ARIZONA FOOTBALL

Arizona Wildcats football program ‘on track for next level’

Aug 16, 2013, 9:23 PM | Updated: 9:30 pm

University of Arizona football is on the right path under second-year Wildcats head coach Rich Rodriguez, according to Pete Roussel of CoachingSearch.com.

Roussel has high praise for the direction of the Wildcats’ program in his article “7 college football programs on track for the next level.” The writer mentions Arizona first on his list (and, no, it’s not in alphabetical order).

“It’s going to take Rich Rodriguez a little bit longer than he anticipated, but Arizona is on the verge of becoming a consistent Top 25 program in the next several years under Rodriguez,” Roussel writes.

The writer says we’ll look back on 2013 four years from now and realize that the Wildcats are one of the programs that was in the process of “building something special.”

Roussel uses the story of Jim Harbaugh to illustrate his point of having patience with new head coaches. Harbaugh went 9-15 in his first two years as head coach at Stanford, but the team improved to 20-6 over Harbaugh’s next two seasons — before he went to the NFL and had even more success with the San Francisco 49ers.

“While new coaches often generate excitement, the breakthrough doesn’t come until year No. 3, 4, 5 or 6,” Roussel writes.

Arizona went 8-5 in Rodriguez’s first year. If that means the program has yet to blossom under his guidance, then Wildcats fans are going to love him by Year Three.

Comments

Comment guidelines: No name-calling, personal attacks, profanity, or insults. Please keep the conversation civil and help us moderate comments by reporting abuse.
comments powered by Disqus

Arizona Football

Wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan #4 of the Arizona Wildcats celebrates with Noah Fifita #11 after ca...

Arizona Sports

ESPN’s Rittenberg: Arizona Wildcats’ QB room ranks 10th in nation

Led by the final Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Noah Fifita, the Arizona Wildcats' quarterback room was ranked 10th in the nation.

12 days ago

Grand Canyon forward Duke Brennan...

Vincent DeAngelis

Duke Brennan uses inspiration from family and high motor to propel GCU basketball

Grand Canyon's Duke Brennan has strong Arizona connections and comes from a family of athletes in Colt and Brent Brennan.

20 days ago

Jordan Morgan...

Arizona Sports

Arizona OL, potential 1st-round pick Jordan Morgan shows off speed at NFL Draft Combine

Arizona left tackle Jordan Morgan had the opportunity to show off his speed and athleticism at the NFL Combine on Sunday.

26 days ago

Jacob Cowing...

Arizona Sports

Arizona’s Jacob Cowing shows off elite speed at NFL Scouting Combine

NFL Draft prospect Jacob Cowing from Arizona put up one of the fastest 40-yard dash times among wide receivers at the combine.

27 days ago

An empty podium is seen at the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by...

David Veenstra

What to watch for: 2024 NFL Scouting Combine schedule, preview and more

The NFL Scouting Combine begins this week in Indianapolis. Here's a complete guide for college and professional fans across Arizona.

1 month ago

Quarterback Jayden de Laura #7 prepares for a game at Arizona Stadium on October 28, 2023 in Tucson...

Tom Kuebel

Former Arizona quarterback Jayden de Laura declares for NFL Draft

Jayden de Laura declared for the NFL Draft and will forego his fifth season of college football eligibility.

1 month ago

Arizona Wildcats football program ‘on track for next level’