TUCSON, Ariz. — The Arizona Wildcats kick off their 2022 marketing campaign, their second season underneath head coach Jedd Fisch, this Saturday, Sept. 3 at San Diego State.
Saturday’s sport kicks off at 12:30 p.m. MST and will likely be nationally televised on CBS.
A whole preview of the Wildcats 2022 season opener may be discovered under.
ARIZONA NOTES & NUMBERS
- The Arizona Wildcats open the 2022 season at San Diego State with kickoff set for 12:30 p.m. MST. Arizona is of their second season underneath head coach Jedd Fisch.
- Saturday’s sport will likely be nationally televised on CBS with Brad Nessler (PxP), Gary Danielson (Analyst), and Jenny Dell (Sideline) on the decision.
- The Wildcats and Aztecs sq. off within the first contest performed on the model new Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego.
- Arizona is 10-6 all-time towards San Diego State following final 12 months’s 38-14 loss at Arizona Stadium. The Wildcats are 3-3 all-time on the street towards SDSU — their final street win over the Aztecs was a 35-16 victory in 1998.
- The Cats are 48-64-4 all-time in street openers and have misplaced every of their final 4. Arizona additionally holds an all-time successful report of 83-29-5 in season openers, however have misplaced three in a row.
- Throughout the offseason, the Wildcats signed a nationally lauded recruiting class that ranked second within the Pac-12 and twenty second nationally. Arizona’s 2022 class included large receiver Tetairoa McMillan, a five-star recruit and the very best ranked prospect in program historical past.
- Arizona’s incoming class additionally featured quarterback Jayden de Laura, who was chosen because the 2021 Pac-12 Offensive Freshman Participant of the Yr after throwing for two,796 yards and 23 touchdowns at Washington State.
- Punter Kyle Ostendorp earned Preseason First Staff All-Pac-12 honors, whereas large receiver Jacob Cowing and defensive lineman Kyon Barrs earned a spot on the Second Staff. Defensive again Christian Roland-Wallace earned Honorable Point out recognition.
1,354 — Switch large receiver Jacob Cowing (UTEP) completed the 2021 season with 1,354 receiving yards, the ninth most amongst all Division I gamers.
50 — The Wildcats added 50 newcomers throughout the offseason. 11 got here from the switch portal, whereas 39 joined out of highschool.
36.5 — Arizona returns 36.5 tackles for loss from a 2021 staff that ranked second within the Pac-12 with 5.8 TFL per sport.
119 — 2022 marks the 119th season of Arizona Soccer. The Wildcats maintain an all-time report of 618-489-33 with a Pac-10/12 mark of 161-195-6
12 — RT Paiton Fears returns after beginning all 12 video games final season. He and LT Jordan Morgan deliver veteran expertise to the offensive line. Morgan began 11-of-12 video games final season.
BUILDING UNDER HEAD COACH JEDD FISCH: The Wildcats enter the second season of the Jedd Fisch period with a reenergized roster in tow. Coach Fisch and workers pulled within the No.21/No. 22 recruiting class nationally (per Rivals/247Sports) with key additions at a number of positions. That recruiting class ranked first (per Rivals) and third (per 247Sports) within the Pac-12 behind Oregon and Stanford. Fisch reeled in 23 commits with 5 four-stars and 18 three-stars. Arizona landed the highest-ranked recruit in program historical past, large receiver Tetairoa McMillan out of Servite Excessive Faculty. A five-star prospect that was ranked No. 5 at his place. McMillan was joined by teammates Keyan Burnett (TE), a four-star tight finish, and Noah Fifita (QB) a three-star QB, out of Servite HS in Anaheim. The success in recruiting marked one of many high courses in program historical past.
