Arizona freshman safeties Christian Young, Dayven Coleman impressing early in fall camp

Two promising safeties are in the mix for playing time as true freshmen

The Arizona Wildcats are coming off their first day of fall camp, and it was the first time the 2018 team officially comes together in preparation for the season opener against BYU.

Senior safety Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles is entering his third season as a starter and is one of the leaders of the defense and a young, but deep, safety group.

The 2018 recruiting class brought in seven defensive players in the class, including two safeties, both of whom have already stood out to Flannigan-Fowles.

“CY (Christian Young) and Day Day (Dayven Coleman),” Flannigan-Fowles quickly responded when asked which incoming freshmen have impressed him the most.

“They both came in and they both showed me something so hopefully down they just continue to keep getting better and hopefully help us out.”

Young is a three-star safety out of Richmond, Texas. He held offers from Arizona State, Cal, Iowa State, Missouri and Washington State among others. The 6-foot-1, 209-pounder was ranked just outside the Top 800 overall and outside the Top 60 among safeties in the nation.

At Foster High School, Young helped lead the team to 14-1 record, racking up 51 tackles, four interceptions, two forced fumbles and six pass deflections and had a list of accolades that followed.

Young will be mixed in at free safety, a crowded position, but will ultimately be placed at bandit, competing with Flannigan-Fowles for reps. While DFF is among the proven leaders of the defense, Young can push him for significant playing time, and will eventually own the role outright for years to come at Arizona.

After evaluating the 2018 class, Young was ranked No. 1 on my personal board. He’s a well-built safety with athleticism and is quick to react to the ball.

Dayven “Day Day” Coleman is a three-star safety out of Mesquite, Texas. He originally committed to UCLA and held offers to Colorado, Kansas State, Illinois and Utah among others. At 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, he was ranked just inside the Top 800, and inside the Top 60 among safeties in the nation.

At West Mesquite High School, Coleman finished with 71 tackles (eight for loss), three forced fumbles and one pick.

Coleman could easily play three different positions on defense, and was ranked No. 4 on my personal board. He’s an extremely versatile and quick piece on defense that can play downfield and deliver a sure hit.

He’ll be competing with Tristan Cooper at spur. Cooper, a former two-star recruit, emerged as a starter in his freshman season in 2016, but took a backseat to now-Tennessee Titan Dane Cruikshank last season.

While Cooper has experience, it won’t be surprising to see Coleman as the starter early in the season.

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