Arizona

Bowl prep adds to crowded December for Arizona football

Published

6 months ago

December 17, 2023

Bowl prep adds to crowded December for Arizona football

The past two weekends, Jedd Fisch and his staff have hosted a slew of recruits that may include the final pieces of the 2024 recruiting class, which can begin signing on Wednesday. Also visiting were several active players who put their names into the NCAA transfer portal earlier this month, and a few have decided they want to join Arizona.

Oh, and there was practice on Friday and Saturday, the start of preparations for the Wildcats’ first bowl game in six years.

For the first time in the current era of college football, brought on by the advent of the portal and NIL compensation, the UA is dealing with December’s three-headed monster. It’s a good problem to have, but one Fisch and many other coaches wish didn’t have to be this way.

“It’s a unique time in college football to like balance it all out,” Fisch said earlier this month. “There’s been a lot of different things that are happening at the same time. There has to be a better way.”

The first year that college football had an early signing period was 2017, and since then the vast majority of high school prospects finalize their commitments during that 3-day window with many doing so in order to enroll in school in January. The transfer portal was approved in 2018, but it wasn’t until 2021—when the NCAA made it so all players could transfer once without having to sitting out a year, no questions asked—that it became a big part of the offseason.

Arizona, at least, has a bit of a gap between when the early signing period ends (Dec. 22) and it plays Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio (Dec. 28). The same can’t be said for many teams competing in bowls, including those that were in the seven games held Saturday.

“How fair is that to the guys that are playing a bowl game on December 16?,” Fisch said. “They’re trying to prep for a bowl game and now you’re saying at the last second you got to try to also sign the players. At least we have an 8-day runway between the Signing Day and the bowl game. I think a lot has to change, it’s not where it needs to be.”

Fisch made several suggestions about how to change offseason roster management. One was to not open the portal until after the College Football Playoff title game, which this year is set for Jan. 8. That would enable players to possibly play in a bowl game before having to decide whether to look for another program.

“If you’re coaching a team like us, that is playing their first bowl game since 2017, that’s a big deal,” he said. “And the last thing you want to do is start losing players in the portal. And you’re asking donors and you’re asking alumni to come and support the game and they’re like, who am I supporting? So it would be a nice thing if they said, Hey, your team is your team, and when the football season comes to an end, that is the day of the national championship game, that is when the season comes to and end. At that point, you can enter the portal.”

Arizona has been fortunate, with none of the seven players from the 2023 team that have entered the portal being major contributors. The same can’t be said for Oklahoma, which has seen starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel already commit to Oregon for next year while safety Key Lawrence is committed to Ole Miss and both guard Cayden Green and running back Tawee Walker are in the portal.

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Arizona

Republicans face off for Arizona’s 8th Congressional District

Published

2 hours ago

June 26, 2024

Press Room

Republicans face off for Arizona’s 8th Congressional District

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Republicans seeking their party’s nomination in Arizona’s 8th congressional district faced off for the last time Tuesday night before early voting begins in next month’s primary election.

The seat is currently held by Debbie Lesko, who is not running for re-election.

There is a lot on the line for the five candidates. Trent Franks, who resigned from it in 2017 after sexual harassment allegations, did not participate in the debate.

Candidates mostly agreed on policy, but there was a difference on the major issue of abortion. All candidates except Hamadeh agreed that Congress should step in and pass some sort of abortion ban. Hamadeh’s position is in line with Former President Donald Trump’s, who has said abortion should be left up to the states; it’s a position that has angered anti-abortion organizations.

“I applaud President Trump for what he did. … Appreciate it’s back at the state level, now it’s going to be up to each individual state,” Hamadeh said.

Abe Hamadeh lost the attorney general’s race and still has not conceded. Current state lawmaker Anthony Kern was recently indicted on felony charges for allegedly trying to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election that Donald Trump lost.

Also seeking to represent the West Valley is Blake Masters, who lost his run for the US Senate in 2022. House Speaker Ben Toma is the author of a tough immigration measure the legislature just sent to the November ballot. Political newcomer Patrick Briody bragged about not having an endorsement.

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Arizona

3-star offensive lineman Michael Langi commits to Arizona, first pledge of 2026 class

Published

9 hours ago

June 26, 2024

Press Room

3-star offensive lineman Michael Langi commits to Arizona, first pledge of 2026 class

Arizona has been on a tear this month, picking up 13 commitments in June for its 2025 recruiting class after entering with only two. And now it already has one for the following class.

3-star offensive lineman Michael Langi committed to the UA on Tuesday night, giving the Wildcats their first pledge of the 2026 class nearly 18 months before those recruits could officially sign.

he 6-foot-3, 265-pound Langi, who goes by ‘Bobo’ rather than Michael, is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 509 player in the 2026 class. He’s also considered the No. 41 interior offensive lineman in the country and the No. 79 prospect from California.

Langi, who was offered by Arizona in January, picked the Wildcats over offers from ASU, Colorado and Penn State, among others. He is the younger brother of 3-star offensive lineman Peter Langi, a 2025 recruit whom the UA had in for an official visit last weekend.

Both Langis play for Archbishop Riordan in San Francisco, the same school where Arizona recently got a commitment from 3-star offensive lineman Losipini Tupou. They are no relation to Sam Langi, who appeared in 21 games (with four starts) on the offensive line for the Wildcats from 2020-23.

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Arizona

Former Baylor pitcher Collin McKinney commits to Arizona baseball

Published

17 hours ago

June 25, 2024

Press Room

Former Baylor pitcher Collin McKinney commits to Arizona baseball

In winning both the Pac-12 regular season and conference tournament titles, Arizona put up some of the best pitching numbers in the country and led the nation in a trio of categories.

The Kevin Vance effect was real, and it’s made the Wildcats a desirable destination for pitchers hoping to improve their pro prospects.

Arizona has landed a second potential weekend starter from the NCAA transfer portal, getting a commitment Tuesday from former Baylor right-hander Collin McKinney.

The 6-foot-5 Texas native comes to Tucson with three years of eligibility, but with a big 2025 season could get drafted. He’s coming off a 2024 campaign as a redshirt freshman (he sat out 2023 due to injury) in which he started 14 games for Baylor and was 3-6 with a 6.70 ERA.

McKinney struck out 60 batters in 49.2 innings but also walked 35 and allowed 11 home runs. He had back-to-back 10-strikeout performances midway through the season but didn’t go more than four innings in any of his final seven starts.

He is Arizona’s second portal pickup, both righties who have started throughout their college career. Last week the Wildcats landed ex-Rutgers RHP Christian Coppola.

Coppola is ranked by 64Analytics as the No. 30 transfer, while McKinney is No. 168. For perspective, none of the players Arizona has lost to the portal was ranked in the top 1,000.

The UA is likely to lose all three weekend starters with righties Clark Candiotti and Cam Walty graduating and lefty Jackson Kent expected to get drafted and start his pro career.

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