VERSUS SAN DIEGO STATE: Arizona leads San Diego State 10-6 all-time after dropping final 12 months’s contest 38-14 at Arizona Stadium. The Wildcats gained 4 in a row over the Aztecs previous to the loss final 12 months. Arizona is 3-3 towards the Aztecs in San Diego as they open Snapdragon Stadium on nationwide TV. Wildcats final opened the season towards the Aztecs on Aug. 30, 2001, a 23-10 victory. Working again Clarence Farmer rushed for 100 yards and one landing. Quarterback Jason Johnson accomplished 21-of-32 passes for 176 yards and one landing. Broad receiver Malosi Leonard made six receptions for 52 yards and large receiver Brandon Marshall caught the one receiving landing on a four-yard cross with 6:37 left within the third quarter to place the Wildcats up 13 factors. This marks the first-ever sport at Snapdragon Stadium.
O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN!: Arizona Soccer’s Management Council chosen their captains for the 2022 season. As introduced by head coach Jedd Fisch previous to their week one sport towards SDSU, the Wildcats captains will likely be:
QB1: Sophomore switch quarterback Jayden de Laura, who was named Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Yr in 2021, has been introduced because the beginning quarterback for the Wildcats coming into the season. De Laura led Washington State to a 7-6 report and a berth within the Solar Bowl after throwing for two,798 yards and 23 touchdowns on 227-for-359 passing. He was named 2021 All-Pac-12 Honorable Point out. De Laura threw a number of landing passes in eight video games and led WSU to their first Apple Cup victory since 2012. He earned Rose Bowl Recreation Pac-12 Participant of the Week honors after win over Oregon State through which he threw for a career-high 399 yards and three scores. As a first-year freshman in 2020 went 78-of-129 passing for 886 yards and 5 touchdowns in 4 video games. De Laura prepped at powerhouse program St. Louis Excessive Faculty in Honolulu and helped lead this system to 2 state championships. He went 11-0 and gained state as a junior to earn second staff All-Hawaii recognition. Adopted that up with an undefeated season as a senior, steering staff to 12-0 end and one other state championship. De Laura was honored as a Excessive Faculty All-American in response to MaxPreps. He was named 2019 Hawai’I Gatorade Participant of the Yr. De Laura, as a HS senior in 2019, threw for 3,452 yards and 29 touchdowns on 228-of-319 passing.
FOUR WILDCATS NAMED PRESEASON PAC-12: Kyle Ostendorp is chosen First-Staff All-Pac-12, Jacob Cowing and Kyon Barrs are honored with Second-Staff choices, and Christian Roland-Wallace are named honorable point out following a vote amongst media members. Ostendorp (1st Staff) was fourth within the nation in 2021, in common punt distance (49.2), main the Pac-12 final season. He kicked the longest punt of the season, 71 yards towards San Diego State on Sept. 11, and punted for two,852 complete yards on his method to 2021 All-Pac-12 First Staff honors. Cowing (2nd Staff) was a standout at UTEP previous to transferring to Arizona. He led the Miners in receiving all three seasons, together with a 2021 marketing campaign when he completed with 69 receptions for 1,354 yards and 7 touchdowns. Cowing was named First Staff All-Convention USA honors in 2021 and Second Staff recognition in 2020. Barrs (2nd Staff) earned All-Pac-12 Second Staff in 2021, after making 33 tackles for loss, and a team-leading 5 sacks. He completed tied for eighth within the Pac-12 in sacks a season in the past. Barrs was named to the Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch Checklist yesterday and has made 63 complete tackles together with 8.0 tackles for loss and 5.0 sacks by way of 26 video games performed over three seasons. Roland-Wallace earned honorable point out after making 48 tackles, good for fourth-most on the staff in 2021. Recorded 1.5 sacks marking the primary of his profession with a half sack towards UCLA and a solo sack at Washington State.
