Arizona football: Biggest storylines heading into Wildcats’ Fall Camp

Here are some of the main things to keep an eye on throughout the month of August

The 2016 Arizona Wildcats take the field for the first time as a team Thursday evening at 5:30 PM PT.

While there are many questions facing this particular team, here’s a look at some of the biggest storylines that everyone will be keeping an eye on as fall camp rolls on for nearly three weeks.

Who will win the center job?

While the defense was not very good in 2015, one could argue that the biggest shortcoming the Wildcats had last year was not being able to get the ball to the quarterback consistently. Heading into fall camp, it looks like the frontrunners to win the starting center job (Zach Hemmila and Levi Walton) are guys that have not had significant game action in their college careers. By all accounts, Cayman Bundage was very consistent in practices last year, so leaving it up to inexperienced guys like Hemmila and Walton is a scary proposition.

What will the defense look like?

This is the million dollar question. With an entirely new defensive coaching staff in place, no one outside of Lowell-Stevens Football Facility knows what to truly expect from the defensive side of the football. Based on what Marcel Yates did at Boise State, most people are projecting a 4-2-5 look, but does U of A possess the personnel to allow for that in Yates’ first year in Tucson?

Is the QB competition a real thing?

In a vacuum, the idea seems kind of preposterous. In one corner, you have Anu Solomon, who enters with 25 career starts under his belt, and for the most part, has not struggled mightily. In the other corner, you have Brandon Dawkins, who has played meaningful snaps in just one collegiate game. Seems like a no-brainer, yet Rich Rodriguez has publicly said multiple times that the QB competition is wide open. Seems like coach speak at best, but maybe there’s something to it?

Which true freshmen will play this year?

There are a couple that come to mind right away (Chacho Ulloa, Kahi Neves, JJ Taylor), but there’s always the one or two that kind of surprise in their first fall camp (Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles last year).

Who’s healthy?

I think this mainly applies to a couple of linebackers...Jake Matthews and Cody Ippolito. Matthews suffered a severe mid-foot sprain in the Utah game that kept him out of spring practice, while Ippolito tore his ACL in fall camp last year. Both figure to be major contributors at linebacker this year if they have indeed fully healed up.

On the offensive side, all eyes turn to Freddie Tagaloa and his knee. It’ll also be interesting to see how many reps Nick Wilson takes. The coaching staff has held him out of full-contact stuff before due to his many injuries, and there could be reason to do so again this fall.

Tellas Jones’ status

The constantly-improving safety did not participate in spring practice due to "personal issues". Not totally unrelated, but also not the sole reason he was not there, was the fact Jones plead guilty to two misdemeanors in Scottsdale in March. The precedent set at Arizona would say that Jones would be suspended for the season-opener, but any official word on that probably wouldn’t come out until game time in Glendale.

He figures to be one of the three starting safeties based on last year’s performance. It would be a pretty big loss if Jones was unable to play against BYU.

A new era of special teams

The Wildcats lose both Casey Skowron and Drew Riggleman this year, and both may be replaced with Josh Pollack. Skowron and Riggleman were some of the most consistent specialists that U of A has had in recent times, so Pollack or whoever will be taking over for them this year have pretty big shoes to fill.

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Arizona football recruiting: 4-star receiver Bryan Thompson recaps Tucson visit

Another pass catcher with size who could find his way to Tucson for good

The Arizona Wildcats had many visitors on July 23rd and we’ve been trying to catch up with all of them that were at the event. Next up is Bryan Thompson, a 6-foot-3, 190 poun receiver out of Rancho Verde High School (Moreno Valley, CA).

Thompson is ranked as a 4-star prospect according to Rivals, and an extremely high-end 3-star by both Scout and 247. He is currently ranked 386th in the nation on 247’s composite list, just over 30 spots away from being a composite 4-star prospect.

On his recent trip to Tucson, Thompson appears to have really enjoyed what the University of Arizona has to offer.

"It was great, I love how you don't have to go far to get whatever you want. Everything is basically on campus," Thompson said about his surroundings. "Also, I felt like it was like a family atmosphere out there which I like."

Thompson has a lot of connections with the current commits and even a few players who are already on the team. They’ve all been in his ear throughout his recruitment, which set the bar high for the program.

"A lot of people have been telling me I need to visit Arizona and they met my expectations," he said. "All the players that are already there have been recruiting me."

He says his primary contacts have been wide receiver coach Tony Dews and football analyst Miguel Reveles. Reveles has played a major part in recruiting guys out of the Inland Empire.

#beardown http://pic.twitter.com/Bd3sUe7zYZ

— Bryan Thompson (@B_Thompson_1) July 24, 2016

So far, Thompson has only had the opportunity to visit Arizona, Arizona State and UNLV. He’s been in heavy contact with Boise State, Colorado, Indiana, Oregon State, Washington State and Oregon, telling me that he feels like the Ducks will offer soon.

I think a top three for Thompson could roughly look like Arizona, Boise State and Oregon. But before he plans any official visits, he’s looking for more offers, some that come from the other side of the country.

"I want to wait to probably get SEC schools and ACC schools to go on my official so I'm not sure yet," he said about where he’ll take official visits.

While he has no timeline to commit as of now, he has a few things in mind for his future school. All of which apply to Arizona.

"It will be a natural feeling that I get for a school," he explained. "I like family teams, also a coach that not only can I call him my coach but a father figure."

Arizona is tight on scholarships, but I feel like with some potential movement in this class, there would most certainly be room for Bryan Thompson, even with a Joseph Lewis commitment. Plus, if he does commit to U of A, he’s a talent I’m not sure you can say no to. His size at 6-foot-3 would give the Wildcats even more size to work with on the outside.

As a junior at Rancho Verde he recorded 58 receptions for 1,259 yards and 13 touchdowns. His highlights are below.

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Kyle Fogg scores 42, leads Overseas Elite to The Basketball Tournament final

The former Wildcat is looking for another big pay day for the second-straight year

Last summer, Kyle Fogg gave Arizona fans something to root for in the middle of the summer as he helped his team, Overseas Elite, win $1,000,000 in the winner-take-all Basketball Tournament.

This year, the stakes are a little higher - the purse is doubled, with the winning team splitting $2 million - and Fogg has stepped his game up accordingly. On Saturday, Fogg scored 42 points, leading Overseas Elite to a 102 to 93 win over City of Gods in a rematch of last year’s semifinal game.

42 points in a game like this is ridiculous, but the way Fogg scored his points was even more impressive than the actual production. Fogg shot 12-for-16 from the field, 7-for-8 from three, and 11-for-13 from the line. That’s a true shooting percentage of 96.7% and an effective field goal percentage of 96.9%. That’s about as efficient as you can score the basketball.

Plenty of Arizona basketball players, both past and present, showed Fogg love for his performance:

if you not watching already, please tune into @ESPN and watch the bad man @KFogg21 do work. #beardown

— Solomon Hill (@solohill) July 31, 2016

Foggy really out there going stupid

— Brandon Ashley (@_Bash21) July 31, 2016

@KFogg21 deserve this. Hardest worker I know.

— Parker Cartwright (@unrulymino0) July 31, 2016

Big bro @KFogg21 eating!!!!!

— Nick Johnson (@iamnjohn13) July 31, 2016

This man Kyle Fogg has 37 right now . He's workin' for that 2 mill!

— Talbott Denny (@TalbottDenny) July 31, 2016

@KFogg21 I see you family, Big time game. One more left, go get that bag!!!

