Can Arizona Football fix this team with Recruiting in 2019?

The 2018 Arizona Football season hasn’t quite gone according to plan, but what can the Wildcats do to make quick improvements for 2019?

I feel if you were to look up the word frustrating in the dictionary, within that definition, you would find the 2018 Arizona Football season. A year billed as potentially being a special one, it only makes sense a Rose Bowl-starved, lifelong fan like myself would endure the torment of another letdown season.

I blame myself, but ultimately should have known better to not let my high expectations get the best of me. But alas, in front of me was the proverbial cliff with the belief of success below me, and I plunged head first with complete faith.

Arizona Wildcats

Just like this season, I too have hit rock bottom hard. For now, I longingly await the days of Arizona Football being competitive and exciting again.

Already halfway through the season, it appears that if the Wildcats are going to make a bowl game, it’s going to take a damn, near miracle.

Amid the frustration of it all has been the play of Khalil Tate. A once exciting and electric football player, has been castrated. Limited by a weak offensive line, poor & ineffectual play calling, limited offensive weapons, and a myriad of injuries including Tate himself.

A program once able to put up nearly 40 points per game not long ago, now struggles to convert on third-down at greater than a 40 percent rate. So the question is, how do we fix all of this?

Well, aside from a bit of patience and letting things unfold naturally for any program going through any drastic coaching change, the short-sighted answer and fix would be recruiting.

So far for 2019, the Wildcats have just 11 guys committed all with an average rating of .8368 according to 247Sports. That ranks them 75th overall (10th in the Pac-12) in recruiting.

I guess you could say with that kind of outlook, it doesn’t really charge up the fan base in any positive way…

Granted it is early in the recruiting cycle, however, what can Arizona do in terms of recruiting to fix this team and give them a better, fighting chance for next season?

Well, let’s look at the weaknesses and areas that in my opinion should be addressed…

Receiver- The Wildcats have been average at best this season, but ultimately lack any true, deep threats. Arizona has used 10 different targets, with only two of them having 20 catches or more. Beyond that, the drop off in production is pretty significant, and the overall lack of ideal size and talent emphasizes the deficiencies in one of the weaker groups in the Pac-12.

Arizona’s solution? Let thing play out. They have a corp of young players in Thomas Marcus, Jr., Tre Adams, Zach Williams, Brian Casteel and Drew Dixon. All are currently sitting on the bench who could possibly step-up next year. Plus, Jalen Johnson is committed for 2019. So it’s possible someone or a few step up in that group in addition to the players returning next year.

My suggestion would be to possibly add one more target in this recruiting cycle. However, I think some younger guys just need reps to develop and get better.

Offensive Line- This unit has been absolutely decimated by attrition and injuries. Alex Kosinski and Nathan Eldridge have not played this year, and Layth Friekh has missed significant time.

Next season the prospects of this group look even better, since it appears Arizona only loses Friekh after the year.

Arizona’s solution? Get healthy and return the talent you have.

As I had stated, this is a group that should be a much better in 2019. Next season they will likely have a rotation of Michael Eletise, Cody Creason, Robert Congel, Donovan Laie, Tshiyombu Lukusa, David Watson, Steven Bailey, Kosinski and Eldridge. I can’t see how that group won’t be significantly better.

My suggestion would be to add a couple Junior College players. Beyond having Jordan Morgan committed for 2019, a couple JC guys would help with immediate depth and “collegiate-level” experience.

Defensive Line- Aside from PJ Johnson, there haven’t been too many positives out of this group. The defensive unit as a whole has produced just 12 sacks, ranking them 102nd overall, and to me it starts with the defensive line. While it’s worth noting that Justin Belknap has been out with injury since week three, regardless, this group has not really performed.

Arizona’s solution? Get healthy, return the players have and continue to develop the talent you have on roster (i.e.- MyKing Johnson, Jalen Harris, Nahe Sulunga and Mykee Irving).

I think Arizona has talent, but some of it is still a year away. Rich Rodriguez certainly didn’t do any favors for Kevin Sumlin by essentially not recruiting these vital defensive pieces, so from the start he was behind the eight-ball here.

My suggestion would be to hit the recruiting trail hard. Beyond having just Kane Bradford committed for 2019, it’s glaringly obvious Arizona needs more size, talent and depth. That’s not something that can be fixed in one recruiting cycle with high school players, but adding at least two more junior college defensive linemen could help with having that “veteran development”, adding immediate depth and “collegiate-level” experience.

Defensive Backs- Where to start? I think Arizona has talent here, but it just hasn’t quite translated to much production. Safety is where the Wildcats are probably the most solid on defense, aside from linebacker. However, more depth certainly wouldn’t hurt.

Cornerback is where I feel Arizona needs the most improvement. Currently, the Wildcats use a rotation of Lorenzo Burns, Jace Whittaker (albeit being injured for most of 2018 so far), Tim Hough and McKenzie Barnes at corner.

Following the season, they will lose Whittaker and Hough, but don’t lose much else. They presumably have a few pieces on the roster currently, but could use more size (in my opinion), depth and talent. Maurice Gaines, Jr. and Chris Roland (Athlete) are currently committed, but another corner or two would be ideal.

Overall, I just think Arizona could use an upgrade in some talent and depth, and the only way to fix that is with recruiting. To do that quickly, the junior college route is by far the riskiest, but could also pay the biggest dividends for most programs.

It’s worth noting that the Wildcats have limited scholarships left, but if done well, they could make some nice moves.

At Zona Zealots, we’re hoping for Sumlin to turn things around and have faith he can get it done. It’s just going to take a bit of patience and continued support! Bear Down, Arizona!