(Photo via Hudl)
For the Arizona Wildcats, the 2020 recruiting cycle is in the rear view mirror, for the most part. And with that the staff's attention will turn to the 2021 class.
Last year, offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone stated that he is looking to add at least one quarterback every cycle. In 2019, the 'Cats added Grant Gunnell. For the 2020 class, Will Plummer. The 2021 cycle is still young, but Arizona's recruitment of QB's isn't. One player UA is sitting well with is Texas-based gunslinger Jalen Kitna, son of former NFL QB Jon Kitna. Mazzone and Arizona offered Kitna at the beginning of February and have quickly made a good impression with the talented prospect. Read on below for my interview with Kitna. AZDS: How many offers do you have? Kitna: "I have 11." AZDS: Out of those offers, who is standing out the most right now? Kitna: "Right now Florida, Arizona, and Oregon State have stood out the most. I'm still getting to know some of these other schools better, but I have had really good conversations with those three as of right now." AZDS: Concerning those three schools, what stands out about them over the others? Kitna: "Well the coaching staffs for those schools have been very communicative with me. I have made good connections with all the offensive coordinators and we have really hit it off in terms of talking ball and about the team." AZDS: What visits have you taken? Do you have any visits lined up this spring and summer? Kitna: "I was up in the Portland (Oregon) area this week and go to go to Oregon State for a little bit and visit with them. I am planning to go to Florida and Arizona coming up this spring break." AZDS: Concerning Arizona, have you set a date for your visit yet? What will you be looking for while on campus in Tucson? Kitna: "I believe the date is the 18th (of March). I'm looking to talk ball with Coach (Noel) Mazzone. I'm going to get to experience a full practice day and get to hang with the QBs. I'm really excited and can't wait to learn about their scheme and see the way they develop their athletes." AZDS: You mentioned have a good relationship with Noel Mazzone. How do those conversations go? Kitna: "He's a really fun guy, you know? Easy to talk to and really confident. He's got a lot of experience under his belt." AZDS: What does Noel Mazzone like about your game and what you could bring to Arizona? Kitna: "He likes my footwork and just how I rip the ball. The Lord has blessed me with a great talent to pick up things really well and learn fast. That's what he said he likes, I'm still growing and still developing and getting better." AZDS: Do you have a date or time frame for your commitment? When that time comes, what are you looking for in a school? Kitna: "I'm looking to commit in the summer after my official visits. I think God will reveal to me the place He wants me to be after those visits. I'm just looking for a place that will allow me to grow physically, mentally, and spiritually. I have big dreams and I know how important it is to have people around you that want the best for you and truly care about your success and your grind." AZDS: Finally, what aspects of your game are you looking to improve upon this offseason? Kitna: "I'm working on tightening up my throwing motion a little and just being sudden and playing fast. I've been doing a lot of training for speed and explosiveness so far this offseason. Just looking to use that to my advantage." Flipping on Kitna's film makes it very easy to see what Noel Mazzone likes about him. He has a great frame, sitting at 6-foot-4 and around 190 pounds. He has a big, accurate arm and can make just about any throw. Much like Gunnell and Plummer, Kitna can make plays with his legs if needed. I'm interested to see how his visit goes and to see how that impacts his recruitment. Junior Highlights:
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(Photo via @ParisShand on Twitter)
Arizona added a raw, but underrated, edge player in Paris Shand in early February. Much like Shontrail Key, Shand has a background in basketball and hasn't been playing football for very long. But that doesn't seem to be much of an issue as the big, athletic defensive end is an effective and successful pass rusher. In fact, Gabe and I really enjoy watching his film and are very interested to see how he translates to the Pac-12.
Read on below to learn more about Arizona's third international player added in 2020. Favorite Food: “Probably shrimp. I really like them with mashed potatoes or pasta.” Favorite Music Artist: “My favorite artist is Drake.” Hobbies: “I like to play basketball and video games.” Favorite Sports Team/Pro Athlete: “I like the Toronto Raptors. My favorite athlete is LeBron James.” Biggest Supporter Throughout Your Career: “Definitely my mom.” What You Like Most About Playing Football: “Definitely the contact. In basketball you got to be more casual of fouls and stuff like that.” Fondest Memory of High School Career: “Scoring from offensive tackle. I had to play both ways this year. They ran a trick play where the ball was passed back to me and I ran for a touchdown.” Paris' Thoughts on Being a Wildcat: “I'm grateful to be a Wildcat and join something special with a team that I think has the potential to do great things.” Career Highlights: Howdy, gang!
