A successful Spring Game in the books for Arizona Football

Arizona Football’s 2022 Spring Game checked off most boxes generally reserved for an open-to-the-public glorified scrimmage.

The diehards, who will show up whether it’s 95 or 125 degrees were present, but it was the participation of the more casual fan, looking to get a glimpse of this new-look roster, that stuck out.

And for once, can you blame the casual goer’s excitement?

This is a program that just added the best recruiting class in school history, highlighted by ex-Pac-12 Freshman of the Year quarterback Jayden De Laura and two projected pass catchers in UTEP transfer Jacob Cowing and elite high school recruit, Tetoiroa McMillan.

Players who catch for 1,300 yards at the Division 1 level like Cowing and high school wide receivers who could have gone to absolutely any school in the country don’t come to Arizona.

Or at least until late 2021, they didn’t.

At this point last year, there was tepid interest in the Spring Game for a multitude of reasons. And considering the 70-7 humiliation that Arizona Football was coming off the last time Arizona fans saw their Cats, tepid is a testament to the fanbase, who in all fairness were just as excited to see honorary coach and ex-UA tight end Rob Gronkowski as they were to see the game product on the field.

But unlike his predecessor, Kevin Sumlin, Jedd Fisch came in doing everything right.

You know, the things one can take for granted, such as engaging a fanbase, reaching out to alumni and seemingly taking pride in one’s job.

The on-field improvement staggered, however, as the first year of the Fisch era produced only one win.

Even considering the small improvement, the 2021 season felt a little different than 2020 and 2019. Perhaps nothing better highlighted this progress than a defensive scheme that actually attempted to stop the offense as opposed to resigning itself to 10-yard outs.

If the goal of year one of the Fisch template was to change the culture, year two was to field a notably better product. From the size of the receivers to the physicality of the defense, one could easily tell before the first snap was taken that this will be a much better team.

All eyes were on the quarterback position, and it was a mixed bag. But unlike last year, there were competent options.

Jayden De Laura, to put it mildly, underwhelmed initially as he was under pressure, but when given the opportunity, he stared down receivers, which led to an interception on his second pass of the game.

However, he quickly rebounded with a combination of outs, screens and slants and running plays that resulted in an easy touchdown drive.

Seemingly forgotten junior signal-caller Jordan McCloud wasted little time reminding fans that he was the best quarterback on the roster last season. Cool, calm and collected, McCloud made all the throws and showed off some surprising runs.

Two things are readily apparent every time freshman quarterback Noha Fifita steps on the field: He is the shortest player out there, and he moves the ball with a proficiency that the other options don’t consistently possess. It doesn’t always look pretty, but there is something there.

Freshman tight end Keyan Burnett is going to be a problem at some point as he is the epitome of the new-look Arizona roster. The first catch of the game was a 16-yard completion, and the next was a touchdown pass to Burnett from McCloud.

The coaching staff clearly has big plans for running back Jonah Coleman as he was given the majority of the early reps. It makes sense, as no other player on the roster has shown feature back ability.

Much was made about the porous offensive line play, but don’t read too much into it, as there were injuries across the board.

The talk around the defense all offseason surrounded pressuring the quarterback. The player who has garnered the most responsibility, USC transfer Hunter Echols, certainly delivered, collapsing the pocket and helping out a secondary that resulted in multiple interceptions.

Speaking of the secondary, it appeared to be a much more active unit, as even the long out completions were covered or bracketed.

It remains to be seen if Fisch can coach, but from a talent acquisition and community involvement aspect, the man gets it in a way that very few Arizona football coaches have.

Fall Camp can’t get here soon enough.