Tuesday marks the official opening of the April transfer window opening which last from the 16 to 30 before closing again. This means, you will see a larger amount of players hitting the portal from all across the country.
Right now, the Wildcats have had two players enter in Joseph Borjon and Bill Norton. With that, Arizona will have 16 available scholarships to give out in order to fill out the 2024 roster and fix some areas of need to sure things up.
With that, we took at look at Arizona roster and put together the five areas of need that the Wildcats need to address through the transfer portal in order to fill gaps before training came and the start of the 2024 season.
Five position needs from the portal
Since Brent Brennan took over the program and the transition of the new coaching staff happened, Arizona have seen numerous defensive linemen leave the program and enter the portal with five players from the 2023 roster.
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The departures have created a lack of depth on the defensive line. Right now, the starting unit on the line this spring has been Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei, Isaiah Johnson, Chubba Ma’ae and Tre Smith, which has been a solid group that has created issues for the offensive line.
However that’s were things get thin for Arizona. The second unit consists of Sterling Lane, Keanu Mailoto, Julian Savaiinaea and Dominic Lolesio. The major problem with this group is that Savaiinaea is an edge rusher that has had to move inside because of the lack of depth on the defensive line.
Also, in the second unit, only Lane and Lolesio have experience playing snaps in games during the 2023 season.
With that, the defensive line is the top priority for Arizona to attack in the transfer portal and build depth in order to have a solid steady rotation for the 2024 season.
Arizona could use adding two to three defensive linemen to sure things up and steady the second-unit defensive line.
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Right now, the top cornerback on Arizona’s roster is Tacario Davis, who originally entered the transfer portal. It is unclear if Davis is still in the portal even though he ha been working out with the team all spring practice long.
Behind Davis has been a mix of Jai-Ayviauynn Celestine and Emmanuel Karnley as the No. 2 cornerback on the starting defensive unit. Both players have had good moments throughout spring and other moments where its clear that they are still developing as players.
Plus, Celestine saw little playing time during the 2023 season while Karnley used his redshirt and didn’t make any appearances on the field.
Getting a solid No. 2 cornerback that had experience playing would be big for Arizona and give the team depth in the secondary when lining up in a dime package when going up against Big 12 offenses that love to sling the ball all over the field.
In terms of the starting quarterback position, that is already figured out with Noah Fifita and Arizona has no issues with who will be leading the offense for the 2024 season. However, the problem line behind Fifita and the fact that the Wildcats only have three quarterbacks on the roster and only two of which are scholarship players.
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It has been Brayden Dorman working with the second-unit offense and he has looked good and been making throws that he wasn’t a season ago in practice. But, although the development is progressing, he still has things to work on and doesn’t look like he can be thrown into a fire to help calm things down if Fifita goes down in the middle of a game.
Dorman has the ability to be the backup and prepare to start a game if need be, but that would be with a week of preparation and practice leading up to the opponent.
Right now, Arizona doesn’t have that break glass player that they can rely upon in case of an emergency situation.
Brennan stated in a press conference that the staff will be looking to add ‘one, maybe two’ quarterbacks from the portal.
Arizona will be looking for depth at the quarterback position and a player that can be that steady force off the bench for a middle of the game situation.
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The starting offensive line for Arizona has been rock-solid this spring when everyone is out on the field with Jonah Savaiinaea, Wendell Moe, Josh Baker, Leif Magnuson and Raymond Pulido.
After that, Arizona is a little thin on the line with Alexander Doost being first option that rotates on the starting unit. But, that when it get tough because outside of that, there isn’t much experience on the second-unit line.
When it comes to football, the game is won on the line of scrimmage and you can never have too much depth on the offensive line. Having another player like Doost that can be used in the rotation could be the difference in win a close game, or losing a game that costs you a spot in the conference title game.
Outside of linebacker Jacob Manu, the second linebacking spot in the Wildcats’ 4-2-5 defense is wide open for the taking. So far this spring, Taye Brown has been the guy manning the position and has been holding his own.