Been quite some time since I've jumped on the site but we're back!! I'm getting back into things by highlighting three 2020 signees who are ranked outside the 1,000 by recruiting services, but well within the top 1,000 in my personal rankings. These three didn’t have a whole lot of action during their recruitment process but I truly believe these are three of Arizona’s top prospects overall out of the 19 that they signed. Stacey Marshall Jr. Arizona lost long-time tight end commit Drake Dabney fairly late in the process. At the time he was Arizona’s highest-ranked prospect. A top 600 kid with over a dozen very solid Power Five offers. The staff rebounds with Stacey Marshall, out of Hutchinson Community College. A huge upgrade at the position in my opinion. The tight end has not been utilized in Noel Mazzone’s offense over the last two years, which is a shame considering how well Bryce Wolma performed as a true freshman two seasons ago. The staff elected not to recruit a tight end in the 2019 class, so hopefully Marshall now gives the offense the type of tight end they want to implement. Marshall comes in with a great frame at 6-foot-5, 255-pounds. He’s a complete tight end coming from a championship junior college program. He’s strong, physical and a great blocker. He’ll be able to stay on the field in all situations thank to his athleticism and pass catching abilities. At the time of his commitment, Marshall was a two-star prospect. He has since jumped up to three-star status, but ranks just inside the top 200 in regard to junior college prospects. 247Sports has him outside the top 250. Arizona was his only Power Five offer. I truly think Arizona gets a steal here. Marshall is complete player that has all the tools to be successful during his short time at Arizona. It’s going to hurt so bad when Arizona continues to fail at utilizing a tight end. Josh Baker I love Josh Baker. I hate to put lofty expectations on a guy who hasn’t even stepped foot on campus but I think he is Arizona’s best NFL prospect of this class and will come in and dominate. He’s built well at 6-foot-3, 280-pounds and moves extremely well. You can tell he is very well-coached by his footwork, hand placement and balance. He has such an extremely high floor entering the program to begin with and he can only go up with coaching by Kyle DeVan. I love Josh Baker as the immediate replacement for Josh McCauley at center after the 2020 season and if necessary he could play guard as well. I’m surprised his offer list didn’t grow after his senior season, as his only Power Five offers were Illinois and Kansas. This was a really good find by the staff to tap into Missouri and land Baker. To me he’s Arizona’s third highest prospect of this class and I’d peg him as a 650 prospect. Recruiting services have him ranked outside the top 1,100 overall, but I think 247Sports individual ranking is spot on at 680. Derick Mourning Derick Mourning looks like he is ready to play Pac-12 football. He might the most college-ready prospect of the 2020 class. He is a perfect fit for the new 3-4 defense coming off the edge with a terrific frame at 6-foot-1, 210 pounds. He is extremely quick, has great athleticism and speed. He understands where the play is flowing and can track the ball down easily. He has all the traits to be a successful edge player. The position group is very young and talented, but depending on how the staff switches up the personnel, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Mourning playing significant reps as a true freshman. He’s ranked just inside the top 1,200 overall, No. 78 among all outside linebackers and No. 147 among players in Texas. I agree far more with the folks at 247Sports on his ranking once again, as they have him just inside the 750. Arizona was his only Power Five offer as he was clearing up some academic issues which slowed down his recruitment. The staff takes a chance here but the upside is incredible with Mourning.
(Photo via @LeifMags on Twitter)
When you think of big, nasty offensive linemen a lot of people don't think of Canada. But that's exactly what Arizona got in offensive lineman Leif Magnuson. His father also played football in the Pac-12 at Washington State when Kevin Sumlin was a coach there. That previous relationship and Leif's relationship with Arizona OL coach Kyle DeVan sealed the deal for aggressive lineman.
