UA’s Rodriguez: Don’t expect QB to be named by end of spring
Mar 4, 2014, 4:10 AM | Updated: 4:11 am
The Arizona Wildcats are entering spring practice with one of the more wide-open quarterback competitions in the country.
After the departure of senior B.J. Denker, as many as five players have a shot to be the UA’s signal caller when the Wildcats take the field for the first time on Aug. 29 against UNLV. So, it makes sense that Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez said he doesn’t expect a starter to be named by the end of spring camp.
“I don’t expect us to have a particular pecking order done by the spring but I would hope that there are at least two or three that we feel we could win with,” Rodriguez said after Monday’s practice.
“It’s all about reps. We rep everyone all practice. By the end of spring, they will have plenty of time to evaluate and figure it out.”
None of Arizona’s quarterbacks have taken a meaningful college snap. Redshirt freshman Anu Solomon and sophomore Connor Brewer are likely the two favorites to win the job, though they’ll be competing with senior Jesse Scroggins, junior Nick Isham and junior Jerrard Randall.
“We won’t sacrifice tempo to teach,” said Rodriguez, who is known for his up-tempo offensive system.
“They’ve got to learn at our pace. Most of those quarterbacks have been around long enough to know that they have to learn at a faster pace. They did OK today. We only had two pass plays in.”
