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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