— Allonzo Trier (@ISO_Zo) July 31, 2016

Fogg and Overseas Elite advance to The Tournament final against Team Colorado, a team comprised of former Colorado basketball players. The Tournament final airs on ESPN on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. ET. Let’s hope Fogg and Overseas Elite can pull out a win and defend their crown.

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Sonoran Hot Reads: Oregon State adds beer garden to Reser Stadium

Another Pac-12 school has decided to sell alcohol at football games

When the Arizona Wildcats travel to Corvallis to take on the Oregon State Beavers on November 19th, they will encounter something they haven’t seen before at OSU...people drinking alcohol. OSU announced that they are opening a beer garden overlooking the north endzone at Reser Stadium. Only 600 seats are available in this area that will be featuring some of the state’s best craft beers:

"Oregon is recognized all over the world for its incredible culinary excellence and regional, national and international award winning beer, wine and food; it's a natural to combine what this diverse state has to offer with college football Saturdays on this beautiful campus," Athletic Director Todd Stansbury said. "This state is a leader in this country and beyond in food and fermentation science technologies; it's a perfect addition to have world renowned leaders in these industries right here on campus and in this state add to our game-day experience."

Arizona should strongly consider selling alcohol in at least the north endzone, if not the west side as well. All of the sudden you’d have a lot more concession money, and a lot more demand for those seats as well. Hello indoor practice facility

- In other Pac-12 news that is relevant, ASU landed a wide receiver transfer from Texas. Worked out pretty well for the Wildcats. And, UCLA has now lost six commits in the 2017 cycle, with at least one, possibly two, choosing Arizona instead

- Lene Maiava was released by the Seahawks

- Of course we had a couple recruiting interviews for you. Gabe spoke to 2019 QB David Baldwin and also 2017 DE Tyler O’Neil

Basketball

- Richard Jefferson once fought Kenyon Martin

- Luke Walton threw out the first pitch at the Dodgers game

Monster night by @KFogg21 at @thetournament--42 points. Sharing night with UA family. Shares 2 million w/1 more win. http://pic.twitter.com/Vas46DZyqs

— Fran Fraschilla (@franfraschilla) July 31, 2016

Baseball

- Zach Gibbons’ early numbers are pretty outrageous, even when compared with some of the Angels’ best prospects in recent times

- The most successful former Arizona player in the Majors right now, Mark Melancon, was traded to the Nationals

It has been an honor and pleasure to play here for you for nearly four seasons. I am honored to be a Pirate! http://pic.twitter.com/JAsLlNvrgP

— Mark Melancon (@Mark_Melancon_) July 31, 2016

See Jett double. See Jett get an RBI. See Jett extend the #Angels’ lead.https://t.co/mRR5cpPsl1

— Angels (@Angels) July 31, 2016

Tucson news

- Get your votes in for the final few Sweet Sixteen Tucson Restaurant Tournament matchups

- A man was struck and killed on 22nd in between Alvernon and Columbus

- Make sure to register for Arizona’s primary election

@whatsuptucson trampoline in a tree in Rita Ranch from the storm http://pic.twitter.com/dLHIGHeFof

— Wyldlifewarrior (@wyldlifewarrior) July 31, 2016

@whatsuptucson Looks like something from Independence Day in the Tucson Sky! http://pic.twitter.com/55JyacDKKL

— Adam (@ATrace48) July 31, 2016

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Arizona football recruiting: 3-star defensive end Tyler O’Neil favoring U of A offer

A late bloomer that Arizona has a jump start on

The Arizona Wildcats have now lost two pivotal pieces to the defensive line, one of which was expected to have three years of eligibility in Josh Allen. While there’s still a chance that he rejoins the program after spending a season at Eastern Arizona College, I would expect Arizona to begin addressing their defensive line concerns.

While I think U of A is in strong contention for 4-star end Hunter Echols and 3-star end Jalen Harris, there’s one guy who the Wildcats are in extremely good position to land should they have the ability to make room for him.

Tyler O’Neil is ranked as a 3-star prospect according to Scout, but he has a lot of great upside that the Arizona coaching staff has already spotted. He is a long 6-foot-6, 220 pound end out of Long Beach Poly High School (Long Beach, CA), another California powerhouse program.

He might just be a late bloomer, as he didn’t get too many reps as a junior. But this summer he has captured the attention of quite a few programs while attending various camps all throughout California.

Slowly, schools are catching on to him.

"Right now I only have the offer from Arizona but the schools that are still looking at me are USC, Washington State, Boise State and Tulsa," O’Neil told me.

He was just recently on campus at The Closing and really enjoyed his visit.

"It was great," he said about his visit to Tucson. "The staff and the facilities were amazing. And it really felt like I could fit right in."

He first talked to defensive coordinator Marcel Yates, who was the one who offered him. Now he has been in touch with defensive line coach Vincent Amey every now and then. The two have a strong relationship; it’s to the point where O’Neil comes to him for advice on improving as a player.

O’Neil plans to make it out for an official visit for the USC game on October 15th. That seems to be a large day for Arizona football recruiting, with many recruits picking that date for their official.

While he hasn’t decided on a timeline to commit, he will be focusing on academics and how much he will be able to play when choosing his future college. Based on both of those qualifications, Arizona seems to be a strong contender for O’Neil.

If U of A has room, I think O’Neil is a guy who could fill in on the defensive line. There might be other options, but O’Neil certainly has the interest for Arizona.

His junior highlights are below, where he recorded 18 tackles and 2.5 sacks in seven games.

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Pirates trade Mark Melancon to the Nationals

The most successful Wildcat currently in MLB is moving east

With the MLB Trade Deadline quickly approaching, the most successful former Arizona Wildcat currently in the Major Leagues is on the move.

The third-place Pittsburgh Pirates have shipped closer Mark Melancon to the NL East-leading Washington Nationals.

So it's Melancon for Felipe Rivero and Taylor Hearn. Hearn a big minor league lefty. No Fedde, no Glover, no Lopez, and so on.

— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) July 30, 2016

Melancon was named to the All-Star Game for the third time this summer. In 45 appearances this year, the 6-foot-2 righty has a 1.51 ERA and 30 saves.

Before joining the Pirates in 2013, Melancon was pretty shaky for the Yankees, Astros and Red Sox. He only posted an ERA under four one time from 2010-12.

But in his four years with the Pirates, he has an ERA of just 2.14 in 260 innings. At age 28, he had found his stride.

He is slated to become a free agent this offseason, and now that a draft pick won’t be tied to him, Melancon could really cash in. He’ll also remain a closer for the time being. The Nationals have told Jonathan Papelbon that Melancon will take over that 9th inning role when he joins them in San Francisco on Sunday.

If he’s able to keep being the consistent closer he’s been for the past four seasons, and makes a mark in the postseason, expect Melancon to become one of the highest-paid relievers in baseball.

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Arizona football recruiting: Wildcats get early jump on 2019 QB David Baldwin

Arizona could be honing in one of the most talented quarterbacks of 2019

The Arizona Wildcats got a jump start on their quarterback of the future, offering a left-handed dual-threat quarterback in David Baldwin out of Upland High School (Upland, CA).

Baldwin is bound to be one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the nation once recruiting services begin ranking the class of 2019. As a freshman, Baldwin earned solid varsity reps, completing 31 of 66 passes for 554 yards and six touchdowns in seven appearances.

He currently holds offers to Oregon State and Utah, among others, but tells me that Oregon is very close to offering, with Michigan, Miami and Washington all recruiting him very hard.