Behind them has been Kamuela Ka’aihue and Justin Flowe, who have primarily been working with the second-unit defense.
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Again, I think the system of the 4-2-5 defense helps the depth at the linebacker position and Arizona doesn’t desperately need to add anyone. However, it is of interest to note that New Mexico transfer Alec Marenco was at practice on Saturday.
Plus, Arizona’s linebacking coach is former New Mexico head coach Danny Gonzales, who recruited and coach Marenco. The linebacker led the Lobos with 66 total tackles and became a force for the defense.
I’m sure Arizona will have more than 16 scholarships available once a few more player transfer out. But as of now, these are the positions the Wildcats could use some added depth.
A University of Arizona student was fatally shot at an off-campus house party over the weekend, authorities said.
Three other people — a teenage girl, a man and a woman — were treated at a hospital early Sunday for injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening, Tucson police said in a news release.
JUDGE DECLARES MISTRIAL IN CASE OF ARIZONA RANCHER CHARGED WITH MURDER OF MEXICAN NATIONAL ON BORDER PROPERTY
Officers found 20-year-old Erin Jones shot outside the house about 1:40 a.m. Sunday, police said. She was taken to a hospital, where she later died.
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People walk through campus at the University of Arizona in Tucson on Oct. 8, 2022.(Joel Angel Juarez/The Republic/USA TODAY NETWORK)
University President Robert Robbins said Jones was a sophomore.
“Our deepest sympathies go out to Erin’s family in California and across the country, her friends, and her classmates in Tucson and Newport Beach, who are absorbing the heartbreaking news today,” Robbins said in a statement Sunday.
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Investigators from the homicide unit are trying to determine what led to the shooting; several possible witnesses left the scene before officers arrived, authorities said.
PHOENIX — This year, 12 people have died in water incidents in Maricopa and Pinal counties. Four of those 12 deaths involved children aged 5 or under.
Several of these have occurred within the last weeks as temperatures rose across the Valley.
With the hottest months ahead, local officials are sounding the alarm.
The “drowning epidemic” of 1989
Jay Arthur, president of the Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona and a former Phoenix Fire Captain, said drowning is an issue that has gripped the Valley for decades.
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The issue was especially pronounced during the summer of 1989.
“It was basically considered an epidemic,” Arthur said.
There were there were 243 calls for drownings in Maricopa County from January 1988 through December 1989, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Fire departments in the Valley began to prioritize water incidents in 1989. This move has since became commonplace throughout the nation, Arthur said.
“They created a thing called the SWIM Team, and it stood for Stop Water Infant Mortality,” he added.
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The SWIM Team was a taskforce that brought local fire captains together to tackle the issue of child drownings. That’s where common water safety phrases like “Just a few seconds” came from. It was a common thing first responders heard from parents when describing what led up to water incidents.
“We actually reduced drowning incidents from 103 to 48 in a year,” Arthur said.
That eventually became what is now known as the Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona. Its goal is to promote water safety messaging.
Tips to fight the drowning epidemic
To this day, the coalition and local fire departments emphasize water safety prevention, notably the “ABCs” to prevent pool drownings:
Adult Supervision: A sober adult should be with children in the water with the sole focus of watching the swimmers.
Barrier: Pool fences and covers can prevent children from getting into the pool when unattended.
Classes: Young children should be taken to swimming classes. Teens and adults should know CPR. Swimmers who have not taken classes should wear a life jacket.
Arthur believes the “B” of the “ABCs” is something all parents need to do to protect their children.
However, he also acknowledges that fences and other barriers can be expensive and may not always be an option.
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“Locks, latches and alarms on your doors are really helpful and inexpensive,” he said.
In other words, lock down any access to the backyard so children cannot get into the pool by themselves. Keep those locks high so children can’t reach them.