KEY TRANSFER: Broad receiver Jacob Cowing (Jr.) headlines the Wildcats lengthy checklist of preseason watch checklist/award candidates. Cowing has been named to the Maxwell Award Watch Checklist, Biletnikoff Award Watch Checklist, East-West Shrine Bowl 1000, preseason Second Staff All-Pac-12, and the Reese’s Senior Bowl Watch Checklist. Cowing performed three seasons at UTEP previous to transferring to Arizona. He led the Miners in receiving yards all three years, together with a 2021 marketing campaign through which he completed with 69 receptions for 1,354 yards and 7 touchdowns. Cowing earned First Staff All-Convention USA honors in 2021 and Second Staff recognition in 2020. He completed the 2021 season ranked ninth nationally amongst all FBS gamers in receiving yards (1,354). For his profession at UTEP, he hauled in 141 receptions, 2,595 yards and 13 touchdowns.
KYLE AWESOMEDORP: Punter Kyle Ostendorp (Jr.) has pulled in quite a few preseason honors after being chosen to the Sporting Information Second-Staff All-America staff, East-West Shrine Bowl 1000 watch checklist, preseason First Staff All-Pac-12 staff, Ray Man Award watch checklist, for the nation’s high punter, First Staff Professional Soccer Community Honors, AP Preseason Second-Staff All-American. Ostendorp set an Arizona report and led the Pac-12 averaging 49.2 yards per punt. He posted a Pac-12 greatest 28 punts that traveled 50+ yards and downed 17 contained in the 20.
EAST-WEST SHRINE BOWL 1000: Cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace (Jr.) was named Pac-12 preseason honorable point out and East-West Shrine Bowl 1000 watch checklist. Becoming a member of the listed above on the East-West Shrine Bowl 1000 embrace Josh Donovan (OL), Paiton Fears (OL), Jalen Harris (DL), Jordan Morgan (OL), Michael Wiley (RB), and Christian Younger (S). The East-West Shrine Bowl is the longest-running faculty all-star soccer sport within the nation. The East-West Shrine Bowl is a crucial a part of America’s soccer custom, giving high faculty gamers an opportunity to showcase their abilities to NFL scouts and a nationwide tv viewers. For greater than 90 years, a few of soccer’s biggest athletes and coaches have contributed to the custom of the East-West Shrine Bowl. Gamers like Gale Sayers, Tom Brady, John Elway, Allan Web page, Dick Butkus, Brett Favre, Gino Marchetti and Walter Payton, together with coaches Don Shula, Dick Vermeil, Paul “Bear” Bryant and Jerry Glanville, to call a number of, have supported the East-West Shrine Bowl.
POLYNESIAN PLAYER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST: Freshman large receiver Tetairoa McMillan is joined by fellow freshman Jonah Savaiinaea (OL) and sophomore switch defensive lineman Tiaoalii Savea on the Polynesian Participant of the Yr Watch Checklist, as voted on by members of the Polynesian Corridor of Fame. McMillan and Savaiinaea have been additionally chosen to the 247 Sports activities True Freshman All-American Staff. The Award is offered yearly to essentially the most excellent faculty soccer participant of Polynesian ancestry that epitomizes nice skill and integrity. The Watch Checklist consists of 85 gamers from 43 completely different FBS colleges.
FOUR WILDCATS ON REESE’S SENIOR BOWL WATCH LIST: Junior large receiver Jacob Cowing, redshirt senior defensive lineman Jalen Harris, junior cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace, and senior security Christian Younger have been chosen to the Reese’s Senior Bowl Watch Checklist. The Reese’s Senior Bowl is the nation’s most prestigious faculty all-star sport, because it yearly serves as step one of the NFL draft course of, which explains their hashtag, #TheDraftStartsInMOBILE. The Reese’s Senior Bowl has had 106 complete gamers and 36 chosen within the first three rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft. The 106 determine represents 41% of the overall draft. Subsequent 12 months’s sport will likely be held February 4, 2023, and broadcast reside on NFL Community. Practices are reside on ESPN; with NFL Community producing a day by day recap present airing in primetime.