I got a chance to talk to him about his early recruitment process.

"Well I've been in contact with (Arizona) since about the beginning of June at their satellite camp at Centennial High School," he said about his communication with the staff. "I've been talking to coach (Rod) Smith and coach Miguel (Reveles)."

Still early in his recruitment, Baldwin has built a strong relationship with the staff and appreciates the honesty that they present, something I hear quite a bit from recruits.

"Me and the coaches have a solid relationship. I like coach Miguel because he was straight up with me."

Miguel Reveles attended Upland High School and played under the same offensive coordinator that is currently coaching Baldwin, allowing the two to relate a lot more.

"Yes coach Miguel did go to Upland, he just told me that recently," Baldwin said. "Then my coach told me the same thing, so we have a bit better connection with each other."

Rod Smith has played a big role in Baldwin’s recruitment, motivating him to grow throughout his process and high school career.

"Coach Smith is just a really cool guy in general," Baldwin explained about their relationship. "When I met him at the camp he told me some things to work on. Then when they offered me he told me not to slow down on working hard just because I got the offer, now keep on working."

Blessed to say that I have received an offer from university of Arizona#gowildcats@ArmondSr @_groundzer0@lacheltqba http://pic.twitter.com/9vmioQzgVk

— David Baldwin (@GriffinjrJr) July 22, 2016

Arizona is always one of the first schools to offer a recruit. We’ve learned that it resonates well with the player, truly placing a large amount of belief in a recruit that they respect. Arizona is now Baldwin’s third Pac-12 offer.

"My first thought was that I just got offered from a big university that is good and plays to compete against other teams," he said about his offer. "So I was extremely thankful and blessed that they decided to offer me. And my thoughts are good just based off the few coaches that I have met. But I hope that I get a chance to go down there and see their stadium and meet the rest of the coaching staff."

He hopes to plan some visits out with his parents for this upcoming season.

Rich Rodriguez runs one of the fastest offenses in the nation, and that’s something that Baldwin has some high interest in.

"I like their offense because they spread the ball around," said Baldwin. "Like earlier when I was watching some games on them, they are always fast and uptempo. And our offense at Upland is similar to theirs as far as uptempo and spreading the ball around."

Baldwin still has two more springs before he’ll even have to think about committing, as quarterbacks are often the first position to commit due to the limited amount of spots. So far, Arizona figures to check off all the boxes on his list.

"Education is a big factor to me, so that's definitely one thing," he said about his interests. "I have to get along with the coaches, and see who's in front of me and how soon I will get on the field."

This season, Baldwin will be aiming to be one of the top five quarterbacks in his recruiting class. His freshman year highlights are below.

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Sonoran Hot Reads: College coaches say Collin Sexton is best scorer in 2017 class

Arizona football: JUCO recruiting a crapshoot for Wildcats under Rich Rodriguez

Will the trend of junior college transfers underperforming change this year?

Junior College recruiting is an area where there are a lot of hit or miss prospects. Kids go to junior college when their original choice doesn’t work out or they were lightly recruited out of high school. You’ve got the Cam Newtons and Keyshawn Johnsons of the world who turn out to be superstars, but you’ve also got the Louis Holmes’ of the world who don't quite live up to their hype.

Coaches like Bill Snyder have built programs with a large amount of JUCO prospects coming in and out every year. Todd Graham has even had a good amount of success bringing in such talent.

The Arizona Wildcats haven't had that kind of success since Rich Rodriguez took over. JUCO recruits are supposed to fill holes until high school kids develop, but there hasn’t been much of that with the Wildcats.

With Anthony Fotu leaving the program, and Josh Allen not qualifying and never making it to campus, I’ll take a look at the JUCO recruiting since Rodriguez took over.

Arizona has signed exactly 14 Junior College recruits since Rodriguez came to Tucson. First, let’s take a look at the JUCO recruits who weren’t rated as high, but had big frames for their position. There were high hopes for Kaige Lawrence, Jerod Cody, and Patrick Glover, even though they were two stars.

Lawrence was just a backup, Cody retired almost immediately after joining the team due to health reasons, and Glover transferred out after a year. Timmy Hamilton was supposed to be a pass rush specialist, but didn’t even make it through a day of fall camp and transferred to Kansas to be with his girlfriend. So, that’s four strikeouts right there.

U of A hasn’t only gotten low ranked JUCO kids either. Antonio Smothers was a high three-star and a four-star on some sites, but didn’t pan out and really only played on special teams. Five strikeouts.

Fotu was supposed to start immediately, but was suspended his first game, then sparingly played in five contests before he got suspended for a year. Now he’s gone, so that’s six strikeouts.

Jeff Worthy was a solid contributor, but didn’t start. So he gets the benefit of the doubt for actually doing something.

It hasn’t all been bad though. The loss of Steven Gurrola was felt this year when the team had to endure snaps launched over the quarterback’s head. He was an extremely solid center for two years. Jesse Scroggins and Jerrard Randall were both kids that were highly-ranked out of high school, but took the JUCO route after failing to get playing time at their initial school. Both had the potential to be fixed up and be good quarterbacks, but neither were good enough to be starters. They were both serviceable backups, but I put them in the strikeout category for not being anything more than that.

The position U of A could arguably use the most help at is the defensive line. A position that can't take any more hits took another one with Allen not qualifying. That makes three defensive lineman (Fotu, Hamilton, and Allen) gone within two years and the most the Wildcats got out of one of them is 5 games.

With the defensive line losing depth, the Wildcats will have to find some playmakers on defense and that starts with Paul Magloire. He is supposed to be one of the team’s best players after getting thrown in to the fire when seemingly every linebacker on the team got injured. He is popping up on a lot of draft boards and it will be interesting to see how Marcel Yates decides to use him.

Dane Cruikshank is expected to start at corner after redshirting his first year out of Citrus College. Shawn Poindexter is a kid the staff expects to contribute in some way their first year, but the trend has been miss rather than hit with JUCO players the past four years.

To reverse the trend, it starts with the JUCO kids on the team now. With the loss of David Richards, Poindexter could prove to be very valuable and Arizona needs Magloire and Cruikshank to have big years or the defense is in some trouble.

Hopefully this is the year where the trend of JUCO kids not breaking through changes, because frankly, the Cats need it to or 2016 will be another rough season on defense.

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Arizona football schedule: Ranking the Wildcats’ toughest games in 2016

Arizona is said to have a pretty easy schedule this season, but let’s not buy into that

We’re just over a month a way from seeing the Arizona Wildcats take the field for the start of the 2016 season. 2016 will mark the fifth year of the Rich Rodriguez era and Rodriguez has an entirely new defensive staff, giving us a lot to look forward to coming off a disappointing 7-6 season.

Arizona was selected to finish fourth in the Pac-12 South, which is something I see being extremely realistic.

Opening up with the BYU Cougars gives this season a little more excitement, but in the coming months, the Wildcats will face one of the more brutal conference schedules in the country. Without knowing much about the defense (besides the fact that there isn’t a whole lot of Pac-12-caliber talent) or the question marks that surround the group of receivers and quarterback play, I project Arizona will have a 7-5 record in 2016.

Here’s how I rank the Wildcats’ toughest games of the season.

12. Grambling State Tigers

The one thing I’m looking forward to for this game is seeing former Arizona commit Darrell Clark. The former 3-star recruit never ended up making it to campus and eventually made his way over to Grambling State as a mid-year enrollee this spring. He had a productive spring and I’ll be interested to see if he makes it onto the field. For Arizona’s sake, one would hope this game turns into something similar to the NAU game last season — a lop-sided blowout.

