Arizona Football Position Breakdown: The Quarterbacks

As we head into Spring Football, we thought we would bring you our breakdown of each position of the Arizona Football team starting off with the quarterbacks.

Last year was a bit of a mess at quarterback as players were injured, so the quarterback position was not a stable one for Arizona. For 2017, the Arizona Football team should at least be in a little bit better position moving forward although losing a top prospect Braxton Burmeister to Oregon.

Heading into the spring, the depth looks a bit limited. Redshirt junior-to-be Brandon Dawkins will likely be the favorite, and after a decent year, why not?

More from Wildcats Football

The question will be, how much has sophomore-to-be Khalil Tate improved, and will he push Dawkins this Spring and Fall to potentially unseat him?

Tate has all the tools, and perhaps the higher ceiling at this point compared to Dawkins. A former four-star quarterback, Tate put up big numbers at the perennial Serra High School, in the always talent-rich Southern California area. Both Dawkins and Tate competed in the powerhouse Pac-5 conference in high school.

In his limited action in 2016, Tate showed glimpses of brilliance. You can question his passing ability, but with a small sample size from last year (his true freshman year), it’s WAY too early to write him off just yet. Plus with a better and healthy offensive line, either quarterback may get more time to pass the ball, at times they had seconds to get their pass off.

As you may recall, he was essentially thrown into the fire at the age of 17 and had to face talented teams like USC (the Rose Bowl winner) and UCLA in some of his first games. That’s not easy regardless of how talented a quarterback may be.

There are some doubts among fans regarding both Tate’s and Dawkins’ passing abilities, and if we’re honest, yes, those are some genuine concerns. However, both have shown that they can make some great passes, and it wasn’t all their fault, the receivers weren’t catching their passes either at times. The good thing is that there is time to improve some things and adjust and tailor the offense as needed.

NCAA Football: Southern California at Arizona

Heading into Spring, it’ll likely be Dawkins and Tate as the only true scholarship quarterbacks to compete for playing time. /

Freshman-to-be, and coaches son Rhett Rodriguez won’t be on campus until the summer, and it is unlikely at this point that he will contend for immediate playing time. That said, he probably knows the offense better than anyone besides his dad.

Rich Rodriguez’s offense is certainly predicated on timing, rhythm, being quick with the football, and having a strong running game.

At West Virginia, Rodriguez had success with Pat White under center, who wasn’t the most solid passing quarterback. However, he ran the offense efficiently, had a great running back in Steve Slaton, and was very much a game manager who didn’t turn the ball over much.

For 2017, whoever is under center, I think has a solid opportunity to be successful so long as they can stay healthy, manage the game, and not turn the ball over.

Arizona won eight games with BJ Denker at the helm and Ka’Deem Carey in the backfield in 2013.

I think even with the limitations we have at the position, and both are very athletic and prolific rushers (Dawkins was No. 1 and Tate No. 5 in the Pac-12 last season in QB rushing yards) who can be successful with the right coaching, some solid blocking, and a decent backfield. Should Arizona stay healthy at running back, that will help the quarterback immensely.

Remember that Dawkins threw for over 1,300 yards and had eight touchdowns passing while running for over 900 yards and ten touchdowns last season. All that was done during a rather forgetful 2016 season, one that saw some key injuries on the offensive line, and at running back.

The 2016 season was one of those seasons where everything that could go wrong did go wrong. This is the same team that had to eventually rely on an undersized, slot receiver to play running back, and at one time had walk-on Zach Werlinger listed as the starting quarterback. Even TE Matt Morin got in the action last season, showing his athleticism while plowing through the defense while rushing the ball.

If both quarterbacks can enhance some of their passing ability, the running backs can stay healthy, and the offensive line can provide time, the position should be a bit more stable for 2017. Depth is a concern, and hopefully, the Wildcats can get a few breaks this year. Worst case, if they need to go deep into the depth chart, they have both Rhett Rod and Drew Dixon to pull out of their hat.

Next: Khalil Tate says he is the present not the future, exclusive interview

At Zona Zealots, we’re excited about Spring Football and hope that both quarterbacks can continue to improve this offseason. Hopefully, both can stay healthy and make 2017 an even better year! Bear Down, Arizona!

Home/Wildcats Football