Read on to learn more about Magnuson. Favorite Food: "Steak, medium rare." Favorite Music Artist: "My favorite music artist is Roddy Rich." Hobbies: "Cooking, chess, and music. I'm great at making breakfast and wraps and such." Favorite Sports Team/Pro Athlete: "The (Seattle) Seahawks. My favorite athlete is Rob Gronkowski." Biggest Supporter Throughout Your Career: "Absolutely my parents, but my dad has been the biggest supporter. He's been there every step of the way." What You Like Most About Playing Football: "Man it's about dominating your opponent, whether that's 1v1 or as a team. But team is everything. I love the camaraderie and fighting together to win no matter what." Fondest Memory of Your Football Career: "Winning the Canadian National Championship with my U18 team, TeamSask in 2018." Major: "I'm torn between marketing and criminal justice. Probably marketing (business) though." Leif's Thoughts on Being a Wildcat: "Man, what a great place to be! I love that Gronk went there and it's in the Pac-12. A great history there. Got to turn things around and get back to winning 8, 9, 10 games. I'm hoping my class will be the ones to help out with that." Career Highlights: Senior Season:
Junior Season:
Sophomore Season:
(Photo via @djmourning on Twitter)
The Arizona Wildcats added a second impressive linebacker in 3-star Derick Mourning. He didn’t have an offer list that pops out at you, but don’t let that fool you. He has the size and skillset to be successful in the Pac-12. There were some academic issues, which caused his recruitment to slow down. But those appear to be resolved and it’s to Arizona’s benefit. Mourning is a great addition to the class.
Read on below to learn more about Mourning. Favorite Food: “Hamburgers.” Favorite Music Artist: “My favorite artist is Gunna.” Hobbies: “Lifting weights and playing video games.” Favorite Sports Team/Pro Athlete: “I like the (Houston) Texans and my favorite athlete is Jadeveon Clowney. I’ve been watching him since he was in high school.” Biggest Supporter Throughout Your Career: “Both my mom and dad.” What You Like Most About Playing Football: “The competition.” Fondest Memory of High School Career: “Catching a pick six in my first varsity game.” Major: “I actually wanted to major in kinesiology but they don’t have it so I’m in search of a new major.” Derick’s Thoughts on Being a Wildcat: “I’m really excited! I’ll get the opportunity to play early and It’ll be nice to face better competition.” Career Highlights Senior Season:
Junior Season:
Sophomore Season:
The Arizona Wildcats have made recruiting within Arizona’s statelines the biggest priority of the 2020 cycle and beyond. Head coach Kevin Sumlin understands the importance of building the program from within the state and the staff has started taking action.
The Wildcats have zeroed in on multiple players within Arizona and have been recruiting them aggressively. One is Phoenix-area recruit Malik Reed. The 6-foot-2, 210 pound linebacker, from Chandler High School in Chandler, Arizona, holds five offers as of now. Arizona, Wisconsin, Indiana, Washington State, and Yale comprise his offer list. Reed finished his junior season with 42 tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. We caught up with Reed to discuss his recruitment, his offseason plans, and interest in Arizona. AZ Desert Swarm: Out of your offers, who is standing out the most to you at this stage of your recruitment? Malik Reed: “Wisconson and the University of Arizona. Indiana is also in the mix too. I just haven’t been out there yet.” AZDS: What is it about each of those schools that makes them stand out? Reed: “I really like the coaching staffs at U of A and Wisconsin. I feel like U of A is on the rise and Wisconsin is a great school that is already there competing for the Big 10.” AZDS: Focusing more on Arizona, how is your relationship with the coaching staff? Who do you have the best relationhsip with? Reed: “My relationship with the Arizona staff is great. I really like the staff down there. They seem real and authentic. I have a good relationship with all the coaches, but I would say I probably have the best relationship with coach (Taylor) Mazzone. I also have a good relationship with coach Meat (Demetrice Martin).” AZDS: You have taken multiple visits down to campus. What has it been like getting to know the program? What stands out on your visits to Tucson? Reed: “It’s been great getting to know the program and seeing what everybody is about. What stands out to me on my visits to Tucson is the atmosphere there. It’s great that everyone is working to achieve one goal. They really care about their players.” AZDS: What does the coaching staff say they like about your game and what you could bring to Tucson if you were to chose Arizona? Reed: “They like the fire and motor that I play with. They also like how I have a nose for the ball. I’ve also gotten a lot better in other parts of my game since we last spoke.” AZDS: Kevin Sumlin has made recruiting the state of Arizona a major priority and the whole staff has shown that they are serious about it. What does that mean to you as an in-state player? Reed: “The fact they are doing that is great. As an in-state player, it’s a plus too when some of my teammates stay in-state. It makes me want to stay home.” AZDS: What aspects of your game do you feel you need to work on this offeseason? Reed: “I feel like my pass coverage could use some work, but then again, I’m trying to improve every aspect of my game everyday. AZDS: What aspects of your game do you feel are your strongest? Reed: “I feel like my ability to rush the passer and stuff runnning plays are the strongest parts of my game.” Reed is, without a doubt, one of the best pass rushers in the state. His assessment of his strengths above was spot on. Reed pretty much lives in the backfield, evidenced by his 20.5 TFLs and 8.5 sacks. He has a great first step off the snap and has great initial explosiveness. His speed and overall quickness allow him to get into the backfield in a hurry. The interesting thing is he is able to stop and change direction just as quick, so even if he over-pursues, he can recover quickly. Reed is a solid tackler as well. He does hit hard but, more importantly, he wraps up his target and drags him down. He does have the ability to play inside or out, however, if he will need to work on his pass coverage if he moves inside. He has already identified this shortfall, as mentioned above. His junior highlights are below.