11. Hawaii Rainbow Warriors

I don’t know a whole lot about Hawaii, but I do know it opened last season with a win against a pretty competitive Colorado team — the same Colorado team that pushed Arizona to the limits before Anu Solomon was pulled.

The Rainbow Warriors have a hectic non-conference schedule, as they travel to Australia to play Cal, then to Michigan to play in the Big House, then go back to Hawaii to host Tennessee-Martin before ultimately heading to the desert to face Arizona. That sounds fun.

I would expect Hawaii to take a beating in the month of September.

10. Oregon State Beavers

I’m really curious to find out how Oregon State is this year.

The Beavers had no sense of direction last year and nearly everything that could’ve gone wrong, did. Utah State transfer Darell Garretson, who has impressed this summer, looks like he’ll be the Beavers’ starting quarterback.

It might not happen this year, but give Gary Andersen some time and then I think the Beavers can be a solid six-win program in the near future.

9. Colorado Buffaloes

Colorado was competitive last season and it seems to be on the verge of becoming more than that. Certainly, the Buffaloes are capable of pulling off an upset, but they just always fall short. I’m interested to see how they play this season, especially without Nelson Spruce, who was a large majority of their offense. I feel like Sefo Liufau is very similar to Anu Solomon in the fact that they seem to have that potential to be an upper half quarterback in the Pac-12, but just can’t break through.

8. Arizona State Sun Devils

I know it’s a rivalry game and it can be a toss up, but Arizona State should be terrible this season. At least with Arizona, there’s some potential on defense to look forward to, and you would think the offense can manage itself, giving the Wildcats an easy path to at least six wins.

But ASU is in the midst of a quarterback battle between four extremely talented prospects out of high school — all of which were four-star recruits at one point — and none of them seem close to being ready. Combine that with the fact that the Sun Devils have to replace four offensive linemen and it’s easy to see why they’re expected to struggle this season. Not to mention that Todd’s Graham’s risk-reward defense can either make or break a game for the Devils.

7. BYU Cougars

I feel like BYU is too low on this list, but that’s just kind of where it falls. The Cougars have a lot of question marks themselves, but starting the season off with this game could definitely set the tone for their season.

This seems to be Arizona’s most legitimate non-conference opponent since year one under Rich Rodriguez when he took down Oklahoma State. I’ve heard BYU is not supposed to be very good, and not likely to make a bowl game, especially with its tough schedule. Still, this is an extremely dangerous game that was supposed to be a road game originally, but the BYU fan base in Phoenix/Mesa will still make it feel that way.

6. Utah Utes

Utah is a tough team to read. It could either be fifth on this list or maybe even ninth, we don’t know. I just find it hard to believe that an offense as rough as last season will be able to hold its own without Travis Wilson and Devontae Booker. The Utes’ defense will keep them in many games, probably only allowing around 24 points a game.

5. Washington State Cougars

This is going to be a big game for Arizona that I think could go either way. I think you could expect another game similar to 2015. If the Cats could have had at least one stop, giving Luke Falk anything less than 514 passing yards and six touchdown passes, Arizona wins that game.

4. USC Trojans

USC’s record this season will not necessarily be indicative of how good of a team it is. The Trojans have the toughest schedule in the nation hands down, as they open the season against the defending champion Alabama Crimson Tide.

We’ll see what Clay Helton can do in his first full year with a boat load of talent on both sides of the ball.

Arizona has played the Trojans tough in each of the last four years, so I’d at least expect this to be a close game.

3. Washington Huskies

I don’t think Washington is going to be all that it is being hyped up to be, which is a top-13 team in the FPI and projected as the favorite in every game it plays this season. Still, I think the Huskies can easily win nine games.

I’m putting this game third, because this is a huge Pac-12 opener and Arizona is going to have learn a lot about itself in non-conference before it faces the Huskies.

Jake Browning and Myles Gaskin will be a nice duo for their offense, but I’m not entirely sold on Browning. Regardless, it’s the Husky defense, particularly their secondary, that will give offensive coordinators migraines. Bruce Feldman has that bunch ranked second in the nation, behind LSU and ahead of Alabama.

2. UCLA Bruins

This was a toss up between UCLA and USC. I think USC has a lot more talent, but Clay Helton as USC’s coach makes things a little iffy. What led to UCLA being second on this list is the fact that Rich Rodriguez is 0-4 against the Bruins. Being on the road for the first time as a young team, as it’ll be when the Wildcats head to Pasadena, won’t do Arizona many favors either.

Josh Rosen is that guy who could also shred the defense apart. Depending on how BYU plays out, the secondary probably won’t be tested all that much heading into this matchup.

1. Stanford Cardinal

We don’t know much about the defense, but chances are the man who should have been crowned as the 2015 Heisman winner, Christian McCaffrey, is going to shred up every defense he faces this upcoming season. The Cardinal have to replace Kevin Hogan and three offensive linemen, which I think will hold McCaffrey back just a tad.

Plus, Stanford had to replace a whole lot of talent in its front seven.

Luckily Arizona gets Stanford coming off its bye week, which gives Marcel Yates another week to prepare for McCaffrey and company.

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Arizona football recruiting: Updates on Elijah Watson, Tony Fields and Darrian McNeal

Just some quick updates on a few committed folks, as well as more projections

Recruiting hasn’t really slowed down for the Arizona Wildcats this summer, but in this recruiting roundup, there are just some small updates that happened throughout the week. Most of the updates this week are focused on Arizona’s current commits and what’s been going on with them.

If you missed my last one, I answered a bunch of your questions, most of them concerning the 24 commitments of the class. I also caught up with 4-star corner Thomas Graham, who I think Arizona will close on for this 2017 class.

Onto the updates:

3-star defensive tackle Elijah Watson transfers to IMG Academy

IMG Academy is arguably the best high school football program in the nation. Those kids get sent off to power five schools left and right, many of which are four-star talents.

While Elijah Watson’s former high school, Mountain View, was projected to make the playoffs this year, IMG Academy will be extremely beneficial for him. He will have the opportunity to go up against some of the best competition everyday in practice, plus he’ll receive top-notch coaching. You can expect his ranking to skyrocket as well, as he’s already a high-end 2-star prospect.

At 6-foot-3, 270 pounds, he has a solid chance of contributing as a freshman. He tells me that it was a major factor when deciding to transfer.

While catching up with Watson, he also told me that he doesn’t think Bryce Brand will be going to IMG for his final season. That’s something that I will look into.

ATTENTION ❗⚪⭕ http://pic.twitter.com/RQ9eh2w7c2

— HOLLYWOOD (@WatsonElijah_) July 28, 2016

3-star athlete commit Tony Fields picks up Cal offer

Fields is one of my favorite prospects of the class. Checking in at 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, he will bring a lot of versatility, which is the theme of this class. Currently ranked 559th in the nation, I think Fields is a candidate to reach 4-star status, cracking the top 400.

He’s someone that can absolutely blow up during his senior season, but I wouldn’t be concerned about him leaving Arizona’s recruiting class.

All glory to God! Just received my 21st offer to the University of California! #CalFamily http://pic.twitter.com/dtVUTeZ4dD

— Tony Fields II (@T_Fieldss21) July 27, 2016

Darrian McNeal is strong

The 5-foot-9, 160 pound wide receiver commit can bench 300 pounds. That’s some Samajie Grant stuff right there.

