As we promised, here are some more interviews from the Pac-12 Media Days. This time, we bring you Arizona Football head coach Rich Rodriguez and offensive lineman and leader Jacob Alsadek.
When we spoke to Jacob Alsadek last, he was part of a movement on the team to install a new urgency to players to stay focused on winning. Nothing has changed, but it now he’s adding chemistry to the list. The team is getting to know each other, the freshmen are now mostly red-shirt freshman or sophomores, and 50 new players came to Tucson a few weeks ago to join the team.
Alsadek was being asked about his quarterbacks. He gave his account of the personality of each player. “I think Dawkins is trying to take over that leadership role,” said Jacob. He feels Khalil Tate leads by example, he is more of a quiet guy but, “He will hit you in the mouth — just trucking people, he can hit — on the field.”
Alsadek talks about what he feels the coaches are concerned about when quarterbacks take off down the field.
Next, he was asked about the running backs and having a bunch of running backs last season, so it was difficult for the O-Line last season. Running Backs need to help the O-Line set them up for blocks, and he feels Nick Wilson does a great job at doing that. On J.J. Taylor (Spin Cycle), whose locker is across from Alsadek, he is starting to get to know him better this season, thinks he is just a great guy.
Here is the interview in full:
Alsadek says they are ready to prove themselves, “Be the team we are supposed to be!” Amen to that. He understands winning will bring Wildcats back into the fold, and he agrees with his head Coach Rich Rodriguez.
Arizona Wildcats Football
I can’t even imagine what it would feel like to have to answer questions about the status of your job and why you failed or were perceived not to have worked hard to succeed. Of course, if you think about work, your work situation, there has probably been a time you had to explain yourself. But not to the media day in and day out.
Last season the media got much less access to the team, and they weren’t happy about it. So when they asked Coach Rod about this season, he hinted that maybe a couple of days in he would allow media to come to practice. Well, it wasn’t a couple of days, it was immediate. Media access was granted day one, and it seems every day since.
It looks like transparency is the theme of this season. Add to that Arizona Wildcats legend Chuck Cecil heading up Player Development, with all that NFL knowledge and experience, and the players are dialed in and focused. Their schedule doesn’t permit for too much downtime, and they are finalizing their second summer school session class curriculum. It’s football, football, football as it should be.
Here is Coach Rich Rod answering general Pac-12 media questions about last season, then this season:
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It is always a pleasure talking to Jacob Alsadek, and he is a football player who loves the game of football. He has played for coach Rodriguez during his entire career at the University of Arizona. Alsadek has already earned a college degree. Next, he will take on a much bigger challenge. That challenge is to win. To win to erase the taste he has in his mouth from last season for him, his coach, his team and Wildcats fans!