The Arizona Wildcats have been making headway in California and an area that is starting to get more focus is the Central Valley. The ‘Cats have added multiple players from Bakersfield, Clovis, and Fresno over the past few years, and it looks like they will continue that trend.
One such player who is on UA’s radar is Trey Paster. The 6-foot-3, 185 pound athlete, from Buhach Colony High School in Atwater, California, holds five offers as of now. Arizona joins California, Fresno State, UCLA, and Nevada on Paster’s list. Paster finished his junior season with 34 tackles, one interception, and seven PBUs on defense. He also played on offense and had 248 yards on 31 carries and two scores on the ground. Receiving-wise, he had 196 yards on 11 catches and three touchdowns. We caught up with Paster to discuss his recruitment, his offseason plans, and interest in Arizona. AZ Desert Swarm: Out of your offers, which schools are standing out to you the most at this point in your recruitment? Trey Paster: “At this point, I’d say Cal, Fresno State, and UCLA are, based on them being in contact with me the most.” AZDS: Have you taken any visits yet? What schools would you like to visit in the future? Paster: “I took a visit to Cal about a month ago and that’s about it. I would love to go back up to Cal and also go to UCLA, Arizona, and Fresno State.” AZDS: Have you set up any dates for future visits? Paster: “I haven’t set any dates yet.” AZDS: When you received your offer from Cal you mentioned Cal was your dream school. How was your overall visit to Berkeley? What stood out the most that other schools will have to live up to? Paster: “My visit to Cal was amazing. They really impressed me and my parents. One thing that stood out about them was how highly they hold their academics and what you will get out of Cal other than just football, but life itself.” AZDS: Moving on to Arizona, what interests you about the Wildcats? Paster: “What interests me about them is where they are going to take the program and the amazing coaching staff there. I can see Arizona being a fantastic football team just based off their coaching and the mentality they are going to build there for the future.” AZDS: Who have you talked to on the staff and who do you have the best relationship with? Paster: “I have talked to Coach Meat (Demetrice Martin) and Coach (John) Rushing. I would say I have the best relationship with Coach Rushing because he has been the one talking to me the most. He is actually from the same city I’m from, Merced, California.” AZDS: What position is Arizona recruiting you as? Paster: “They are recruiting me as a safety.” AZDS: When it comes to the offsesaon, what aspects of your game are you looking to improve upon? Paster: “I’m just working on everything I can. Footwork, lifting, my speed and explosiveness. Just working hard on every aspect you can think of in football. I’m doing that right now!” AZDS: What aspects of your game do you feel are the strongest? Paster: “I feel my strongest attributes include my IQ of the game, learning things very quickly, and my technique at the corner position. Like knowing what to do in certain situations of a football game.” Paster is an aggressive defender and a solid playmaker on offense. We’ll start on offense. He is explosive and has the speed to outrun defenses, giving him the ability to make huge plays. But his bread and butter will be on the defensive side of the ball in college. He is able to use that speed in man coverage to keep up with receivers down the field and can use his long arms to disrupt the ball when it is in the air. The thing that stood out to me from his film was his physicality. He uses his long arms to jam and disrupt receivers at the line of scrimmage. It is blatantly apparent that he loves to hit people as well. There are a few instances that show him laying out opposing players. He also has decent tackling technique, wrapping up his target more times than not. He has the versatility to play corner or safety at the next level. That versatility is something Arizona coaches have singled out as an attractive attribute in the DBs they’ve been recruting since coming to Tucson. His junior season highlights are below.
The Arizona Wildcats started establishing a foothold in the Pacific Northwest the past week and a half, with linebackers coach John Rushing leading the way.