300 pound bench club , can yo slot do that http://pic.twitter.com/jgungjVXWq

— Louisville product (@Brodie07Perry) July 28, 2016

New defensive end mid-year enrollee?

With the departure of Josh Allen, a guy who had three years of eligibility, I would expect the staff to make a run at another mid-year enrollee on the defensive line.

Rich Rodriguez has talked about how complicated it is to actually get junior college transfers simply because of the transferable credits and the issues that can arise.

Rest assured, Hunter Echols, the 4-star defensive end that I’ve mentioned recently, is a mid-year enrollee. I continue to hear positive things about Echols and Arizona.

But there has to be a few other guys that Arizona might go after to make up for the lost depth, which includes Anthony Fotu leaving the program as well.

There are some guys that Arizona can still heavily pursue. As of now, I really don’t have a strong gauge as to how U of A is doing with any of these guys except for Echols. The rest I have not spoken to or asked about for some time, but this could be a short list for Arizona.

3-star defensive end Matt Leo out of Arizona Western is a nice JuCo option, checking in at 6-foot-6, 265 pounds. 3-star in-state end Odua Isibor is a guy who could end up at Arizona, but I’ve heard that Stanford is a potential favorite.

3-star Nebraska commit Robert Porcher had some interest in Arizona prior to his commitment. 3-star end Jacob Callier out of St. John Boscoe could be an option, but I recall seeing ASU as a high choice for him.

3-star end J’Bril Glaze is a guy I spoke to a while ago and he thought very highly of Arizona. And then there’s unranked end Tyler O’Neil, I spoke to him after the Josh Allen decommitment and will have more on him shortly.

Official visit plans for Elijah Blades

The more time that passes, the more I think Elijah Blades sticks with his Florida commitment. Although, there’s a new school that has come into his recruitment and that is USC. If Blades does happen to decommit, it might just be for the Trojans.

He plans to take five official visits: Florida, Utah, USC, Nebraska and _____. Arizona is left out, but I still think he’s likely to come to Tucson for an unofficial visit. Although, as I mention above, despite his connections to the coaching staff and current commits, I don’t think he’s a guy who would flip to the Wildcats.

Expect Thomas Graham to be that 4-star corner that Donte’ Williams reels in.

Bruce Judson commits to USF

The saga has finally come to an end. Bruce Judson has committed to USF. While I felt like Arizona still could have taken him prior to the commitments of Troy Brown and Delshawn Phillips, I think McNeal ultimately closed that door to Arizona.

I was told that Florida would not take his commitment, leaving it up to Pitt and USF, with Pitt bound to land multiple running backs who will probably end up being better than Judson. It would have been nice to have Judson in this class, building a Florida pipeline as well, but he’s been dropping in the rankings and hasn’t picked up many big offers for a reason, so I’d say it really isn’t a loss for Arizona.

Projected finish for Arizona

Just a quick recap as to how I project this class to fall in line. While we’re still extremely far away from National Signing Day, leaving room for a lot of change, this is what I feel comfortable projecting for Arizona.

• 5-star receiver Joseph Lewis
• 4-star corner Thomas Graham
• 4-star defensive end Hunter Echols
• 3-star defensive end Jalen Harris

Guys who still remain strongly in the mix

• 4-star linebacker Isaac Slade-Matautia
• 3-star offensive tackle Ryan Nelson
• 3-star offensive tackle Jonathan Nathaniel
• 3-star offensive tackle Tucker Robertson
• 3-star defensive end Odua Isibor

2017 early enrollees

I get a lot of questions about who will be enrolling early at Arizona. Here’s a list of all that we know thus far. There are a few uncommitted guys that Arizona is still recruiting that will be planning to enroll early, including Hunter Echols.

• Braxton Burmeister
• Darrian McNeal
• Delshawn Phillips
• Tony Fields

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Sonoran Hot Reads: NCAA recommends less contact in practice during season

Are we moving towards no hitting throughout college football during the year?

As people try to reduce the risk of injuries in the game of football, namely concussions, the NCAA came out with a new rules recommendation regarding full contact practices during the season. The proposition is to drop the number of live-contact practices from two to one during each week of the regular season. This isn’t entirely new to the sport. Back in March, the Ivy League voted to totally eliminate hitting during the season after a revolutionary system at Dartmouth produced positive results for the Mean Green. Frankly, if all teams can come up with something similar to what Dartmouth does, I don’t see a down side to it. Arizona has greatly reduced the amount of hitting in practices the past few seasons, as has the rest of college football. Limiting hitting to just Tuesdays or Wednesdays could keep the team fresher late in the year

- Another college football news thing to come out on Thursday was the College Football Playoff moving several years of semifinals off of New Year’s Eve

- In this ESPN Insider piece, Marcel Yates comes up as a potential rising head coaching candidate

- Current head coach Rich Rodriguez was in Glendale for Arizona Cardinals training camp

- Want a new rivalry trophy? Here’s a way to come up with good ones

- Arizona seems to have the worst Week Two opponent in the Pac-12

- The Register-Guard takes a look at how the Wildcats are looking to rebound from a down year

- People keep asking about why RichRod doesn’t recruit Pima kids. Well, here’s one

- It seems like Thomas Graham is becoming a bigger target as the coaching staff looks to closer out this big 2017 class with some big bangs. We also chatted with three of the players that were in town for last weekend’s recruiting event

Basketball

- The more we learn about Lauri Markkanen, the more it seems like he’s going to be a dominant and unique player at Arizona this year

- Here’s another incoming dude to get excited about: Rawle Alkins and his willingness to end people’s lives at the rim

- Another day, another top list of schools for a prized recruit that UA finds itself on

Baseball

- Kevin Newman is now 53rd on the new Top 100 prospects list. Tucson native Alex Verdugo is 58th, and former Arizona signee Michael Kopech is 83rd

Other sports

- No surprise here, but Pau Tonnesen was chosen to represent Spain in the decathlon at the Rio Olympics

Tucson news

- Get in all your votes for the Sweet Sixteen of the Tucson Restaurant Tournament

- It was a crazy day in Tucson, with a bank robbery in Marana ending with a couple of cop car carjackings and the suspect dead just south of campus. It shut down roads and highways all over the Old Pueblo, from Marana, to I-19 and Irvington, to Campbell and 6th. Just nuts

- Tucson is the 25th-best city in the country for renters. Every major city in the Phoenix area is ranked in the top 13

Car chase ends in reported gunfire at 8th St/Campbell. TFD medics render aid, @Tucson_Police and @MaranaPD on scene. http://pic.twitter.com/0mCuO70lLb

— Mike Christy (@wildcatphotog) July 28, 2016

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Tucson Restaurant Tournament: (2) Frog & Firkin vs. (3) Bison Witches

A heavyweight battle in the Sweet Sixteen

Our final Sweet Sixteen battle may be the most loaded as two-seed Frog & Firkin faces off against three-seed Bison Witches.

Frog has eliminated Kingfisher and Oregano's to get this far in the tourney. Meanwhile, Bison Witches took out Athen's and Trident.

So, who are you sending to the Elite Eight? Get your votes in by 6 PM on August 1st!

Poll

Who ya got?

• Frog & Firkin
• Bison Witches

  0 votes | Results

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Arizona football recruiting: Commits Scott Young, Josh Brown, and Xavier Bell talk about first visit

Young, Brown, and Bell share their thoughts on their first Tucson visit.

