilson's injury history is well-documented, and there may come a time during Arizona's 12 games in 12 weeks schedule that Jared Baker will have to take over the workload.

Baker also impressed during the Spring Game, putting up two hard-fought touchdowns that night. He showed that he not only has great ability in the open field, but also proved that he can flat-out run over dudes if he needs to.

For right now, this is the highlight of Baker's collegiate career. But if I had to guess, he will do a couple things this year that will top it.

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Arizona football recruiting: Top 100 corner Kentrell Love has Arizona in top four

A big, physical corner has his eyes on Arizona

Arizona hasn't been going after too many corners in this recruiting class, making it a position of need going forward. However, they already have a commitment from Isaiah Hayes and it seems as if a commitment from Elijah Battle is soon on the way.

There could be another potential corner for Arizona in Kentrell Love, 6-2 175lb 3-star, out of Centennial (Corona, CA). He had said that Arizona State, Nebraska, Washington and Colorado are recruiting him hard, and that Arizona is in his top four for now.

This past week, Arizona landed a commitment from his teammate at Centennial, JJ Taylor. When I spoke to him, he said that having the familiarity with Taylor will definitely help the recruiting process. And as a Southern California product, Khalil Tate will stay on his recruitment and talk the class up.

"I was excited. Always loved watching them play so when they offered it was a pretty big deal," he said about his offer from Arizona. "Coaches were amazing, loved the facility and it just seems like an incredible place to live," he added about his unofficial visit earlier this summer. He took an unofficial visit to ASU on June 6th and at the time had said that the Sun Devils were at the top of his list.

He doesn't have any plans to set up an official visit but hopes to do it soon. He doesn't plan to rush his commitment, as he'll be looking to commit somewhere around the third game of his season, putting an end to his recruitment. When he does decide to commit, he'll be looking for some playing time early. "It'll be easier for me to get on the field and start as a true freshman," he said about the 3-3-5 defense.

"Some place I can go and be the best defensive back to ever go to the school," he added about how a school should fit in to his life. "A place I feel most comfortable and the school that has the best major for me [Kinesiology],"

He's a big, physical corner that could cover any sized receiver in the Pac-12. He can really get under a receiver's skin with his hand play and physicality, channeling his inner Richard Sherman and Cortland Finnegan. He would be a great addition to this class, bumping the projected total up to around 20-22 out of the 25 typical slots, solidifying a top 30 class. He would likely come in as the featured defensive back in this class.

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Arizona will be utilizing smaller, faster receivers going forward

Arizona doesn't look to have a lot of height once the trio of Cayleb Jones, Trey Griffey and David Richards leave the program

Arizona has a strong nucleus of receivers filled with size, speed and dependability. With Cayleb Jones, Samajie Grant, Nate Phillips and Trey Griffey - all with two years of eligibility remaining -  Anu Solomon has plenty of weapons. But in two years, the next group of receivers will be led by Tyrell Johnson, one of Arizona's smallest, yet fastest receivers.

Arizona hasn't been recruiting too many receivers as of late, but the ones that have been recruited have been fairly small, hovering around 5-9 to just about 6-0. And looking ahead to some of those receivers, none of them scream of talent that gets fans excited to see them on the field.

Tyrell Johnson will undoubtedly be the focal point, but after that, it's hard to tell who the next go-to guy on the roster would be. During spring practice, William Parks said that redshirt freshman Tony Ellison will surprise some people. He's a 5-11 175lb speedster that could develop into a solid outside receiver. Jordan Morgan, who grey shirted last year, also showed some promise this spring, and checks in at 6-1. He could potentially be Arizona's tallest receiver in two years.

The 2015 class has a few wide receivers that can develop as well. There's Shun Brown, who committed as a corner but will most likely switch to wide receiver. At 5-10 175lbs, he could be a perfect fit in the slot with his speed, complementing Tyrell Johnson. Cedric Peterson is also a solid outside receiver with potential, but at 6-0 180lb, he would be among the tallest for the receiver group. Arizona also adds Darrell Clark, who will be grey shirting this semester. He's a 5-10, 175lb Warren Easton guy who is more of an all-around receiver.