MAKING AN IMPACT: Defensive lineman Kyon Barrs (Jr.) added his identify to the award watch checklist season. Barrs has put his identify on Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch Checklist, Second-Staff All-Pac-12, East-West Shrine Bowl 1000, and Outland Trophy Watch Checklist in preseason. He grabbed 2021 All-Pac-12 Second Staff honors after recording 33 tackles together with eight tackles for loss and a team-leading 5 sacks final season.
I AM #1: Final season originally of camp, Jedd Fisch started a brand new custom of competitors for the No. 1 jersey on each offense and protection. Throughout 2021 fall camp, Jalen Harris gained the No. 1 on protection and Stanley Berryhill III gained No. 1 on offense. Harris carried over No. 1 for the protection into 2022. It was introduced that large receiver Anthony Simpson would don the No. 1 jersey. Simpson earned the jersey after his effort on particular groups and offense throughout fall camp. “We decided that Anthony Simpson has carried out an unimaginable job on particular groups,” Head Coach Jedd Fisch mentioned, “He is dedicated to being a four-core man.” In 2021, Harris completed fifth on the staff in tackles (47) marking a profession excessive, together with six tackles for loss and 4 sacks.
HALL OF FAME PEDIGREE (2X): Security Isaiah Taylor enters his sophomore season at Arizona with one thing in his again pocket that you do not see fairly often… a Professional Soccer Corridor of Famer for a father. Taylor, who’s the son of 15-year professional and 2017 Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame inductee Jason Taylor, gained a state championship and was named All-State within the 7A division whereas enjoying at St. Thomas Aquinas. He holds his faculty report for the longest landing with a 103-yard interception return for a landing. Freshman large receiver Rex Haynes shares a typical bond with Taylor. His father Mike Haynes performed for the Raiders and Patriots and can be within the NFL Corridor of Fame. Rex helped Cathedral Catholic to a State Championship throughout his senior 12 months in 2021. Rex additionally ran the quickest 4×1 at school historical past.
NEW FACES ON THE COACHING STAFF: Arizona employed Johnny Nansen to be the Defensive Coordinator following the departure of Don Brown after final season. Nansen spent the earlier two seasons teaching the line of defense for UCLA and has coached within the Pac-12 since 2009. As soon as aboard with the Wildcats, Nansen performed a key position in constructing Arizona’s 2022 signing class that ranked second within the Pac-12, twenty second nationally, and included the primary five-star signee in program historical past. Jason Kaufusi joined the Wildcats as an Assistant Coach in control of Defensive Ends and Exterior Linebackers. Kaufusi got here from UCLA as effectively, the place he was the surface linebackers coach from three seasons from 2019-21. In 2021, Kaufusi coached alongside new Arizona defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen and helped the UCLA protection rank second within the Pac-12 in sacks per sport (2.2) and speeding protection (124.2).
WE EDUCATE WEDNESDAY: Each Wednesday, Jedd Fisch brings in a visitor speaker to speak to the staff both in individual or nearly a couple of myriad of topics throughout We Educate Wednesday. Beneath is an inventory of some audio system which have led We Educate Wednesday discussions.
- Dr. Richard Carmona – former United States Surgeon Normal
- Steve Kerr – Wildcat alum and Golden State Warriors Head Coach
- Jim Caldwell – Former NFL Head Coach
- Sean McVay – Los Angeles Rams Head Coach
- Pete Carroll – Tremendous Bowl Champion and Seattle Seahawks Head Coach
CATS IN THE PRESEASON: Stanley Berryhill III has made one reception for 14 yards in preseason. Berryhill III was named 2021 All-Pac-12 First Staff (All-Goal), in addition to 2021 All-Pac-12 Honorable Point out (Broad Receiver). He turned the sixth participant at school historical past to have 80 catches in a single season and completed tied for third on the single-season reception checklist. Gary Brightwell has made 9 carries for 51 yards within the 2022 preseason with the New York Giants. Roy Lopez has made one sort out, a sack, throughout the preseason with the Houston Texans.
