Khalil Tate enters 2018 ready to lead Arizona under high expectations
Aug 14, 2018, 8:15 AM
Arizona quarterback Khalil Tate, right, tries to escape a tackle by Southern California linebacker Uchenna Nwosu during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2017, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Khalil Tate wasn’t expected to start for the Arizona Wildcats a year ago, but more than his stronghold on the quarterback job has changed since August 2017.
He’s a Heisman candidate who’s expected to lead an elite offense into the year despite being a relatively raw signal-caller as a junior.
Tate has only 22 more passing attempts (224 total) than runs in his two seasons at Arizona, making this past offseason a key period in his development. Expected to become a bigger threat in the passing game under first-year head coach Kevin Sumlin, Tate said Monday night that his development has also come a long way in terms of his budding leadership qualities.
“I think that’s what all great teams need,” the quarterback said at a press conference Monday. “If you have a great leader, then you’re going to do pretty well as far as getting better every day.”
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Tate, who this summer saw first-hand the attention to detail Peyton and Eli Manning put into their craft while attending the Manning Passing Academy, told reporters that he sees a more professional, more technique-focused athlete when watching tape of himself compared to a year ago.
That, along with a Wildcats offense returning a good deal of talent from 2017, puts lofty expectations on Tate after he completed 62 percent of his passes for 1,591 yards, 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions a year ago while rushing for 1,411 more, including 12 more scores on the ground.
He’s on the preseason watch lists for the Maxwell, Davey O’Brien and Walter Camp awards, and a Sports Illustrated cover.
“It means a lot,” he said of appearing on the magazine cover. “Growing up, that’s something that a lot of younger athletes want to do a lot … want to get that exposure. It also helps the university.”
Beyond it being a neat moment — the cover came out on his parents’ anniversary — Tate feels ready to lead his team. He’s not worried about living up to the high bar.
“I don’t pay any attention to that,” Tate said. “I’m going to do me each and every day. I think all of that is politics.
“I’ll tell my story.”