Arizona did make it a point to add a few tight ends for 2015, signing a total of four. The biggest is by far Jamie Nunley, at 6-5 210lbs. At this point, it seems as if he will likely be converting to wide receiver just because of his size. He is grey shirting this semester, so he will be joining the team in the spring.

Brion Anduze is another 2015 tight end, who will have to wait a bit to see the field considering the depth in front of him. I'm not too sure he is one that can be converted to wide receiver, given his skill set, but once Josh Kern and Carter Wood move on out, Anduze should be able to plug into the system.

Darrell Cloy Jr. is more of a traditional tight end, which Rich Rod will be likely to favor, considering he can be used in both the running and passing game. He did get to join the Wildcats in the spring, which will help him understand the offense and put him a step ahead, but he will need to learn behind the group of tight ends ahead of him: Trevor Wood, Josh Kern and Matt Morin. Morin is a JuCo tight end who rounded out Arizona's tight end commits for 2015.

For 2016, Arizona has landed DeVaughn Cooper, a speedy 5-10 receiver that can open up the Arizona offense downfield. I think he has a skill set very similar to Samajie Grant and could be one of Arizona's best receivers down the road.

As far as the rest of the 2016 class goes, it doesn't seem likely that Arizona will land another receiver. I anticipate Khalil Tate being the next starting quarterback after Anu Solomon, but if, if things don't work out, he could switch to receiver.

Rich Rodriguez can do wonders with the small, shifty guys, but it would be nice to see some size being brought in, whether it might be a JuCo, undiscovered recruit or preferred walk-on. But for now, anticipate a smaller group of receivers for Arizona in the future, which would cap off Anu Solomon's career, heading into the future of Khalil Tate, Devon Modster or Braxton Burmeister.

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Sonoran Hot Reads: Red/Blue Game set for October 17th

Basketball trying to get back in the headlines

It's been a while since we've had a reason to really talk about Arizona Wildcats basketball, so they released the date of the Red/Blue Game on Thursday. The scrimmage will take place on October 17th at a time yet to be determined. Tickets for the event go on sale September 5th at 10 a.m.

- Spend your Friday watching former Wildcats Kyle Fogg, Mark Lyons and Hassan Adams in The Basketball Tournament

- The Arizona coaching staff is checking out some of the future talent in Las Vegas

Football

- Anu Solomon added another award watch list when he was named to the Peyton Manning Award watch list. ESPN has Arizona as a school in "great shape" at quarterback

- We spend the 42nd day from football season by remembering the 42 points put up against ASU last year

- Mickey Baucus is holding the Territorial Cup in the picture of the ASU piece. He retired from the NFL Thursday due to back and knee issues. His agent seems to think that Arizona's offense helped prolong his football career, which is interesting

- Arizona is honoring Triple Crown trainer Bob Baffert at the Utah game. I came up with ten things they should consider doing

- Recruiting has slowed down the past couple days, so here's Gabe's breakdown of three-star defensive end commit Jake Burton

Baseball

- Kevin Newman stole home again

- Arizona got two commitments with 2016 INF Tommy Acuna and 2017 LHP Josh Haley

Other sports

- For some reason, here's Niya Butts reviewing the movie 'Spy'

- Check out these sweet new shirts for Men's golf and Men's tennis

Tucson news

- This house has had a tractor stuck in it for a week

- Hopefully this new Earth-like planet doesn't have houses with tractors stuck in them

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Watch some former Arizona players in "The Tournament"

Three former Wildcats in the Super 17

Something that's been getting a lot of attention lately is "The Basketball Tournament", and it will be down to the final 16 teams on Friday.