Multiple prospects from Washington and Oregon received offers, one of those is 3-star athlete Justin Baker. The 5-foot-10, 175 pound speedster, from Kennedy Catholic High School in Burien, Washington, holds four offers as of now. Arizona, Oregon State, Air Force, and Sacramento State have all extended an offer to the Seattle-area prospect. Baker finished his junior season with 287 yards on 23 carries and 3 touchdowns on the ground. He also had 1,034 yards and 9 scores on 55 catches through the air. We caught up with Baker to discuss his recruitment, his offseason plans, and interest in Arizona. AZ Desert Swarm: Out of your offers, which schools are standing out to you the most at this stage of your recruitment? Justin Baker: “Right now, U of A and Oregon State. Thos are my first two Pac-12 offers. Also, Cal and Washington State are in the forefront. I’ve talked a lot with their coaches.” AZDS: How did your offer from Arizona come to fruition? Baker: “It was acutally quite a surprise to me! They followed me on Twitter, asked for my number, and later that day they called and told me. I had been talking to them prior to that a lot, so I was very excited.” AZDS: Who on Arizona’s staff have you talked to? Who do you have the best relationship with? Baker: “Coach John Rushing was the coach who extended the offer out to me. He is the only coach I’ve talked to so far. I’m super excited to get to know (running backs coach) DeMarco Murray. He was such a great (NFL) back.” AZDS: You mentioned Coach Murray. Is Arizona recruiting you as an athlete or running back? Baker: “More of an athlete, but definitely leaning toward running back.” AZDS: What peaks your interest in Arizona? Baker: “I’ve never been to Arizona so I would love to visit the area itself. Also, I am interested in how the culture is down there.” AZDS: Besides Arizona, what other schools would you like to visit? Baker: “I want to head down to OSU and Cal for sure. I would also like to visit WSU and hopefully a couple other schools. It just depends on how my recruitment goes.” AZDS: Moving to the offseason, what aspects of your game are you looking to improve upon? Baker: “I want to improve my route running because I’m relatively new to receiver. I also wanted to get bigger and stronger. I just want to perfect my craft.” AZDS: In your opinion, what attributes do you feel are the strongest part of your game? Baker: “I think my speed is one of the strongest parts of my game. As well as being able to get into space. Lastly, my ability to juke has always been strong.” AZDS: Are there any camps you are looking to attend this offseason? Baker: “I am still not sure about camps. I am looking into those but I will definitely be looking into some.” I like Baker and think he could fit in well in Arizona’s offense. He is versatile, athletic, and an overall playmaker. Based on his film, I 100% agree with what he assesses as his areas of strength. He has impressive speed that allows him to outrun everyone. He has that quick twitch that you want in a skill player. He would fit in well as a slot receiver, or as a running back in Noel Mazzone’s offense. Baker has the ability to make plays all over the field, but appears to be most dangerous as a deep threat. As a matter of fact, he reminds me of redshirt junior receiver Devaughn Cooper in many ways. He is definitely a player to keep an eye on as his recruitment plays out. His junior season highlights are below. Here we have Paiton Fears, a late addition to the 2019 class just days before early signing period began. We still don't know who the offensive line coach will be but, the way things shaped up, I think he's a starting tackle next season, it just depends on which side they like Donovan Laie on.
