Theron Aych breaks down Arizona’s inside receivers

Jamarye Joiner | Photo by Ryan Kelapire

There might not be a position group more intriguing on the Arizona Wildcats than wide receiver, where experience is lacking but potential is booming.

What’s pretty unique is that the Wildcats have two receivers coaches. Taylor Mazzone tutors the outside receivers, while Theron Aych mentors the inside receivers.

Mazzone and Aych met with the media Monday. Below is what Aych had to say about the inside receivers. (You can watch his full interview at the end of the article.)

Go HERE to read what Mazzone said about the inside receivers.

On Jamarye Joiner’s transition from QB to WR: “Jamarye is the type of player that ... he’s hungry. He’s passionate, he’s a great teammate. And he wants to play. So for him, he made a great career decision, business decision, and we’ll still utilize him in other ways, too. But I think the transition for him has been pretty easy, being in the quarterback room, he’s already involved in the offense, so from him it’s just a matter of just learning now what to do on the outside.”

More on Jamarye: “He’s a powerful player, people don’t recognize the strength until you physically lineup across from him, which some of our defensive guys will find out. He’s now just now starting to understand how to utilize those tools as he makes the transition. But for him sky’s the limit, and as he continues to develop for us, I’m excited.

On coaching a converted QB: “For us it’s a little bit different in our room, the inside receiver room, I tell those guys ... as an ex-quarterback coach myself, I mean, we coach those guys as if they’re quarterbacks. We’ve got to know everything, we’ve got to be involved some, to a point, (in) protection coverage. We’re involved in the run game. So there really wasn’t a huge transition in that regard. So it’s just a matter of a couple different terminologies here and there, but that’s it. He’s a real smart football player.”

On 6-foot, 190-pound junior Brian Casteel: “Brian has been a steady player since I walked in the door. He’s probably the most cerebral in the group. He’s the veteran of the group. He’s now starting to come out of his comfort zone and continue to become that leader. Not just the quiet leader but the vocal, too. I think him being able to go up to Jamarye, and those type of guys, Jaden Mitchell, and give his experience to them, it’s been huge for me as a coach.”

On the key to Casteel’s breakout: “It’s simple, Brian’s got to healthy, he knows that. I mean, he’s a headsy player. Again, he brings a lot to the table. He looks really good this year. With two guys in front of them that are seniors that are no longer here, I mean, he knows it’s his time.”

On junior college addition Tayvian Cunningham, a 5-7 speedster: “Tay is the new edition to the room. Probably the one thing about him that he does bring is experience. He’s played a couple years already of collegiate football at the junior college level, and his physical attribute is speed. We had a lot of relationships with him prior to even meeting him, and once we did our homework and found out that we were going to have a need, he was the right fit. He’s really impressed me. He’s kind of a quiet guy for a receiver, but he’s very focused.”

On freshman Jaden Mitchell, who greyshirted after tearing his ACL: “He’s going to be a guy that you guys will be asking a lot more questions about the next couple years. He’s a very smart player. Even though he is a true freshman, he should have been in the class with Jamarye and those guys. He’s a little bit older freshman, so he brings that maturity level, that work ethic and just high character to the room.”

On TE/WR Zach Williams: “Zach is that hybrid I compare him to a player I coached that’s now with the Titans and played with DeMarco (Murray), Delanie Walker. He can line up on the inside, block guys or run a route and he can also be split out. So with that kind of versatility with him, working with Bryce Wolma, I think that’s going to help us develop the tight end position even more.”

On how many inside receivers will play: “I think as many as we can travel, that’s as many as I’d like to get on the field. We play fast, so I’m asking those guys to run down the field 30, 40 yards on almost every play. We’ve gotta be able to rotate guys to keep guys fresh to play at the tempo we play at.”

On when potential will turn into production: “If I had that crystal ball, we’d both have lottery tickets right now. A large number of that group has been with us before, they’ve traveled to games. They’ve been at practice, they’ve been in our system. It’s just we had a very senior-heavy group last year and they’ve watched and learned and now it’s their turn. Wherever that magic moment may be, we plan on it happening by the 24th.”

Hear what inside receivers coach Theron Aych had to say about Arizona Football’s young but talented pass-catchers

Posted by AZ Desert Swarm on Tuesday, August 13, 2019

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts https://ift.tt/2Nb3WOT
via IFTTT