Three of those 16 teams have former Arizona Wildcats players on them. Here's who, and how you can watch them:

FULL SCHEDULE

Kyle Fogg - Overseas Elite. They play at 8:45 AM PT on Friday. Stream it here

Hassan Adams - LAUNFD. They play at 12:15 PM PT. Live stream

Mark Lyons - Armored Athlete. They play at 7:15 PM PT. Watch this stream

If they win on Friday, their games on Saturday will be broadcast on ESPNU throughout the afternoon and evening.

Also, if you happen to be in Chicago, these games are being played in McGrath Arena on the DePaul University campus. You can get tickets here.

All three guys are playing in different regions, so there is the chance that they all reach the tournament's Final Four. That will be held on August 1st and 2nd at Forham University in the Bronx.

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Ten ways Arizona should honor Bob Baffert and American Pharoah

Arizona Football Countdown: 42 days, scoring 42 points to beat ASU and win the Pac-12 South

48-39-1

November 28th, 2014 was a beautiful day. The day that Arizona beat Arizona State to reclaim the Territorial Cup and win the Pac-12 South.

Probably the most memorable play of the game came in the opening drive, where Scooby Wright III came up with the forced fumble to allow Anthony Lopez to scoop it up and take it into the end zone. That, by far, had to be one of the loudest moments in Arizona Football history.

Samajie Grant played the game of his life, putting the moves on for a 69 yard touchdown in the opening quarter for his first of two touchdowns on the day. Nick Wilson exploded in the third quarter for a 72 yard touchdown run. He went on to finish with 24 carries for 178 yards and three touchdowns. Despite nursing an ankle injury and being questionable for the game, Anu Solomon went 15/21 for 208 yards and two touchdowns.

Arizona State had to pull Taylor Kelly out of the game in an attempt to mount a comeback after going scoreless in the third quarter. To this day, if you listen close enough, you'll hear ASU fans say that if Mike Bercovici had started the entire game they would have won. Coulda, shoulda, woulda.

Arizona leads the series 48-39-1.

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Arizona football: Anu Solomon named to Manning Award watch list

Just another watch list

Another watch list has been added for Anu Solomon, as he was named to the Manning Award list on Thursday.

Solomon is one of four Pac-12 QBs to receive the honor.

#USC’s Cody Kessler makes Manning Award watch list, so does #Cal’s Jared Goff, #Stanford’s Kevin Hogan and #Arizona’s Anu Solomon.

— Lindsey Thiry (@LindseyThiry) July 23, 2015

Last season, the Arizona Wildcats quarterback made the Manning Award stars of the week list three times, including being named QB of the week after his record-setting debut against UNLV.

The redshirt sophomore has also been named to the Davey O'Brien, Maxwell, and Walter Camp Player of the Year watch lists in addition to this one.

There are a lot of expectations for the Arizona signal caller heading into 2015. Barring any unforeseen health issues, I think he'll have an enormous year, and find himself in the hunt for some of these awards when it's all said and done.

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Arizona football recruiting: Breaking down 3-star defensive end commit Jake Burton

Rich Rodriguez has officially addressed the need for size on the defensive line

Another pleasant surprise for the Arizona Wildcats defensive front came this week, with the commitment of 3-star defensive end Jake Burton. The 3-star end hails from Granite Hills (El Cajon, CA) and checks in at 6-6 260lbs. He is currently ranked No. 42 among all defensive ends and No. 85 among all targets in California.

It was down to Arizona, UCLA and Vanderbilt for Burton's services. I felt that Vanderbilt came in too late for Burton and UCLA could have definitely drowned him out talent-wise going forward, making Arizona a great fit both on the field and on the depth chart.

"Just the whole atmosphere of the school and talking to the coaches, where they see me in the defense and I fit in perfectly. Talking to some of the academic staff and meeting different people on campus really pushed me towards UA," Burton said when asked about Arizona. "My favorite part was seeing the stadium and talking to Coach Rodriguez and Coach Kirelawich," he said about his visit this weekend.