Here is the link to his film so you can follow along. http://www.hudl.com/v/2AKE1R 0:05: Quick, gets to his guy and folds him over. He's a violent run blocker at 6-foot-6, 327 pounds. 0:13: Another quick explosive get off the line in a play action that probably would have looked better as a run assuming the back could have gotten around the nose guard. Instead the defensive end stays at home and deflects a pass. 0:22: Another violent block with great pad level to take the defender out of the play entirely. Completely opens up the right side of the field for back to get outside. Showing really good stuff as a run blocker. We see a different quarterback this time. #17 was in before now it's #5 so I'm curious to see how the plays differ between the two. 0:31: Finally we get to some pass blocking. Foot work looks a little odd and choppy, but stays in front of his defender and finishes with a takedown. Quarterback straight up loses the ball, maybe it catches the running back but Fears has his guy out of the play entirely. 0:40: Not a huge fan of the footwork here and I think he needs to have a little bit more balance and control here. On pass block he's using the defenders momentum against them and is able to out power them, but it doesn't look like he's in full control of where the block is heading. That's just going to break the pocket if he doesn't get low, sink his hips and take control. When the defender initiates contact Fears starts to stand upright. 0:50: This is our third quarterback of his film so I'm really curious as to what was happening here. But here he has much better footwork that looks really clean on his kick slide and delivers a blow to the defender that knocks him off balance. A small bend at the hips but overall a solid play while the ball is heading over to his side on a passing play. 0:57: Love this play. Big man is kicking it out wide as the lead blocker. Tight end does a great job of taking on a double team and the wing does a great job of containing the edge allowing Fears to get downfield. He's running about 25 yards downfield just forcing the safety out of the play. Good speed and hustle there from Fears. 1:06: They run virtually the same play here in the same formation and it works just like it did in the previous play. More hustle and speed from Fears getting to the outside and he gets in on the corner for a solid gain. 1:18: Rolling with a counter play here leaves Fears with a lot of responsibility. Folds the end inside to give the running back room to cut back into. Doesn't go anywhere because there's an extra blitzer who gets picked up. I'm not sure that's a great play call if you're out numbered on one side. 1:26: Really like this play from Fears. They're more of a slide block run team, but Fears doesn't see a guy to block and immediately turns up field to create a big lane for the back. 1:35: Really nice job for the offensive line to disguise this screen play. They give the defenders a little piece and then head up field. Fears is leading the charges, lays a guy out and even when the running back is still 10 yards ahead of Fears he is still running downfield. 1:45: Very similar play than the one before. A slide block, doesn't see anyone to create a wall and heads up to the next level for a block. He's showing off a lot of speed and smarts to get downfield. 1:55: Knows the run is coming to his side and just takes his man out of the play entirely and dominates. Let's the defender get to work on the inside, making Fears job easy because he needs to continue to force him inside so the play can go outside. Really nice play. Rumor has it that Fears is still driving that dude. 2:00: Just a sound block on a run play. Up against Independence CC, Last Chance U, slides in, gets a good push and brings his guy outside so the play can go inside. 2:05: The same kind of run slide blocking scheme. He can really create a lane and drive guys back. So we saw a lot of run blocking from Fears, but not a lot of pass blocking. He's a much stronger and bigger tackle and I'm curious to see how he is used as a tackle. I think he could also play guard and be more of a Jacob Alsadek with his size, but I'm very interested to see how his pass protection goes. We’re onto Josh Donovan, who I thought would have started at tackle until Payton Fears committed. He is also apparently moving to guard which I think might be best for him.
Let’s go http://www.hudl.com/v/2AsEwR 0:04 - The first thing you notice is his size. Running a little jet sweep he locks his defender up across the field. Looks like some sloppy footwork and probably gets away with some holding too. 0:16 - Great footwork here. End tries to go inside, realizes it won’t work and tries to flip it outside but Donovan’s just such a big body. Good hand placement and finishes with a throw down. 0:32 - Shows good run blocking here. Hands and feet look fine and drives the end down. 0:44 - One-on-one OL/DL drills do no good for offensive linemen but pretty much maintains controls of the block the entire time. Looks like he plays a little too high, needs to drop his hips, but gets away with it. This is where I’m starting to think that guard is a better fit for him, although we’ll see what the new OL coach thinks. 0:50 - Similar to the very first play, looks like when he a play is going outside he gets very grabby. A flag is thrown right at him on this play and that is definitely a holding call coming back. 1:02 - Donovan forces the end to go wide knowing they’ll never make it to the quarterback in time. The defender falls 8 yards behind the line of scrimmage and isn’t even close to the pocket anymore. I don’t know the official term, but I’d like to call it zoning when a tackle just controls that side of the line and forces guys to go around to avoid getting walled up. 1:10 - So more zoning here. Donovan knows the play is going to other side so he the end is just wasting his time trying to go around the outside. 1:21 - The end is clearly tired of going straight up into the block so attempts and spin, gets a bends too much and that’s an easy fold for Donovan 1:33 - Looks like he reaches a little at first but corrects himself, drops his hips and takes this guy wide again. Poor dude is trying so hard to get off the block and goes with another spin only to be folded again. 1:43 - So this team seems to know that Donovan isn’t the quickest and they’re attacking him with speed. Outside the edge isn’t working so they try inside. It almost works, Donovan gets out wide and the end has some space to get inside but Donovan is able regain control and secure a legal takedown to take him out of the play. 1:50 - Donovan is so good at controlling his space. Look how much space is between him and the guard now as he takes his guy out of the edge. A blitz between him and the guard would be deadly but teams don’t seem to do that. It’s a good piece to have. I’m curious to see how Arizona’s offensive line shapes up with so many new, experienced guys there as well as an entirely new coach. |