The Arizona Wildcats hosted a big recruiting event on July 23rd called The Closing. They had a large group of players come out that included current commits and high priority recruits. They even picked up two commitments from Mobile Christian School (Mobile, AL) safety Troy Young and Garden City Community College (Garden City, KS) linebacker Delshawn Phillips.

Some of the commits who made it to campus were Josh Brown, Scott Young, and Xavier Bell. It was the first visit to Arizona for the three defensive players and I was able to catch up with them to get their thoughts on the visit.

Scott Young

The 6-foot-even, 190 pound ball-hawking safety from Helix (La Mesa, CA) committed to Arizona on June 15th after camping with the Wildcats in San Diego. He had been wanting to make the trip to Tucson and was finally able to last Saturday.

"It felt like home and I was comfortable there with the coaches and players," Young said about his visit. "It really made me realize I made the correct decision with my commitment."

"My favorite part was being able to hang out with future teammates in the players lounge and just feeling as if we all already knew each other."

Young and his Helix 7-on-7 team have had a productive spring and summer. That team won four out of the five championships they competed in, with Young winning MVP in one of them. Helix has also been named the pre-season top ranked school in San Diego.

I think that Young is a great pass defender and has strong instincts. He will be an integral part of Arizona's future secondary and someone I see flying all over the defensive backfield.

ATEAM17 http://pic.twitter.com/Z5AsjgMmQd

— Scottieo (@_scottieoo) July 24, 2016

Joshua Brown

Brown is a 6-foot-2, 222 pound linebacker out of power house Long Beach Poly (Long Beach, CA). I really like what he brings to the table: a good frame, lightning reaction time to the ball carrier, and the ability to drop back and defend the pass. He committed on June 13th after camping with the Wildcats in Long Beach and made the trip out to Tucson this past Saturday.

"I loved it out there (Arizona)," Brown said about his visit. "I can't picture myself anywhere else."

"Stepping onto that field! It gave me chills," Brown responded when asked about his favorite experience. "I've been dreaming of playing college football and there's just something about being on that field. Like I can just tell I'm going to make some amazing plays out there."

Brown also knows when he wants to make an official visit.

"There isn't a set date but I'm thinking about when Arizona plays USC."

I just want to thank God for giving me this opportunity without him none of this would be possible ! http://pic.twitter.com/Q42IGAv1bU

— PHARAOH (@Jbrown3_) July 24, 2016

Xavier Bell

Bell stated that if he found a school that he really liked, he would commit and not drag the process out. He was true to his word as he was offered by Arizona on June 8th and committed 9 days later. He is a 6-foot-2, 190 pound safety from another power house in Mater Dei HS (Santa Ana, CA). I like his length and ability to come up and stop the run. Another trait that stands out is his aggressiveness. He is not afraid to bear down (see what I did there) on receivers and make plays.

He too made his first visit to Arizona this past Saturday.

"It (Arizona) was everything I knew it would be and more. Going out there and seeing what I was getting into took my level of excitement from 100 to 1000," Bell said about his visit. "I can't wait to see what the future holds with this group of ballers we have in the Class of '17. We are for sure a group you can't look over without hesitating."

"Everything was great on the visit, but you know how it is when it's time to grab your jersey number, a helmet, and a pair of gloves and flick up," he continued. "And when I walked out of the tunnel onto the field, I envisioned what it would be like to be a Wildcat on game day and I loved it!"

Bell also has an idea about when he would like to take an official visit to Tucson.

"I've been leaning towards the USC game, which is on October 15th."

On July 9th, Bell and his Mater Dei 7-on-7 team made their way to Huntington Beach, CA for the Battle at the Beach event. While there, Mater Dei competed against Charter Oak (Covina, CA). If that name sounds familiar that's because it's the school Arizona commit Brian Casteel attends. Here is what Bell had to say about going up against his future teammate.

"It's always cool to compete with someone who you'll be joining in the future. The dude is a baller. I can't wait to have him out there scoring for me instead of against me."

Had a great time getting on campus at UofA. Can't wait to get out there next year‼️ ⬇️ #WildCatSZN http://pic.twitter.com/MIbVlt3V1f

— Xavier Bell (@Young_xb) July 24, 2016

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Arizona football recruiting: Donte' Williams will make 4-star CB Thomas Graham a high priority

Arizona is bound to land a 4-star corner this cycle, and they have their sights set on Thomas Graham

The Arizona Wildcats are bound to finish this class with a big splash, leaving room for multiple 4-star prospects. Among those is cornerback Thomas Graham, the 49th-ranked player in the country, sixth in his position group. Hailing from Rancho Cucamonga High School, he checks in at 5-foot-11, 175 pounds, and is a consensus 4-star prospect.

I'm convinced that Donte' Williams will land himself a highly-touted corner in this cycle, likely coming down to a hot pursuit for Graham.

I got a quick update from the talented corner just after his unofficial visit at The Closing this past weekend.

"It was great," Graham said of his Tucson visit. "I have a good relationship with the players, coaches, committed players and the players of high interest. Overall it was really good."

He was accompanied by his family, which has always proved to be beneficial once they meet the coaches and see the campus for themselves.

Graham is a popular guy amongst the committed players, with current commits like Greg Johnson, Kurtis Brown, Rhedi Short and Scott Young all constantly in his ear, making him feel welcomed into the program.

Coach Williams has taken charge as the lead recruiter, with Chris Singletary playing an active role as well. Their pitch to Graham has been simple: Build a program on the rise and earn an education from The University of Arizona.

#BearDown ⬇️ http://pic.twitter.com/mJNCTBbF6z

— Thomas Graham Jr. (@ThomasGrahamJr) July 25, 2016

Graham will be committing at the Under Armour All-America Game (January 1st, 2017), where he will be basing his school off the degree, comfort level with the staff, and early playing time. Arizona seems to check off all three of those soundly. He also mentioned Arizona State, Oregon, Notre Dame and UCLA as his other schools of interest.

He has family in the Phoenix area and was born in Chandler. As of now, I figure the Sun Devils are the favorite to land two extremely talented defensive backs in Bubba Bolden and Alex Perry, which would give Todd Graham a nice secondary to work with.

Meanwhile, Oregon will likely land Jaylon Redd, ending their pursuit of a cornerback. I've heard that UCLA is in strong contention for Graham, rivaling Arizona. And then Notre Dame is a little hard for me to gauge. I'm a little surprised that Graham did not name Alabama when I spoke to him.

His junior year highlights are below. Graham had 103 tackles, four forced fumbles and four interceptions.

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Arizona football recruiting: Wildcats likely to land Pima receiver Nick Hultquist next spring

A local Tucson receiver will be catching passes in Arizona Stadium soon

The Arizona Wildcats run one of the fastest offenses in the nation, utilizing the spread formation with a typical four receiver set. With so many departures at receiver these past few years, they are going to have to load up at the position.

Arizona has a few young receivers in the works including Shun Brown, DeVaughn Cooper, Tony Ellison, Darick Holmes, and Cedric Peterson, while also looking to add a few transfers.

The most notable transfer is former Texas receiver Cayleb Jones, who became a key contributor for the Wildcats as soon as he was eligible. Rich Rodriguez landed 6-foot-6 Shawn Poindexter out of Glendale Community College just a few days before the 2016 National Signing Day. The Wildcats have also added former USF passing target in 6-foot-4 Zach Benjamin this offseason. We’re still awaiting to hear about the eligibility of both of these newest pass catchers.

