In addition to being defensive coordinator, Danny Gonzales is Arizona’s unofficial historian.
Arizona
Arizona pitchers Owen Kramkowski, Collin McKinney taken in 2026 MLB Draft
In most cases, the number of players drafted is a strong indication of how good a college baseball team was the previous season. Arizona had nine draftees last year after reaching the College World Series, but following a disastrous 2026 campaign only two Wildcats heard their names called in the 2026 MLB Draft.
Right-handed pitcher Owen Kramkowski was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 5th round, while fellow righty Collin McKinney went in the 9th round to the Baltimore Orioles.
Kramkowski was taken with the No. 145 picks, which has a bonus slot value of $506,100. McKinney’s bonus slot at No. 260 is $213,300. Players chosen in the 11th round or later can sign for up to $150,000 without it impacting a team’s bonus pool.
The two draft picks for Arizona is its fewest since 2022, when catcher Daniel Susac went in the 1st round and outfielder Tanner O’Tremba went in the 15th round. It was also the first time since 2014 the UA did not have a player taken in the first four rounds.
While the loss of existing UA players to the MLB Draft was minimal, the same can’t be said for future Wildcats. Two members of Arizona’s 2026 recruiting class as well as three transfers signed this summer were drafted Sunday.
Incoming freshman catcher Francisco Rivero, from Canyon del Oro High School in Oro Valley, went in the 15th round to the Washington Nationals while righty Garrett Ahern—a transfer from GCU—went in the 16th round to the New York Yankees. The 17th round then saw righties McCarty English (Southern Miss) and Collin Cobb (Williston State JC) and New Mexico prep righty Jack Byers all get picked.
Each has until July 27 to sign a pro contract or they’ll join the Wildcats this fall for the 2027 season.
The 6-foot-3 Kramkowski, who grew up in Sahuarita, is the fifth player recruited to the UA out of high school by Chip Hale and his staff to get drafted. He spent three seasons with the Wildcats and was part of the weekend rotation the last two years, starting the opening game of the College World Series. In 2025 he wen 9-6 with a 5.48 ERA, striking out 90 batters in 92 innings, but struggled as a junior with a 1-8 record and 6.13 ERA.
In 35 career appearances, Kramkowski walked only 38 batters in 165.1 innings against 165 strikeouts.
The 6-foot-5 McKinney spent the last two seasons at the UA after beginning his career at Baylor. He was the Wildcats’ Friday night starter for most of 2025 before getting moved to the bullpen, and this past spring spent time in the rotation and as a reliever. He struck out 109 in 91.2 innings with Arizona.
McKinney had entered the NCAA transfer portal last month and committed to Houston but is expected to sign.
Arizona’s lack of draft picks from its roster was indicative of a team that went 19-34, its worst record since 1994, and finished 9-21 in the Big 12 after winning the conference tournament title the previous year. The same can’t be said for ASU, which failed to advance beyond the NCAA regionals despite having 10 draft picks on the roster.
TEMPE, AZ — Police are investigating a deadly single-car crash that shut down a Tempe intersection for part of Sunday afternoon.
Tempe police say the crash occurred near McClintock Drive and Baseline Road.
The driver, only identified at this point as a man, was taken to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Police believe the man suffered a medical incident that led to the crash.
Speed and impairment are not believed to be factors at this point.
The roadway was shut down but has since reopened.
Tempe police continue to investigate the crash.
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Without blinking he can tell you the last time the Wildcats finished in the top 20 nationally in total defense in consecutive seasons (1993 and 1994) and also the last time the program recorded back-to-back years with at least nine wins (1974-75).
He also knows the UA’s infamous history of struggling to replicate results after a big year, which includes his first season at the school in 2024 when a 10-win performance was followed up by a 4-8 record.
While most other coaches on the staff are looking solely forward, Gonzales makes sure to keep himself aware of the past. And he’s not afraid to use some of the program’s best results—like the Desert Swarm era of the 1990s—and worst ones as motivation.
“Is there going to be a Swarm 2.0? We actually have the opportunity to make that a real thing, and I am excited about that,” Gonzales said Thursday, after Arizona’s second preseason practice. “But I’ve said it several times over the last bit, we can’t be like the ‘94 team, the ‘99 team, the ‘24, the ‘15 team.”
Gonzales was the linebackers coach and special teams coordinator in his first year with the program. Moved to DC in 2025, the results were splendid: Arizona finished 19th nationally in total defense, allowing 308.5 yards per game, and ranked 7th in pass defense, 2nd in turnovers forced and 2nd in turnover margin.
