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Arizona Football: 5 Freshmen who could have the Biggest Impact in 2017

By Eric Townsend

TUCSON, AZ - OCTOBER 29: Quarterback Brandon Dawkins
TUCSON, AZ - OCTOBER 29: Quarterback Brandon Dawkins /
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TUCSON, AZ – SEPTEMBER 10: A general view as the Arizona Wildcats take the field for the game against the Grambling State Tigers at Arizona Stadium on September 10, 2016, in Tucson, Arizona. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images)
TUCSON, AZ – SEPTEMBER 10: A general view as the Arizona Wildcats take the field for the game against the Grambling State Tigers at Arizona Stadium on September 10, 2016, in Tucson, Arizona. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images) /

Honorable Mention

A freshman to play in their first year is always tough (even redshirt freshmen), and to be able to have an immediate impact. However, with the 2017 season quickly approaching, we feel these freshmen, in particular, have a chance to also have an impact this season.

My-King Johnson – The standout defensive end from Tempe, Johnson has most of the physical tools to compete early, and with Arizona needing a serious upgrade along the defensive line, this pick seems to make a lot of sense.

Antonio Parks – The New Orléans native was part of the 2015 recruiting class, but after gray shirting, Parks didn’t show up until Spring of 2016 and red-shirted last season. Now ready to finally compete in 2017, you can bet he will be ready physically, and has had plenty of time to get acclimated and familiar with Arizona’s play calling and terminology.

Jose Ramirez – The tackling machine from Florida, Ramirez came in this past spring and already has a leg up on some of the other freshmen in the 2017 class. Linebacker is certainly a position of need, and the coaches seemed to like what they saw of Ramirez during spring. That makes him a potential candidate to see some early playing time!

Colin Schooler – Scooby Wright 2.0? Schooler comes in a bit under the radar, but certainly at a position of need. He was a standout at Mission Viejo High School, and was the Orange County player of the year. Schooler has great potential, and with Arizona’s need at linebacker, this choice seems obvious.

Tony Fields – Fields is a player! Hailing froth the talented Desert Pines High School in Las Vegas, NV, he came to Arizona a semester early, ready to compete in the Spring.

Just from watching him during the spring scrimmage, he was impressive and made a number of plays. Fields is athletic, and plays aggressively, and confidently. That’s going to be huge going into 2017, and the potential for him to come in and play is definitely there!

Nathan Tilford – Easily the most impressive true freshman in my opinion. Tilford has the tools to be successful, and in a high-powered offense like Rodriguez’s, Tilford is a legitimate threat for the Wildcats.

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Arguably the most coveted piece in the class of 2017, Tilford is a fantastic athlete. However, he comes in a position that already has a few talented running backs in front of him. Nick Wilson is the senior-to-be, and easily the front-runner, however, there are questions about his durability. He hasn’t exactly had the best bill of health the past couple of seasons, and will 2017 be similar?

Also, there is JJ Taylor. A redshirt freshman who should technically be on this list, but while his immense success last season came as a surprise, him coming off an injury and returning to his 2016 form doesn’t come as much of a hope as it does an expectation for 2017.

However, there are certainly questions regarding Taylor as well! He’s an electric player with tremendous upside and playmaking ability, but at 5-feet-6-inches and 170 pounds, does Taylor have the build to be a running back in the Pac-12 with a heavy workload? This is why Tilford could have a significant impact in 2017.

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