But after this upcoming season, Arizona will likely add another transfer target in Nick Hultquist, a 5-foot-10, 180 pound shifty slot receiver out of Pima Community College. He was on campus earlier this summer competing in a 7v7 tournament hosted by Arizona where he began turning heads.

Thankful for the opportunity to compete today, had a great time on my visit at UofA it was a blessing ⬇️ http://pic.twitter.com/R3ST3EPce0

— Nick Hultquist (@nhultquist2) June 5, 2016

Originally out of Sunrise Mountain (Peoria, AZ), Hultquist was a football and track athlete. He recorded 40 tackles and two interceptions his senior season, while also running an 10.96 second 100-meter, 22.81 200-meter and 49.85 400-meter relay.

He then decided to walk on at Phoenix College and play wide receiver. As a walk-on, he didn’t get the opportunity to see the field much, contributing on special teams and collecting two catches for 65 yards.

But 7-on-7 is such a great tool for exposure, and Hultquist took advantage of his opportunity. Both Pima and Arizona took notice, with Pima offering him on the spot. He accepted immediately. As for Arizona, he’s been in contact with them ever since.

"The coaches have been great. After the camp they told me I had a spot on the team come January when I finish at Pima," he said about his recruitment with Arizona. "The last conversation we had was about me getting a letter in the mail for the days I continue to come out to the games and take my visits."

He’s unsure if this opportunity will turn into a scholarship offer, but Hultquist will plan on transferring to Arizona, his dream school since he was a kid.

He runs a 4.46 40-yard dash. His freshman year highlights at Phoenix College are below.

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Sonoran Hot Reads: Rob Gronkowski given 99 overall rating in Madden NFL 17

Gronk continues to be perfect at everything

There are a lot of things about Rob Gronkowski’s post-Arizona life that are perfect. We’ve found another. After earning the cover of this year’s Madden NFL video game, Gronk has now been given an overall rating of 99. Here’s the explanation from EA Sports:

The Madden NFL 17 cover athlete doesn't disappoint with what he brings to the table this year. He excels in all areas of the game. With 88 strength rating and 91 run blocking he is an extension of the offensive line in the run game. Look to Gronk in big game situations with his 98 catch in traffic and 94 spectacular catch rating.

- Speaking of large humans that have come through Tucson, Freddie Tagaloa is listed as tied for 20th in Bruce Feldman’s list of college football freaks. It’s still not entirely clear if Tagaloa will start this year though

- Nick Foles was released by the Rams after they couldn’t find a team that would trade for him

- Arizona may or may not have the second most difficult cross-divisional schedule in the Pac-12 South this year. As a whole, the conference has some pretty good games to start the year

- Oregon Live has an Arizona preview as it looks ahead to all of OSU’s opponents

- Anu Solomon is one of 16 Pac-12 players on the Polynesian Player of the Year watch list. He also happens to be considered "elite" by Pro Football Focus

- The team announced this fall’s practice schedule. It will go on without Josh Allen, who did not qualify academically

- You asked Gabe bunches of recruiting questions, and he answered them

Basketball

- Alec chatted with Ira Lee about his Arizona recruitment and more

- Kobi Simmons and Lauri Markkanen are on this list of the best 50 players in the country this year, but Allonzo Trier barely missed. The Big Lead and Jason McIntyre are such hot garbage

ICYMI - #APlayersProgram in the NBA http://pic.twitter.com/FKCEghEzKL

— Arizona Basketball (@APlayersProgram) July 27, 2016

Baseball

- Cody Ramer and Zach Gibbons won a first half championship with the Orem Owlz

CHAMPZ - with a "z!" http://pic.twitter.com/9twUi9Hdux

— Orem Owlz (@OremOwlz) July 28, 2016

Other sports

- Arizona diving coach Omar Ojeda will lead Team Puerto Rico in the Rio Olympics. He’ll also have high profile UA diver Rafael Quintero on the team

- Men’s golfer Andrew Garner has been charged with sexual assault. Athletics’ statement: "The athletics department was notified earlier today of an issue regarding Andrew Garner. As a result, Andrew has been suspended indefinitely." Do more Arizona Athletics

Tucson news

- This isn’t exactly Tucson news, but please read this article on two new species of scorpions being discovered in Arizona. It’s magical

- In related news, there is a U of A professor that gets stung by insects on purpose

- Spice (synthetic marijuana) seems to be a growing problem in Tucson

- A massive monsoon knocked out power lines and trees all over town Wednesday evening

Post @ElTucsonMonsoon rainbow. #VailAZ @NWSTucson @whatsuptucson @KVOAWeather @weatherchannel http://pic.twitter.com/QacLxZ2AP8

— Garrett H. McClure (@GarrettHMcClure) July 28, 2016

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Tucson Restaurant Tournament: (8) Sushi Garden vs. (5) Caruso's

Who will get themselves into the Elite Eight?

The Santa Ritas Region is the only region without a double-digit seed in the Sweet Sixteen, and we get the first of those two matchups going with eight-seed Sushi Garden vs. five-seed Caruso's.

Sushi Garden took out El Guero Canelo in stunning fashion in the second round after eliminating Mariscos Chihuahua in the first round. Caruso's has defeated El Molinito and Bobo's so far.

So who will get a spot in the Elite Eight? Cast your votes by 6 AM on August 1st!

Poll

Who gets your vote?

• Sushi Garden
• Caruso's

  0 votes | Results

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Arizona football recruiting: 3-star defensive end Josh Allen will not join the Wildcats due to academic issues

Allen was one of the UA's top recruits in the 2016 recruiting class

There was a bit of concern surrounding Arizona Wildcats' 3-star defensive end commit Josh Allen this summer when word got around that he had not been on campus yet.

And on Wednesday night, we learned that the 6-foot-4, 260-pound defensive end did not academically qualify and will not be joining the Wildcats after all.

BREAKING: JC DE Josh Allen, one of Arizona's top recruits, did not meet academic requirements to enroll at UA. Will not be part of program.

— Michael Lev (@MichaelJLev) July 28, 2016

The Josh Allen saga officially started in May of 2015, when the Wildcats first offered him. At a huge recruiting event, Allen committed to Rich Rodriguez, ending his recruitment. This was a huge get for Arizona, landing the third-ranked junior college defensive end in the nation — a 4-star prospect at the time.

Allen decided to sit out his sophomore year at Long Beach City College, which dropped him in the rankings a bit, but it would have given him three years to play three seasons at Arizona. He was also prepared to enroll in December, joining the Wildcats in the spring of 2016.

But in October 2015, his recruitment supposedly started to blow up. Alabama, Miami, Oregon, USC, were all knocking on his door.

In November, Allen decommitted from U of A. But it turns out that those offers were just made up, as he sent tweets out saying he had been offered when he had never actually spoken to some members of those coaching staffs.

Living through these offers, he pushed back his enrollment to his future school and wanted to make a decision approaching National Signing Day, where he ended up re-committing to Arizona.

Then, as the incoming 2016 class started reporting to campus, there was no sight of Allen. He had told members of the team that he was going to be there soon, but as each week passed, more panic ensued and now we know the end result.

I'll be honest, I didn't have high expectations for Allen coming into the season. He would have been able to contribute immediately, especially on an anemic defensive line, but I was worried about his shape and condition, especially playing at Arizona and trying to learn a new defense.

This is unfortunate news, as this is now the second JuCo defensive lineman that Arizona will be losing in the span of five days, as Anthony Fotu was removed from the roster.