Those numbers were key to the UA going 9-4, a 5-win improvement from the previous season. But since Jim Young went 9-2 in 1974 and 10-2 in 1975, the Wildcats have traditionally had a backslide the year after. The drop from 2023 to 2024 was just the latest in a long string of them, but Gonzales feels the way Arizona has worked since finishing last season has it uniquely equipped to prevent history from repeating itself.
“Now, there’s there’s not a great expectation nationally, and I don’t even know that there’s a great expectation in our league,” Gonzales said. “But there is an expectation around Tucson when we walk around, and I think that’s cool. That’s that’s the first step in building a major problem here in Tucson for the rest of the Big 12.”
Arizona returns a good chunk of experience in the front seven, maybe more if linebacker Max Harris returns (along with running back Ismail Mahdi) as hoped. But the strength of last year’s defense, the secondary, is almost starting from scratch. Cornerback Jay’Vion Cole and safety Gavin Hunter are the only returners who started multiple games, and 12 of the 20 DBs on the roster are in their first year in the program.
“Everybody keeps asking, ‘well, who are they going to replace, and who are they going to play at corner?,’” Gonzales said. “You lost four DBs to the NFL draft, which is a record, by the way. If the secondary is no good this year, it’s because we stunk up front. Because if those guys get pressure on the quarterback, guys in the secondary will be just fine. We have enough talent back there.”
Arizona intercepted 22 passes last season despite having the 110th-best pass rushing grade out of 136 FBS teams, per Pro Football Focus. The Wildcats’ 21 sacks were 4th-fewest in the Big 12, and they also ranked in the middle of the pack nationally against the run.
The UA rotated heavily on the defensive line last season and that could also become a thing at linebacker and in the secondary. To see if that’s possible, during 11-on-11 periods so far in fall camp the defense has switched its entire unit between plays to help with conditioning.
“They do a great job of of getting in cardiovascular shape for July, but once you get into fall camp and you start practicing, it’s like when you’re in high school and if you play football and then you go to basketball,” Gonzales said. “You might be in great football shape, but you try and play basketball, the first practice, you will die. Well, football is no different. That conditioning piece for the first few days is trying to get their hearts back into it. It’s a one-play role, so they have to sprint 40 yards every single rep, so wherever the ball’s from, they have to sprint all through the sideline.”
Why is Central USA TODAY’s high school flag football preseason No. 1?
USA TODAY Sports’ preseason Super 25 girls flag football poll has arrived, and a familiar team tops the list.
Arizona has emerged as a hot bed for collegiate and professional talent stemming from its high school sports scene.
Current professional athletes like Cody Bellinger, Brock Purdy and Jalen Williams have played high school sports in Arizona, adding to a deep history of talent that includes stars like Terrell Suggs, Misty Hyman and Danny White.
Who is the best all-time Arizona high school athlete? Who defines the state’s prep scene?
As the United States continues to ring in its 250th anniversary, USA TODAY is launching its 250 for 250 series, aiming to answer that question by celebrating the best athletes from each state.
From fans’ votes, five athletes will be selected to represent the state as legends who have defined high school sports.
Here are the Arizona high school athlete nominees. The 16 players (listed in alphabetical order) were all standouts at the high school level.
Mike Bibby, Boys Basketball, Shadow Mountain High School (Phoenix)
Future NBA player Mike Bibby became the first boys basketball player in Arizona history to record 3,000 points in high school, playing all four years and averaging 34.3 points, six rebounds, eight assists and four steals per game as a senior, per The Draft Review. He was named Mr. Basketball USA and on the USA TODAY All-USA First Team.
Amy Bockerstette, Girls Golf, Sandra Day O’Connor High School (Phoenix)
Amy Bockerstette is a legend in Arizona as the first person with Down syndrome to receive an athletic scholarship for college. She did so after competing in the Arizona High School Girls Golf Division I State Championship as a junior and senior, the fist person with Down syndrome to do so. She cofounded the I GOT THIS Foundation in 2019 to promote golf to people with intellectual disabilities.
Curley Culp, Football, Boys Wrestling, Yuma High School
Yuma legend Curley Culp was a two-sport star, leading a future NFL career on the gridiron and winning back-to-back heavyweight wrestling championships in high school. After graduating in 1964, he went to Arizona State University, where he was an All-American nose guard and won the 1967 NCAA heavyweight championship. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Kenzie Fowler, Softball, Canyon del Oro High School (Tucson)
Kenzie Fowler was as close to unbeatable as a pitcher can be. From 2006-09, she had a record of 102-8, leading Canyon del Oro to four title appearances and three championships. She was two-time Gatorade National Softball Playe of the Year, including as a senior, in which she had an ERA of 0.04 — that’s a single run in 139 innings pitched, per Tucson.com. Over her career, she had a 0.15 ERA, threw 30 no-hitters, and she even set a single-season RBI record with 45.
