Up next
- What:
- Cactus Kickoff: 蜜聊直播 vs. BYU
- When:
- Saturday, Sept. 3, 7:30 p.m.
- Where:
- University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale
- TV:
- Fox Sports 1
- Radio:
- 1290-AM
There鈥檚 an alternate universe where Dylan Cozens and Kahlil McKenzie line up next to each other in 蜜聊直播 uniforms.
McKenzie plays the middle, 300-plus pounds of power and brute strength. Cozens comes off the edge, the prototypical defensive end and pass rusher, a 6-foot-5-inch athletic freak with the speed of a linebacker.
In reality, Cozens is a power-hitting prospect for the Philadelphia Phillies organization. McKenzie is across the country in Knoxville, Tennessee, heading into his sophomore season with the Tennessee Volunteers.
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Both were nearly 蜜聊直播. Cozens was part of 蜜聊直播鈥檚 2012 recruiting class before choosing baseball instead. McKenzie, a five-star recruit and the top-rated defensive lineman in 2015, chose Tennessee over the UA.
Rich Rodriguez鈥檚 overhaul of his defensive coaching staff 鈥 and his implementation of a new scheme 鈥 has put an even bigger premium on defensive linemen. The UA has lost its fair share in recruiting, and has gotten mixed reviews from the few big-name players to commit here.
蜜聊直播鈥檚 coaches know exactly what kind of players they want, but getting them is easier said than done.
鈥淓verybody wants a 6-6, long, athletic, 300-pounder,鈥 said defensive line coach Vince Amey. 鈥淏ut there鈥檚 only so many of those.鈥
The Underdogs
Everybody wants the 6-6, 300-pound prototype.
Nobody wanted Parker Zellers.
Or Justin Belknap.
Or Jack Banda.
All three of them are listed at 247 pounds, with Zellers 鈥 a nose tackle 鈥 at 6-foot-1.
Zellers was a former walk-on from Notre Dame Prep in Scottsdale who earned a scholarship just last year; Belknap is still a walk-on, coming from Henderson, Nevada. The only offer for Banda, from Grayson, Georgia, came from the 蜜聊直播. Despite that, Banda was nearly cut from the 105-man roster before his freshman season.
The trio make up the bulk of 蜜聊直播鈥檚 defensive line depth. Zellers, a redshirt junior, is a safe bet to start in the 蜜聊直播鈥 Sept. 3 opener against BYU in Glendale. Belknap has spent time running with the first-team defense since spring. Banda, who broke out last season, figures to be a rotation piece 鈥 and maybe more.
All three overlooked, all three undersized. That鈥檚 part of what informs the personality of the entire defensive line.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e got a chip on their shoulder,鈥 Amey said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e walk-ons, nobody wanted them. I鈥檒l take them all day because they鈥檒l be working they butts off all summer long.鈥
Added Belknap: 鈥淲e love the doubters. It adds fuel to the fire. We love that because it just makes us go harder and harder.鈥
Amey knows the feeling. He was overlooked coming out of high school for his size before signing with 蜜聊直播 State. Amey played as a true freshman, was drafted into the NFL by the Oakland Raiders and played a decade of professional football across the NFL, NFL Europe and in the Arena Football League.
鈥淚 was considered undersized, this and that, wasn鈥檛 considered a 鈥榤uscle guy鈥,鈥 Amey said.
鈥淏ut you know what? I played 11 years professionally because I had a chip on my shoulder, I was always an underdog. I just kept coming. So that鈥檚 what I instill in my guys.鈥
The hyped
蜜聊直播 struck out with McKenzie and was unlucky with Cozens. But it hasn鈥檛 been all bad.
Just before signing day in 2014, the 蜜聊直播 reeled in a four-star defensive lineman from Bellevue, Washington, a 6-foot-3, 300-pounder with offers from SEC and Pac-12 schools, rated the fourth best defensive tackle in the West by .
Marcus Griffin learned pretty quickly how unimportant stars and ratings were the first day he arrived in Tucson.
