Training Camp Round-Up: Nathan Tilford is stealing the Show

Coming in as one of the schools highest rated recruits in many years, RB Nathan Tilford has all eyes on him. So far through early practice sessions, those eyes are pleased with the result.

When Nathan Tilford, a four-star recruit committed to play football for Arizona back in April of 2016, he was looked upon as the savior, the messiah, the bringer of all things good, the destroyer of Arizona State (that one was for fun).

In an all seriousness, the coaching staff knew that Tilford was going to be something special for this program. It was only a matter of when.

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Many expected it to be a couple of years down the road, as Arizona currently has returning backs J.J. Taylor and Nick Wilson. It may be only early practice against non-competitive players, but Tilford appears to be playing himself into some carries out of the backfield this year. Brandon Leon is also getting noticed.

Recently at the Pac-12 Media Day, Jacob Alsadek had some kind words for the other Running Backs on the roster.

In late July, word came out that Alsadek also had some encouraging words about the third head, of the hopeful, three-headed monster at Running Back for Arizona.

For a freshman of any stature, praise by one of the leaders of the locker room and the team is very encouraging for a young kid. Tilford will have to make it known that once the actual season starts, that he wants to put in the work to become the next great Wildcat.

With runs like this, coaches will surely take notice. In turn, they will add more and more plays each week for the young stud, as long as he continues to produce out of the backfield.

Recently, after one of the practice sessions, Tilford spoke with the media where he answered many questions. Most importantly, he is happy he came to Arizona early. So are the coaches.

In the video, he states that the thing he hopes to improve the most is his blocking. If he can get his blocking up to the same level of talent that his vision and ability to run people over are at, watch out for this guy to take over early.

The coaches and the Arizona Wildcat fan base will be expecting that Tilford shows out early in the season enough to have a large role with the team. Let’s pump the brakes on the expectations, just a little bit.

No matter how good or bad he does, let’s remember that he is still a 19-year-old true freshman coming in to play one of the toughest positions in football. It may take some time. Tilford has all the talent in the world, if he can put it all together so early is the question.

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Despite all this, we at ZonaZealots wish Nathan Tilford the best in his freshman season for the Wildcats! Bear Down, Arizona!