PFF: Arizona’s Anu Solomon ‘elite’ on non-contending team
Jul 22, 2016, 7:40 AM
(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Normally when a college football team has a two-year starter returning at quarterback, there’s not a position battle in fall camp.
The Arizona Wildcats are an exception to that statement.
During Pac-12 Media Days in Hollywood earlier this month, Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez stated that even though two-year starter Anu Solomon is back for his junior season, he’s not a shoo-in to be the Day 1 quarterback for the Wildcats when they open the season Sept. 3 against BYU at University of Phoenix Stadium.
Solomon will have to fight off a charge from redshirt sophomore Brandon Dawkins, who played well in last year’s Territorial Cup loss to Arizona State.
“We have, in my opinion, two returning starters,” Rodriguez said. “We’ll see who wins the job. I hope both of them prove that we can win with them and we’ll play both of them throughout the year.”
If it were up to Pro Football Focus to name a starter, however, they’d easily go with Solomon. The website released their list of 10 elite players from non-contending teams in college football, and Solomon topped their list.
Although he appears to be in a pre-season battle for the starting position, QB Anu Solomon was clearly Arizona’s best player last year, and has the ninth-highest returning passing grade in FBS this season (No. 1 in the Pac-12). He was at his best on intermediate passes in 2015, as he was 36-of-57 for nine touchdowns and just one interception on throws between 11 and 20 yards downfield. He also produced extremely well against the blitz, throwing seven touchdowns to just one interception.
If sophomore Brandon Dawkins is able to beat out Solomon as day one starter, it will likely be due to his upside as an athlete in coach Rich Rodriguez’s run-friendly scheme (Solomon averaged 5.3 yards per carry last year compared to Dawkins’ 10.3 last year), as Solomon is clearly one of the better passers in the country and there are very few teams on which he would not start.
In two seasons in Tucson, Solomon has completed 518-of-869 passes for 6,448 yards, 48 touchdowns and only 14 interceptions. He’s also a threat with his legs, churning out 489 yards and five rushing scores. More importantly, Arizona is 17-8 when Solomon starts at QB. The Wildcats were 0-2 without him last season.
Solomon was one of two Pac-12 players on PFF’s list. Colorado cornerback Chidobe Awuzie was ranked second.