Defensive line has been an area of concern for quite some time. Rich Rodriguez has filled that void, snagging four defensive linemen, two tackles and two ends. Josh Allen will presumably be an immediate starter next year, with both his size and experience, giving Burton plenty of time to grow.

He can play inside and out, both the three and five technique. He is quick off the edge and can read what's going on in the backfield, able to drop his man to go on pursuit or read the quarterback to try and swat the ball down.

Arizona is coming up big on the defensive side of the ball. The four defensive linemen are averaging a weight of 265lbs and an average height of 6-3. This class is adding some dynamic playmakers that could soon take this program to new heights.

"As far as I have seen, this class is loaded with talent. With Khalil Tate and [Jacob Colacion] and others it looks like we are going to do big things at UA."

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Sonoran Hot Reads (7/23)

Is it football season yet?

Football

- Former four-star offensive lineman Jordan Poland was dismissed from the team after being arrested for pawning a stolen microphone

- A couple possible incoming linemen made news too. Michael Eletise will announce his decision on Monday, while Matthew Gutwald says Arizona moved to the top of his list after this weekend

- Our countdown to football season reached 43, which is where last year's recruiting class ranked

- Our friends at Pacific Takes enjoy what Arizona's doing with this recruiting class

- ESPN has Arizona as the fourth-best offense in the Pac-12

- Here's SB Nation's big ASU preview

- The Statesman Journal previewed Oregon State's trip to Arizona

Basketball

- Arizona might be in the NBA 2K16 video game

- Kaleb Tarczewski had seven points and seven rebounds in USA's win over Rick Pitino-coached Puerto Rico

Baseball

- New Arizona coach Jay Johnson threw out the first pitch to former Wildcat Chip Hale at the Diamondbacks game

Other sports

- Former men's golfer Alex McMahon was named an All-America scholar

- Track star Elvin Kibet does this Q&A about moving to Arizona from Kenya

Tucson news

- Deadly accident at 22nd St. and 11th Ave.

- Downtown's getting more new stuff

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Arizona emerges as the leader for 3-star offensive guard Matthew Gutwald

After his visit to Tucson this past weekend, Gutwald says Arizona is his top choice.

Despite all the attention surrounding 3-star offensive guard Matthew Gutwald, Arizona is currently the leader for his services. He is ranked No. 58 among all offensive guards in the nation, checking in at 6-4 275lbs. Lately, he's picked up some attention from Oklahoma, Notre Dame and Stanford, holding offers to Oregon, Oregon State and a plethora of Ivy League schools.

Gutwald has already taken a visit to Eugene earlier this summer, but his trip to Tucson topped it. "It was my favorite visit. I had a great time with the other recruits and the staff," he said about his visit.

"I really enjoyed the sense of family and the connection I formed with the coaching staff. The culture of the program was the best I've seen."

His visit was so great, he told me that Arizona is now at the top of his list.  "Arizona is definitely my leader now."

He will still take his official visits and gather as much information as he can before he makes the big decision. "I think I will decide after I have visited all the programs, sometime after my [senior] season," Gutwald said about committing.

A commitment from Matthew Gutwald would be huge for Arizona. All signs seem to point to Washington for Michael Eletise, so Gutwald would come in as the featured guard of this class. Jacob Alsadek, freshman all-American, could realistically leave Arizona in two years and with Cayman Bundage graduating, Gutwald could see the field pretty early in his college career.

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Arizona football: Jordan Poland removed from Wildcats' online roster

One less option on the offensive line

There's something interesting coming soon as former four-star offensive lineman Jordan Poland has been removed from the Arizona Wildcats online roster.

Hmmm. 2014 Rivals 4 star OL RFr. Jordan Poland no longer listed on online #Arizona Roster. #BearDown

— AZ Wildcat Country (@Wildcat_Country) July 23, 2015

Doing a quick Twitter search of Jordan Poland yielded this, which is his name on the Arizona Mugshots account and website

Jordan Poland http://t.co/n6kJ7CAXii #Mugshot

— Arizona Mugshots (@ArizonaMugshot) July 22, 2015

The birthday in that mugshot (which has no picture available), is March 20th, 1995. Thanks to Rodney Carr, we now know that Poland's birthday is indeed March 20th.