“It’s not about being a great parent or not,” Arthur added. “When we have multiple kids, trying to feed the family, cook and clean, we divert our attention, and we can’t keep track of everyone every second of the day.”
When tragedy strikes
If an incident does happen, Arthur says it’s important to act quickly. Drownings can happen in seconds and may be totally silent.
“Get them out of the pool,” he said.
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Remove the person from the pool and immediately begin CPR. If this is not done, then the chances of survival are grim, he added.
“We don’t ever want to see a child in a pool when we get there,” Arthur said.
Most of the time first responders arrive and the child is already out of the pool.
“You’ve got an emotionally charged scene,” he said. “A lot of times parents not doing CPR; they’re screaming … begging for us to being their child back to life.”
Doing CPR is critical because it increases the chances of survival — and the chances of a successful recovery. If you are performing CPR on a drowning victim, focus on helping them breathe. Don’t focus on compressions, Arthur said.
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“If they wake up to a conscious level, are they going to wake up to a viable brain? To where they can function normally for the rest of their life? It’s all about you giving that breath,” Arthur said.
You can find a list of CPR classes offered throughout the Valley here.
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Arizona lost its first Pac-12 series since falling in two of three games at Oregon last month (March 22-24) with its two setbacks at Washington this weekend.
All three games in Seattle were decided by one run — Arizona won Friday’s game 3-2 and then lost 4-3 on Saturday and 9-8 in 13 innings on Sunday.
Arizona (26-16, 14-7 Pac-12) is tied atop the conference standings with Utah (29-13, 14-7) with nine games remaining. The Utes swept last-place UCLA over the weekend in Salt Lake City.
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Arizona will host Grand Canyon on Tuesday at 6 p.m. before playing Stanford in a three-game series at Hi Corbett Field starting Friday night at 6.
Arizona came close to leaving Seattle with a tie on Sunday. A cutoff time of 5:05 p.m. was set for the last inning to start because of Arizona’s travel plans back to Tucson. The 13th inning started at 5:03 p.m.
Washington’s Cooper Whitton delivered the walk-off RBI single to left field, scoring Cam Clayton from second base. Whitton had four hits and four RBIs in the game.
Arizona failed to hold an 8-3 lead going to the bottom of the eighth inning.
Whitton hit a three-run home run just inside the left field foul pole. Colin Blanchard followed with a double and Aiva Arquette tied the game at 8 with a single.
Arizona starter Cam Walty pitched five innings and allowed just three runs (two earned) on five hits while striking out six. He did not factor into the decision.
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Right-handers Anthony Susac and Matthew Martinez both provided shutdown relief for the Wildcats in the late innings. The duo combined to post three scoreless innings while allowing just two hits.
Blake McDonald and TJ Adams each recorded their first three-hit performances for Arizona.
PAC-12 BASEBALL STANDINGS
Team
Rec
Pct
GB
Ovr
Pct
Stk
ARIZONA
14-7
.667
—
26-16
.619
L2
Utah
14-7
.667
—
29-13
.690
W3
Oregon State
12-8
.600
1.5
33-10
.767
L1
Oregon
12-9
.571
2
29-14
.674
W1
USC
11-9
.550
2.5
21-23
.477
W1
Stanford
11-10
.524
3
19-22
.463
L1
Arizona State
12-12
.500
3.5
22-22
.500
L1
California
12-12
.400
3.5
26-16
.619
W1
Washington
8-13
.381
6
16-20-1
.432
W2
Washington State
7-14
.333
7
19-23
.452
W1
UCLA
6-18
.250
9.5
13-28
.317
L9
Saturday’s scores Washington 9, ARIZONA 8 (13 innings) Utah 12, UCLA 7 California 7, Stanford 4 USC 11, Arizona State 6 Oregon 7, Oregon State 1 Washington State 4, Fresno State 3
Pac-12 series Friday-Sunday Stanford at ARIZONA Utah at Oregon California at USC Washington at Arizona State Oregon State at Washington State