JuCo prospects seem promising, as you land a prospect that has adjusted to a college lifestyle and has played against better competition, but when it comes to transfer credits and academics, Rich Rodriguez has said before that it's one of the biggest problems.

The good news in this situation is that it now frees up one more scholarship, allowing the staff to welcome another mid-year enrollee for the 2017 class, which has almost been maxed out as we approach June.

Of course, the bad news is the defensive line is looking extremely rough. Now you really have to see what guys like Calvin Allen, Justin Belknap, Darrell Cloy Jr., Finton Connolly and Marcus Griffin can do with just one week before fall camp starts.

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Tucson Restaurant Tournament: (11) El Minuto Cafe vs. (10) Brooklyn Pizza

Another classic Mexican vs. Italian food showdown in our tournament.

With an Elite Eight spot on the line, 11-seed El Minuto Cafe will face ten-seed Brooklyn Pizza.

El Minuto has taken out a couple of very popular places in Sauce and Guadalajara Original Grill to reach this point in the tournament. Brooklyn eliminated Tucson Tamale Company and Piazza Gavi en route to the Sweet Sixteen.

So who will get your vote in yet another Mexican vs. Italian food battle in our tournament? Cast your vote by 6 PM July 31st!

Poll

Who ya got?

• El Minuto Cafe
• Brooklyn Pizza

  0 votes | Results

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Arizona football recruiting: Updates on early enrollees, Scott Young, Jessie Britt and more

Time to catch up on all your questions from this past week

It’s been an exciting time for the Arizona Wildcats in the recruiting department.

This was a crazy weekend, as Arizona now has 24 commitments for the class, more than any school in the nation. I got plenty of reader questions and a lot of them are now focusing in on the number of commitments.

Before I get to the questions, there are a few quick updates.

Jessie Britt Update

A while ago I was told by the staff that both Russell Halimon and Jessie Britt weren’t very likely to make it to campus after committing to the 2016 class and gray shirting.

I spoke to Britt and he tells me that he has a stress test scheduled for August 11th, but will try to get one earlier so that he can make it to Tucson. Britt dealt with some heart complications back in December, which has put his football career in jeopardy.

This is what a stress test entails, according to WebMD:

Stress tests are tests performed by a doctor and/or trained technician to determine the amount of stress that your heart can manage before developing either an abnormal rhythm or evidence of ischemia (not enough blood flow to the heart muscle). The most commonly performed stress test is the exercise stress test.

Scott Young Helix High School

Arizona has upped the recruiting game by tapping into championship-caliber programs and that is no different with 3-star safety commit Scott Young and Helix High School. They are preseason ranked as the top team in San Diego.

2016 Pre-Season Football Rankings @HelixFootball @MHHSASB @OsidePirates @CCHSASB @saints_info @CarlsbadHS @ASB_titan http://pic.twitter.com/50B1t0SFPO

— San Diego MaxPreps (@SD_MAXPREPS) July 21, 2016

Readers’ Questions

@Gabe_Encinas So they have 24 commitments now, are they after him and that's it at this point?

— David Young (@daveyoung84) July 25, 2016

So the tricky thing about this cycle is all of the early enrollees. There are currently four who plan to enroll early. They are: Braxton Burmeister, Tony Fields, Darrian McNeal and Delshawn Phillips. Their scholarships can be counted towards the 2016 class, which gives Arizona more flexibility with their scholarships this cycle.

UA is still in play for quite a few recruits in this cycle which I will get to in the following questions.

@Gabe_Encinas how many more in the class? Who are the top five targets? Who are the five most likely to commit?

— Dax Trujillo (@DaxTrujillo) July 25, 2016

Without knowing official scholarships numbers and all the movement that goes on, I’m going with five. Four of them will be Hunter Echols, Thomas Graham, Jalen Harris and Joseph Lewis. If Echols happens to fall through, then I’d expect a heavy chase for Odua Isibor, who I’ve been told is leaning Stanford once they offer. If Graham happens to fall through, I think Jaylon Johnson is a pretty good bet. If Lewis doesn’t follow through, then Bryan Thompson perhaps.

That lost spot could be up for grabs. Maybe it is Isaac Slade-Matautia, maybe an offensive lineman in Ryan Nelson, Michael Richardson or Tucker Robertson. Or perhaps someone I wasn’t even expecting like both Troy Brown and Delshawn Phillips.

@Gabe_Encinas wasn't greg Johnson, Joseph lewis and jalen hall supposed to be on campus this weekend? What happened?

— Andreas flores (@Andreasflores12) July 25, 2016

Yeah, they were. It looks like Jalen Hall and Joseph Lewis took visits to some SEC schools — Vandy, Alabama and Tennessee — instead. I wouldn’t look too into Vandy or Tennessee, but Alabama is obviously a major player here and could potentially poach guys like Greg Johnson and Lewis, maybe even Thomas Graham.

A few Hawkins football players on unofficial visits to the SEC #HawkinsFootball http://pic.twitter.com/epA8HQrdwd

— Augustus Hawkins (@HawkinsFootball) July 24, 2016

I’m pretty sure Greg was in Arizona and if he was I’m sure he will be giving his buddies some grief for missing out.

@Gabe_Encinas any updates on the two 5-star recruits that visited this weekend?

— RobfromAZ (@RobfromAZ) July 25, 2016

Didn’t make it out due to that SEC tour, which is unfortunate. Joseph Lewis is still in very good shape and Jalen Hall has plenty of time in his recruiting being in the 2018 class.

@Gabe_Encinas we know Nathan Tilford has basically shut down media availability. Nebraska has come calling. What's ur hunch on where he goes

— Brandon S. (@BSepulveda) July 25, 2016

I don’t think Nathan Tilford is going anywhere. Nebraska seems to be confident about a lot of recruits, but I’m not exactly worried about him flipping. I know that proximity to home is something that is extremely valuable to him and his family. He has a great relationship with Football Analyst Miguel Reveles as well and I just don’t see Tilford leaving.

@Gabe_Encinas since I'm in Lincoln, how many players have Arizona and Nebraska battling for against each other for them?

— Mark Barrera (@mtb0880) July 25, 2016

As of now, not too many. Like I stated above, Nebraska will think they have a good grip on Tilford, but I don’t think that’s the case. Slade-Matautia has Arizona and Nebraska in his final group of schools but I don’t think they’re seriously in the mix either. Although, with a handful of linebacker commits for the Wildcats, I wonder if that does have an impact on Slade-Matautia. If he doesn’t go Arizona I think he’ll go Washington.

5-star corner Darnay Holmes is a guy who Nebraska is in strong contention for, whereas Arizona has kind of slipped through the cracks. The one guy that Nebraska might have legitimately beat out Arizona for is Robert Porcher, 3-star defensive end out of Florida. He fell in love with Nebraska throughout the process and committed soon after his visit.

@Gabe_Encinas how many of the current commits will be grey shirts and how many will be able to enroll early and count towards 2016?

— #OnToTheNextOne (@Y_not_AZ) July 25, 2016

It’s hard to tell with all the scholarship numbers if in fact there will be any gray shirts. This is a nice crop of kids that Arizona has and that would be an extremely tough decision to make to have a kid gray shirt.

As for early enrollees, see above.

@Gabe_Encinas do you think Thomas Graham, Joseph Lewis and Hunter Echols commit to Arizona?

— Darrell foxhoven (@DwayneFox13) July 25, 2016

Yes. I am 65% confident that all three end up at Arizona. If you ask me to pick which of the three would be the least likely, I might go Echols.

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