Happy birthday to my boii Jordan Poland I love you man hope you enjoy it bro. Be their tomorrow TU @BigWildcatt77 http://pic.twitter.com/jMjpnvypkx

— Rodney Carr (@RodneyCarr6) March 20, 2015

Poland would be a redshirt freshman this year, making him either 19 or 20 years old.

I don't think this is some sort of coincidence, and something will be coming out relatively soon.

Poland was a four-star recruit, who originally committed to USC, but then flipped to Arizona in January 2014. Listed at 6-7, 343 pounds on the spring roster, Poland could have been a candidate to be in the offensive line rotation this season. Now it appears he won't even be on the team.

More on this as we find out more info.

UPDATE

Poland has indeed been dismissed by the team following an arrest by TPD

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Arizona football countdown: 43 days, the ranking of Rich Rod's incoming recruiting class

The 2015 recruiting class checks in at No. 43 in the nation

Rich Rodriguez has been finding success on the field without the help of the highly-touted recruits that often look over Arizona. This 2015 recruiting class, finished off ranked No. 43 in the nation according to 247Sports.

This is a pretty exciting incoming class that Arizona brings in, with quite a few immediate impact players throughout.

Possibly the biggest get for Arizona was Paul Magloire, a 6-2 215lb safety out of Arizona Western College. He's already breaking records at Arizona and hasn't played a down. He's expected to take in a lot of reps and help Tellas Jones out at the bandit position. He has natural instincts, swarming to the ball to deliver the big hit, as seen in the spring game, where he led the team in tackles. It won't take long for Arizona fans to notice him on the field.

Devon Brewer was an early enrollee for the Wildcats who turned the heads of the coaching staff all spring. He's playing a bit of free safety and should be able to learn quite a bit from William Parks. He'll definitely get some reps this season to help fill in the holes of the secondary. After losing Jonathan McKnight, Tra'Mayne Bondurant and Jared Tevis in the secondary, Brewer will be a great addition who will have to develop to lead the next group of safeties.

Rich Rodriguez is trying to implement tight ends into the offense and will have four big tight ends in this incoming class. He had one enroll early in Matt Morin, a big 6-2 215lb lefty. Rodriguez hinted at some creativity with his bunch of quarterbacks, reminding us that Matt Morin played quarterback at SDSU before coming to Arizona.

The lone linebacker of the class, Kendall Franklin, definitely has a lot of upside in my eyes. One, because he's the lone linebacker of the class and it's a position of need for Arizona, currently. But also because there's just something about him that gives me a good feeling about his development.

Arizona is also going to be getting a huge boost from Timmy Hamilton and Anthony Fotu, two huge JuCo transfer defensive ends that could make a difference this year. Both are 6-4, with Hamilton weighing in at 250lbs and Fotu at 285lbs. There will be good size to plug up the middle and hopefully bring pressure on the quarterback.

Keenan Walker, the lone 4-star of the recruiting class, suffered an ACL injury in the spring and has been going through physical therapy to heal. He will be grey shirted this season so that he can join the team next fall, which will allow him to keep four years of eligibility. The 6-6 280lb offensive tackle will be a welcome addition, opposite of Freddie Tagaloa in 2016.

This is a pretty versatile recruiting class, with a lot of playmaking guys found throughout. Depth will be the key to Arizona's success this season, playing in 12 straight games, so it wouldn't be surprising to see a decent amount of true freshmen out there on the field. Here's a break down of the incoming 2015 class by position. There might be one change here, as Shun Brown might be switching from corner to running back.

Defensive Back	8
Offensive Line	5
Tight End	4
Defensive Line	3
Wide Receiver	2
Running Back	2
Linebacker	1

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