Phall
Master
Better late than never, here is a brief preview for the 2013 Wildcats. Arizona can be a fun team to watch because of their tendency to either score or give up 40+ points per game. Coach Rich Rodriguez enters his second season coming off a reasonably impressive 8-5 campaign. He has been reunited with defensive coordinator of choice Jeff Casteel, who did not join him at Michigan. Defense was Rodriguez' undoing in Ann Arbor, so he will be relying on Casteel to stick some fingers in the dam of that woeful unit.
Some Caste Football readers may have noted Richrod's predilection for black quarterbacks
. This position was a question mark up until about two hours before game time, when B.J. Denker was named the starter ahead of two diversity candidates. Denker actually rates as more of an "athletic, dual-threat" QB than black Jesse Scroggins. Although Scroggins will be a senior next year, Denker's successor is tipped to be new Texas transfer Connor Brewer. The position looks to be in pretty good shape going forward, and it will be interesting to see how Rodriguez tailors his gameplan around the talents of a blue-chip pocket passer.
B.J. Denker
The defense is led by senior linebacker Jake Fischer, who led the team with 119 tackles in 2012. Despite a preseason Bednarik nomination, Fischer doesn't seem to project to the NFL (shocker). He may show up in the news this year for his inclusion in the Ed O'Bannon lawsuit. I am personally not a fan of this lawsuit, which is basically a precursor to paying college players, but I have no idea how commentators will cover the case.
Jake Fischer
Arizona has a quite a few white defensive backs on the roster: corner Brendan Murphy and safeties RJ Morgan, Zach Streuling, Carter Hehr, Brogan Kemmerly, and Jared Tevis. Tevis is a starter.
Jared Tevis
The starting offense should have about five white starters - three lineman and a tight end as well as the quarterback. The defense will feature defensive lineman Dan Pettinato, Fischer, and Tevis as starters, and one or two other white players on the two-deep at each tier.
The "best player" is running back Ka'Deem Carey, who earned himself a suspension for the season opener due to some generic offseason mischief. He's a likely high draft pick and will command plenty of media fawning this year. There are no white players at running back or wide receiver (that I am aware of) at this time. The quarterback position looks to be in good shape despite a handful of recruits on the roster looking to become the next Denard Robinson/Pat White/Woody Dantzler. Senior Jake Smith will be a dual kicker-punter, a fun little anomaly. Nothing else really stands out on this roster, although it should be noted that the heavy roster attrition from the recent coaching change (42 new players in 2013) creates a lot of opportunity for new stars to emerge. Rodriguez cannot out-recruit USC, Oregon, or Stanford, so he will have to make more with less in terms of recruiting. That's a code-word for white two-star players that mysteriously fly under the radar.
In Caste Football terms, I'd give Arizona a modest 4 out of 10 in team appeal. The offense is rather dusky, but Denker's scrambling should provide some satisfying highlights and big numbers. The defense has several prominent white faces and a deep bench presence, especially in the backfield. Also, I think there is a bit of value in the coaches themselves. Rodriguez' "spread n shred" and Casteel's 3-3-5 are rather new and innovative adaptations meant to exploit strengths and mask deficiencies against superior opponents. Hopefully they can hone a friendly cast of players to run their systems.
Some Caste Football readers may have noted Richrod's predilection for black quarterbacks
. This position was a question mark up until about two hours before game time, when B.J. Denker was named the starter ahead of two diversity candidates. Denker actually rates as more of an "athletic, dual-threat" QB than black Jesse Scroggins. Although Scroggins will be a senior next year, Denker's successor is tipped to be new Texas transfer Connor Brewer. The position looks to be in pretty good shape going forward, and it will be interesting to see how Rodriguez tailors his gameplan around the talents of a blue-chip pocket passer.
B.J. Denker
The defense is led by senior linebacker Jake Fischer, who led the team with 119 tackles in 2012. Despite a preseason Bednarik nomination, Fischer doesn't seem to project to the NFL (shocker). He may show up in the news this year for his inclusion in the Ed O'Bannon lawsuit. I am personally not a fan of this lawsuit, which is basically a precursor to paying college players, but I have no idea how commentators will cover the case.
Jake Fischer
Arizona has a quite a few white defensive backs on the roster: corner Brendan Murphy and safeties RJ Morgan, Zach Streuling, Carter Hehr, Brogan Kemmerly, and Jared Tevis. Tevis is a starter.
Jared Tevis
The starting offense should have about five white starters - three lineman and a tight end as well as the quarterback. The defense will feature defensive lineman Dan Pettinato, Fischer, and Tevis as starters, and one or two other white players on the two-deep at each tier.
The "best player" is running back Ka'Deem Carey, who earned himself a suspension for the season opener due to some generic offseason mischief. He's a likely high draft pick and will command plenty of media fawning this year. There are no white players at running back or wide receiver (that I am aware of) at this time. The quarterback position looks to be in good shape despite a handful of recruits on the roster looking to become the next Denard Robinson/Pat White/Woody Dantzler. Senior Jake Smith will be a dual kicker-punter, a fun little anomaly. Nothing else really stands out on this roster, although it should be noted that the heavy roster attrition from the recent coaching change (42 new players in 2013) creates a lot of opportunity for new stars to emerge. Rodriguez cannot out-recruit USC, Oregon, or Stanford, so he will have to make more with less in terms of recruiting. That's a code-word for white two-star players that mysteriously fly under the radar.
In Caste Football terms, I'd give Arizona a modest 4 out of 10 in team appeal. The offense is rather dusky, but Denker's scrambling should provide some satisfying highlights and big numbers. The defense has several prominent white faces and a deep bench presence, especially in the backfield. Also, I think there is a bit of value in the coaches themselves. Rodriguez' "spread n shred" and Casteel's 3-3-5 are rather new and innovative adaptations meant to exploit strengths and mask deficiencies against superior opponents. Hopefully they can hone a friendly cast of players to run their systems.