ARIZONA FOOTBALL

Arizona lists Brandon Dawkins, Khalil Tate as co-starting QBs

Aug 28, 2017, 2:03 PM | Updated: 3:24 pm

The Arizona Wildcats enter the 2017 season-opener against Northern Arizona with quarterbacks Brandon Dawkins and Khalil Tate listed as co-starters on their depth chart.

The two most experienced quarterbacks have the leg-up on freshmen Donavan Tate and Rhett Rodriguez, who are listed as co-backups.

Dawkins threw for 1,686 yards and completed 54 percent of his passes with eight touchdowns and six picks in 2016. He added 944 yards rushing and 10 more scores on the ground.

But when Dawkins went down with an injury, coach Rich Rodriguez elected to burn Tate’s redshirt season, throwing him into the mix in the fifth game of the year against UCLA. The freshman threw for 243 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions in spot appearances and added 237 rushing yards.

“It’ll start to clear up a little bit,” Rodriguez told the Tucson media Monday. “They’ve both gotten better. I think Brandon’s gotten a lot better. I think Khalil has been trying to close the gap and is still competing with it. It’ll clear up by the end of the week. I feel confident with both those guys.”

More expected, the other players listed as “OR” co-starters on offense are running backs Nick Wilson and J.J. Taylor. Zach Green is listed as the backup.

“We really feel we have three starters there,” Rodriguez said at his Monday press conference.

Wilson, a senior, played in just five games due to ankle and knee injuries a season ago, averaging 5.8 yards per carry.

In his place, Taylor took over as a freshman and put together a 168-yard performance against Hawaii and a 97-yard game against Washington before a broken ankle ended his season.

Defensively, the Arizona depth chart only lists the MIKE linebacker position as up for grabs: that’s between senior Brandon Rutt and freshman Colin Schooler.

Additionally, redshirt junior Josh Pollack and freshman Lucas Havrisik are in competition at kicker.

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.

25 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.

26 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 lists Brandon Dawkins, Khalil Tate as co-starting QBs