鈥淵ou see guys like (former 蜜聊直播) Reggie Gilbert, Dan Pettinato and you鈥檙e just like, 鈥楽hoot, I gotta earn my stripes with these guys who have been here for years,鈥欌 Griffin said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e grown men. You come in as a baby, and it鈥檚 all about earning your stripes.鈥
Griffin redshirted as a freshman in 2014 and barely sniffed the field last year. He鈥檚 not the only hyped recruit to fizzle early.
Calvin Allen is 6-6 and 281 pounds and fits the mold 蜜聊直播 鈥 and everybody else, really 鈥 is looking for. In parts of two seasons, he has registered exactly 10 tackles.
The goners
蜜聊直播 has 11 defensive linemen listed on its roster, and to an outside observer, it might look like a who鈥檚 who of 鈥 who?
There鈥檚 Banda, Zellers and Belknap, the overlooked walk-ons.
Darrell Cloy is a converted tight end; Aiulua Fanene is a remnant of the Mike Stoops era who鈥檚 bounced between the offensive and defensive lines. Finton Connolly has yet to play a snap, Griffin has barely been on the field and true freshman Justin Holt is a likely redshirt candidate.
Sani Fuimaono and Luca Bruno are returning starters, bringing some stability to a position that certainly needs it.
Since 2012, the 蜜聊直播 have lost five defensive line recruits at various stages.
Kyle Kelley was a notable addition in Rich Rodriguez鈥檚 first class, but only lasted a season before transferring to San Diego State. Jerod Cody signed in 2014, but never played a game before his career ended due to concussions.
In 2015, the 蜜聊直播 added two prominent junior college defensive linemen. One, Timmy Hamilton, never reported to fall camp and is now at Friends University, an NAIA school in Kansas. The other, Anthony Fotu, played four games last season before a suspension. Now, he鈥檚 off the team.
Junior college star Josh Allen verbally committed to the UA a year ago and planned to enroll in January and contribute immediately. Allen decommitted, recommitted again in February, enrolled over the summer 鈥 and has been ruled academically ineligible. Now, Allen is at Eastern 蜜聊直播 College.
In theory, all five of those players could still be here. But they鈥檙e not.
鈥淚 tell my boys in the room,鈥 Amey said, 鈥渋t鈥檚 the next man up.鈥
Getting creative
Rodriguez overhauled the 蜜聊直播鈥 defense over the summer, hiring coordinator Marcel Yates and cornerbacks coach Donte Williams and promoting Amey and Jahmile Addae to position coach jobs.
Yates鈥 system is different than the Cats鈥 former scheme, and that鈥檚 no more evident than on the defensive line.
鈥淟ast year we were kind of waiting, that was the thing,鈥 Bruno said. 鈥淣ow we鈥檙e more of an 鈥榓ttack鈥 defense. 鈥 鈥楢ttack鈥 defense is pretty much just breaking through the lines, not waiting to get blocked so we play our blocks and trying to get off as fast as we can. We move around a lot more to try and confuse the offense as much as we can.鈥
The pre-snap movement, in particular, has thrown off 蜜聊直播鈥檚 offensive linemen a bit during fall camp, and that鈥檚 the point 鈥 to confuse the opposing offense whenever possible.
Creativity will be key for this unit in 2016.
That new defense has led to some position changes 鈥 Griffin has moved from nose tackle to defensive tackle, for one 鈥 and weight loss. Fuimaono has lost 50 pounds since last year鈥檚 New Mexico Bowl.
Bruno is learning every defensive line position, and he鈥檚 not the only one 鈥 Amey wants all his defensive linemen to learn multiple spots.
鈥淲e have enough to get it done,鈥 Rodriguez said. 鈥淏ut I don鈥檛 know if we鈥檙e big enough or deep enough yet. We鈥檒l address that in recruiting. We鈥檝e got good enough guys to win, we just have to play really hard.鈥
The 蜜聊直播 have already received verbal commitments from four defensive linemen for 2017. One of them, 蜜聊直播 Western College鈥檚 Matthew Leo, made his decision known late Thursday night.
In the meantime, Amey knows he has to get creative.
鈥淧arker Zellers can鈥檛 go toe-to-toe for three quarters with a 6-6, 300-pound guy, so you have to move him around, stem him a little bit,鈥 he said.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 why guys love these packages we鈥檙e doing, because we鈥檙e coming. We鈥檙e coming.鈥
