Why Kevin Sumlin suggesting an open competition is a good thing

We’re another week into the young, Arizona Football season, and with the Wildcats coming away victorious, coach Kevin Sumlin isn’t happy.

For those that missed the weekly press conference featuring Arizona Football coach Kevin Sumlin, to put it frankly, you missed a good one!

To recap, Arizona thumped Northern Arizona 65-41 this past weekend, and Sumlin addressed the media in his weekly press conference. He covered everything from the severe defensive struggles so far, the upcoming match-up against Texas Tech and that the Wildcats will be having open competitions at numerous positions.

Arizona Wildcats

So why the unhappiness? Well despite the Wildcats being 1-1 to start the year, things are not harmonious in the Old Pueblo, and for the second half against the Lumberjacks this past weekend, the Wildcats did not look great.

To quantify that to an even larger scale, we’re in the second year under Sumlin, and it’s fair to say there has still been a bit of rockiness that this team can’t seemingly shake, and the road ahead looks daunting.

Blame it on scheme, blame it on talent, however, at the end of the day those are just excuses, and the coaches still have to coach and develop, meanwhile the players have to perform.

What this all means is that Arizona should be a lot further along in their development as a team and program, and at minimum the Wildcats should be 2-0 currently. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.

So already just a few weeks in, is it wise for Sumlin to call for an open competition at numerous positions? YES!

A part of every healthy football program is competition. Complacency sets in the moment that the status quo is maintained, and striving to be better and be your best each and every day is no longer the goal.

So what better way to push guys more, than having the go out there and fight every week for playing time, or for the starting spot. This is Division One College athletics, nothing should ever be guaranteed.

You want the best out of your players? Make them work for it every day, and if they don’t then oh well, somebody behind them will!

Also, it’s not like this team has played so well that anyone aside from a couple players should be feeling comfortable.

If the Wildcats are going to turn this around and truly compete for bigger and better, it’s got to start here, and it’s got to start in weight rooms, on the practice fields and in film!

Listen to coach Sumlin as he talks his team and more in his weekly press conference!

At Zona Zealots, we’re excited about this move, and hope it brings out the best in our Wildcats! As always, Bear Down, Arizona!