Arizona Football: Khalil Tate continues to lead the Wildcats

Arizona Football quarterback Khalil Tate is a Junior going into the summer. With seven games under his belt from last season, he’s learning to become a vocal/visible leader.

The spring game was more than the physical game of touch not tackle. It was the opportunity to see how the team full of young men were still standing strong after experiencing a significant coaching staff change and learning a new system for the football team. Junior Quarterback Khalil Tate took the lead as a player and was a major part of holding the team together through the coaching transition.

It’s what is happening behind the scenes in the Arizona Football program that matters most, the things we don’t hear too much about. If fans only knew what college student-athletes go through before they hit the field, their heads might spin.

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Throughout the past four months, this team endured more drama and a huge change at the top after the end of the 2017 Season. The changes affected the program in a positive way eventually, but it wasn’t an easy transition. That’s when Tate stepped up and continued as the leader of the team. His team pushed forward and built upon their close brotherhood.

After Rich Rodriguez was let go, the team got together with Tate taking the lead and requested the retention of Defensive Coordinator Marcel Yates. There seemed to be cohesion in the ranks, all echoing each other. Because of Tate and his teammate’s push and belief in coach Yates, Coach Sumlin ended up retaining Yates along with Assistant Coach Theron Aych, Offensive Analyst BJ Denker, Senior Defensive Analyst Chuck Cecil and Defensive Grad Student Davy Gnodle.

As with any family, when the family has a crisis, although difficult, it can result in a family becoming stronger or result in being torn apart. That is why Khalil and his teammate’s positive leadership was critical to maintaining continuity and stability while a new coaching staff was put in place. And as a result, Arizona Football practices and coach spotlights showed that the vibe was productive yet fun as the players went to work practice after practice.

NFL Draft prospect Zach Green told ZZ there was a new positive atmosphere in the locker room and he and his fellow alumni were excited for the future of the program, excited to see what new level Tate is capable of. Here is Tate talking about leadership:

Tate is popping up more on campus in social media and has become an integral part of the fabric of what is the University of Arizona. During the Arizona Basketball season, Tate, a former AAU basketball player, showed his support while sitting courtside with Colin Schooler next to UofA President Robert Robbins enjoying several games. In a show of support, Ira Lee wore Tate’s football jersey under his workout shirt and displayed a Heisman pose after an exciting dunk.

President Robbins sees a leader in Tate as well. The two hit it off, and they are working together on the CATSYs Promotion videos. Note: The CATSYs will be hosted by Miles Simon and Richard Jefferson, so it should be thoroughly enjoyable.

Tate also photobombed a KVOA news taping, which was fun. The point is that you can see that Tate is maturing and feeling more comfortable on campus, his personality is shining through and it’s fun to watch.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bg7CuEXnuZh/

Khalil seems to be enjoying his new QB Coach Noah Mazzone. In a post Spring Game presser, he talked about working with his new coach. “He’s very funny, you can cope with him easily,” said Tate, “He’s very understanding of that people are going to mess up, and it’s all about really  just getting them back the next time.” Wide Receiver Shawn Poindexter mentioned that he and Tate are working on timing together after practice to make sure he can be available for Tate’s passes. Tate is learning to call one-worded plays and audible snap counts instead of a clap as well as new Sumlin/Mazzone terminology.

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Coach Sumlin is leading the players, coaching staff but tempering expectations. The team will have the summer to further put in work and get to know one another more with incoming freshman filling the depth chart. That’s a great thing! We are looking forward to the summer and more insights into the future leaders of Arizona Football. You have to think Tate is only going to get better and provide more leadership going forward. Check out Khalil Tate’s new Fan Site and Facebook Fan Page and give it a follow.