Arizona football: Shawn Poindexter turning heads early in Wildcats camp

The junior college transfer is more than just a tall body split out wide

It’s not hard to spot Shawn Poindexter.

The newest Arizona Wildcats receiver is listed at 6-foot-5, but is really closer to 6-foot-7. He comes to Tucson in 2016 by way of Glendale Community College, where he caught 47 balls for 727 yards and seven touchdowns last year.

Now at the NCAA level, he’s already garnering a ton of praise from his teammates and coaches, and it’s not just because he’s taller than everyone.

"He’s gonna definitely give some corners some problems," Trey Griffey said. "Definitely was overlooked by a lot of teams. There’s no reason why he shouldn’t have been the number one receiver coming out. He’s amazing as far as his work ethic, the way he catches, the way he tucks the ball, gets upfield, his footwork. Just everything about him he’s definitely going to be a problem for some teams."

"He definitely gives us a tall wideout on the outside," added Nate Phillips. "Him and Zach (Benjamin) both have made plays during one-on-one, seven-on-seven, things like that. Having those guys that are 6’4"-plus helps me and Samajie (Grant), Shun (Brown), TJ (Tyrell Johnson) in the slot. I think him and Zach will contribute early."

"He’s athletic too," Rich Rodriguez said about what caught his eye about Poindexter other than the height. "He’s a volleyball player. Kind of a late bloomer maybe so to speak. But he’s a sharp guy, and we didn’t sign him to redshirt. He’s got the physical ability right now."

"He’s still learning a little bit but he’s coming out here and he’s doing really well settling in and starting to get everything down," Brandon Dawkins said about Poindexter’s progress. "He’s just getting here so as he starts putting everything together he’s going to be a strong receiver. I saw him come in here today and make a couple big plays with strong hands and things like that. He catches and moves really well so I definitely hope to see him a lot on the field."

"I haven’t really went up against him yet, but I’m sure guys feel like he’s somewhat of a problem," Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles added. "You can’t take a play off when he’s at the receiver spot so I’m sure they think he’s a problem. In my personal opinion, I think (he’ll make an impact right away)."

"I haven’t been able to go against him yet, but 6’9", that’s difficult in itself," Tellas Jones tacked on. "He’s got long-range wingspan, so just throw it in his area and he can catch the ball. I think if I could be a little physical with him I think I could win some."

Having spent a fair amount of time watching him at the team’s first open practice, Poindexter seems like he could be a guy that comes in and contributes right away. He’s more than just a tall body out there. He has the hands and ball skills to play receiver at this level, and succeed at doing so.

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