HEY MR DJ: Senior working again DJ Williams joins the Wildcats after three seasons with Auburn (2) and Florida State (1). Williams appeared in 24 video games over three seasons and rushed for 646 yards and 6 touchdowns on 132 carries. He joins a gifted backfield with Michael Wiley (Jr.), Jonah Coleman (Fr.), Rayshon Luke (Fr.), and Drake Anderson (Jr.) all seeking to contribute to the Arizona speeding assault. With Auburn, he appeared in 19 video games and rushed 122 occasions for 599 yards and 5 touchdowns, making 12 catches for 72 yards. Williams gained a career-high 130 speeding yards at No. 2 LSU in 2019. He got here out of highschool as a four-star prospect rated because the nation’s No. 16 working again within the class of 2019 by 247 Sports activities and No. 18 by ESPN.
SERVITE CONNECTION: The Wildcats have 4 freshmen out of Servite Excessive Faculty coming into the 2022 season. Tight finish Keyan Burnett, quarterback Noah Fifita, linebacker Jacob Manu, and large receiver Tetairoa McMillan. Fifita led Servite to an look within the 2021 CIF Southern Part title sport, passing for over 300 yards and two touchdowns towards Mater Dei. McMillan caught 15 passes for 163 yards and a pair of touchdowns within the first assembly between the 2 groups.
MORE-GAN: Offensive lineman Jordan Morgan was named to the preseason watch checklist for the Wuerffel Trophy, which is offered to the FBS participant who greatest combines exemplary group service with management achievements on and off the sector. Morgan was certainly one of 115 gamers to make the preliminary checklist. A local of Marana, Morgan has established himself as a constant power on the Wildcats offensive line. After showing in eight video games over his first two seasons in Tucson he took over the common beginning left sort out throughout the 2021 season, beginning in every of Arizona’s remaining 11 video games of the 12 months.
WILDCATS IN THE NFL: With Stanley Berryhill III becoming a member of the Atlanta Falcons, the Wildcats are effectively represented within the Nationwide Soccer League with ten former letterwinners energetic throughout the league. Certainly one of Arizona’s most prestigious alumnus, tight finish Rob Gronkowski, retired following the 2021 season after successful the fourth Tremendous Bowl of his profession. Gronk was a five-time Professional Bowl choice, a four-time First Staff All-Professional choice, and was chosen to the NFL’s 2010s All-Decade Staff and NFL one hundredth Anniversary All-Time Staff. Over 11 seasons with New England and Tampa Bay, Gronkowski recorded 9,286 yards (fifth all time) and 92 touchdowns (third all time). Quarterback Nick Foles is in his eleventh NFL season after rewriting the Wildcats report books throughout his time in Tucson. The newest Wildcats to make the transition to the NFL are large receiver Stanley Berryhill III (Atlanta Falcons), working again Gary Brightwell (New York Giants), and defensive finish Roy Lopez (Houston Texans). 2021 Arizona soccer alumnus Stanley Berryhill III was signed by the Atlanta Falcons. For a whole checklist of former Wildcats within the NFL, see the great chart under.
Present Wildcats on NFL Rosters
Participant |
Place |
Staff |
---|---|---|
Jace Whittaker |
CB |
Arizona Cardinals |
Stanley Berryhill III |
WR |
Atlanta Falcons |
Dane Cruikshank |
S |
Chicago Bears |
Roy Lopez |
NT |
Houston Texans |
Nick Foles |
QB |
Indianapolis Colts |
Nick Folks |
Ok |
New England Patriots |
J.J. Taylor |
RB |
New England Patriots |
Gary Brightwell |
RB |
New York Giants |
Will Parks |
S |
New York Jets |
Demetruis Flannigan-Fowles |
LB |
San Francisco 49ers |