Friday, July 24, 2015

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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