Misty Hyman, Girls Swimming, Shadow Mountain High School (Phoenix)
Perhaps no Arizona high school player has gone on to have the level of international success as Misty Hyman. A two-time high school Swimmer of the Year, Hyman set national records in the 100-meter fly, 100-meter backstroke and 200-meter medley relay, according to her Stanford bio. In 2000, three years after graduating, she became the first American woman to win an Olympic gold in the 200-meter butterfly in 40 years.
Jacquelyn Johnson, Track and Field, Yuma High School (Phoenix)
Few Arizona high school athletes are as decorated as Jacquelyn Johnson, who won 14 states championships in track and field including the 100-meter hurdles, where she set a state record at 13.6, and the high jump, which she set a record of 6’0.
Randall McDaniel, Football, Boys Basketball, Track and Field, Baseball, Agua Fria High School (Avondale)
Randall McDaniel dominated multiple fields, being named all-state in football and basketball two times each. He set the Agua Fria record for the 100-meter dash, and competed in the 200-meter, shot put and discus. He and also played baseball, according to the NFHS.
Jim Palmer, Baseball, Football, Boys Basketball, Scottsdale High School
Before Jim Palmer was a three-time Cy Young winner, he was a three-sport athlete at Scottsdale High School, where he was an all-state forward in basketball, second-team wide receiver in football, and a star pitcher and hitter in baseball, pitching to a 6-1 record with a 0.79 ERA and 111 strikeouts in 58 innings as a senior while hitting .304 with five home runs (hit .482 as a junior).
Koa Peat, Boys Basketball, Perry High School (Gilbert)
The latest Arizona talent to make the NBA, Koa Peat dominated his four years at high school, leading Perry to four straight championships — including playing through a fractured right hand in the semifinals and title game as a senior, scoring 16 and 20 points in the games, respectively. He finished his career with a 107-14 record.
Nicole Powell, Girls Basketball, Track and Field, Badminton, Tennis, Mountain Pointe High School (Phoenix)
Nicole Powell’s 2,478 career points was second-best in Arizona history at her time of graduation, and her 1,820 rebounds leads the state record book to this day. She averaged 21.1 points and 15.5 rebounds as a senior, receiving national recognition. This wasn’t her only sport of dominance: she was a three-time badminton singles champion and won the state discus championship in 2000.
Brock Purdy, Football, Perry High School (Gilbert)
Brock Purdy remained a surprisingly under-the-radar recruit despite accruing phenomenal stats as a junior and senior, passing for a combined 7,738 yards and 99 touchdowns and rushing for 1,859 yards and 16 touchdowns. His 4,405 passing yards and 57 passing TDs as a senior set a 6A single-season record, and he led Perry to its first championship appearance, earning the Arizona Republic’s 2017 Player of the Year award over fellow future NFL players Spencer Rattler and Bijan Robinson.
Bijan Robinson, Football, Salpointe Catholic High School (Tucson)
Bijan Robinson was a wrecking crew in high school, rushing for more than 2,000 yards in three straight seasons and finishing his career with 103 rushing touchdowns. His 7,036 career rushing yards was a record for Arizona “Big Schools” — classifications 4A-6A — and he broke the team’s single-game rushing record multiple times, peaking at 430 yards and six touchdowns on 13 carries.
Anthony Robles, Boys Wrestling, Mesa High School
Anthony Robles was born with one leg, but that didn’t prevent him from becoming one of the greatest wrestlers in Arizona history. Over his junior and senior seasons, he won two state championships and went 48-0 in each year, finishing his career with a record of 129-15, according to his ASU bio. He won the 2006 High School Senior Nationals before becoming an NCAA champion.
Kendra Strohm, Girls Tennis, Salpointe Catholic High School (Tucson)
Kendra Strohm was nearly perfect in high school, losing only one set in her prep career. She became the first girls tennis player in Arizona high school history to win four consecutive singles state titles, according to Tucson.com.
Terrell Suggs, Football, Hamilton (Chandler) and Chandler high schools
Terrell Suggs played all over the field in high school, playing blocking back and linebacker at Chandler before transferring to Hamilton High School to finish his career. There, he gained national attention, being named a Parade Magazine All-American and Gatorade Arizona Player of the Year in 2000 as he rushed for 2,274 yards and 26 touchdowns, per ASU.
Danny White, Football, Boys Basketball, Baseball, Track and Field, Westwood High School (Mesa)
You can’t tell the story of Arizona high school football without Danny White, who quarterbacked the Dallas Cowboys for 13 years in the NFL. In high school, he was a four-sport athlete, competing in football, boys basketball, baseball and track and field.
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