It’s impossible to project how many wins this UA football team is going to tally for the 2022 season but there is no doubt this squad will be significantly improved.
And that improvement is across the board ranging from raw talent to overall size and strength.
The talent uptick starts at the quarterback position where Washington State transfer Jayden De Laura has shown a quick release and a soft touch on the deep ball while displaying massive improvement over last season’s main options of Will Plummer and Gunner Cruz.
De Laura is a little smaller than expected but he’s shown more than capable and figures to be Arizona’s quarterback as long as he is on campus.
Freshman Noah Fifita has been very good and has shown surprising efficiency with his wide receivers. His arm and mobility have been more than good enough but the one issue that has plagued Fifita has been his height as multiple passes have been batted down at the line of scrimmage. This looks to be an issue that might be hard to correct, but there is certainly something there with the Servite signal caller.
Junior Jordan McCloud, coming back from injury, hasn’t been good but that is to be expected. He still projects as a decent backup quarterback option and he has shown that he can move the ball up and down the field. The issue with McCloud has always been turnovers and an inability to turn long drives into touchdowns.
At the running back spot, stocky freshman Jonah Coleman has flashed repeatedly. Checking in around 5-9 and 210 pounds, Coleman rarely goes down at first contact and is a natural runner.
There is a little JJ Taylor there except Coleman probably runs harder but isn’t as shifty. It shouldn’t surprise if Coleman is starting by sometime this coming season. He’s that good.
As expected the wide receiver position is the most talented unit on the team and the one player that has flashed more than anyone is UTEP transfer Jacob Cowing.
Cowing doesn’t stand out physically the way a Tetairoa McMillan does but he’s routinely made plays against any cornerback. If Cowing isn’t pushing for all conference honors something went wrong
Speaking of McMillan he might not be Arizona’s best wide receiver but pencil him in as a starter who likely hauls in 7-8 touchdowns as a freshman.
Arizona hasn’t had a jump ball thread like this since Juron Criner.
Rounding out the receiving core is guys like Dorian Singer, Kevin Green, Anthony Simpson and Ma’jon Wright.
Green, an ex-USC commit in particular has stood out, seemingly catching a touchdown every practice.
The UA wide receivers are going to be a problem for the rest of the Pac-12 for the foreseeable future.
At the tight end and offensive line positions, two newcomers have made notable impacts.
Most know what Keyan Burnett is capable of as a pass catcher but Brennan Carroll pointed out that Burnett has shown to be more than a willing blocker. No small deal for an 18 year old.
Much has been written about freshman Jonah Savaiinaea and the hype is legitimate. Fisch talked about rarely seeing a player weighing 330 pounds look like Savaiinaea and he is right. If Savaiinaea turns out to be the best or among the handful of most accomplished players in this class it shouldn’t surprise anyone.
Expect Savaiinaea to be a day 1 starter.
