Spring football?

[Carcassdragger]

Well I guess spring football just ended and not a word here. Arizona fans must be very apathetic this year.

Still I'm wondering what we're looking like. How's the offensive scheme looking? What about Noah? Can we expect our line to be even mediocre? Any new standouts?

Thanks.

[Abrahamarvel]

https://tucson.com/sports/subscriber/ar ... 5599e.html

Lev wrote something. OL seems to be bad

[Chicat]

Well I guess spring football just ended and not a word here. Arizona fans must be very apathetic this year.

I mean… can you blame us?

[azcat49]

At this point I think they have to prove it on the field to get many of us back. Doege seems to be the real deal and a rising star but this staff seems very pedestrian. I just don’t think CBB exudes over performance

[EastCoastCat]

Why would anyone get excited for Spring football? Even the Michigan spring game only had 45k fans attend.

[Chicat]

I’m just waiting on Machina to scold us for not Bearing Down hard enough when even he (the only true fan) hasn’t posted anything since early February.

[pc in NM]

Why would anyone get excited for Spring football? Even the Michigan spring game only had 45k fans attend.

There were more fans at each of the softball games over the weekend.

[Carcassdragger]

https://tucson.com/sports/subscriber/ar ... 5599e.html

Lev wrote something. OL seems to be bad

Thanks but not subscribed. Care to post the highlights? This time last year we were hearing about some newcomers that were looking good. Of course we didn't know how bad Babers was going to be-at least I didn't know.

[MrKyle]

I'm surprised at lack of discussion as well, but don't blame folks - after that mess last year I'm not sold on anything changing either.

[pc in NM]

https://tucson.com/sports/subscriber/ar ... 5599e.html

Lev wrote something. OL seems to be bad

Thanks but not subscribed. Care to post the highlights? This time last year we were hearing about some newcomers that were looking good. Of course we didn't know how bad Babers was going to be-at least I didn't know.

Last year's Spring Game had 26,423 fans; this year 1500. 'nuf said!!!

[TheCatInTheHat]

This is a multi-faceted discussion. First, such schools as Ohio St, Texas, Oklahoma, USC, and Nebraska will not do a traditional spring game out of concern for injuries. There's also the concern about big-pocketed schools scouting and "shopping" with their NIL money prior to the spring transfer portal closing. The "spring showcase" approach with jumping castles for kids and dads drinking beer while watching players run through agility drills doesn't remotely have the same appeal as watching a split-squad game to see how some new QB or other key players look. So that's a national trend.

As to how we look, Lev's impression up-close is similar to mine from a distance. D-line should be significantly improved, which impacts the whole defense. Offense is still in transition, but Fifita and the new skill guys have looked pretty good. Biggest concern is with the O-line, owing to injuries (and probably somewhat the improved D-line.) They may try to pick up a portal guy there. Sounds like Doege plans to really use the TE position heavily (which I heartily approve of.) Big (6-7 245) Tyler Powell is the leader in the clubhouse there. They may also try to get another TE in the portal. Lev sees a 6-win minor bowl season. For those who prefer hoops until we seem to be around the 9 or 10 win level, which has been the case 90 percent of the time in our Power 4/5 era, that will continue this season.

[Abrahamarvel]

https://tucson.com/sports/subscriber/ar ... 5599e.html

Lev wrote something. OL seems to be bad

Thanks but not subscribed. Care to post the highlights? This time last year we were hearing about some newcomers that were looking good. Of course we didn't know how bad Babers was going to be-at least I didn't know.

this

This is a multi-faceted discussion. First, such schools as Ohio St, Texas, Oklahoma, USC, and Nebraska will not do a traditional spring game out of concern for injuries. There's also the concern about big-pocketed schools scouting and "shopping" with their NIL money prior to the spring transfer portal closing. The "spring showcase" approach with jumping castles for kids and dads drinking beer while watching players run through agility drills doesn't remotely have the same appeal as watching a split-squad game to see how some new QB or other key players look. So that's a national trend.

As to how we look, Lev's impression up-close is similar to mine from a distance. D-line should be significantly improved, which impacts the whole defense. Offense is still in transition, but Fifita and the new skill guys have looked pretty good. Biggest concern is with the O-line, owing to injuries (and probably somewhat the improved D-line.) They may try to pick up a portal guy there. Sounds like Doege plans to really use the TE position heavily (which I heartily approve of.) Big (6-7 245) Tyler Powell is the leader in the clubhouse there. They may also try to get another TE in the portal. Lev sees a 6-win minor bowl season. For those who prefer hoops until we seem to be around the 9 or 10 win level, which has been the case 90 percent of the time in our Power 4/5 era, that will continue this season.

I can understand no spring game, but at least give us some highlights of plays? All I see are kids hunting for easter eggs

[dmjcat]

This is where I miss the PAC12 network. The spring game would have been televised live and there would have been several re-runs.

I have seen very little actual coverage of the scrimmage.

[pc in NM]

This is where I miss the PAC12 network. The spring game would have been televised live and there would have been several re-runs.

I have seen very little actual coverage of the scrimmage.

They're giving Arizona fans the gift of plausible deniability...

[CatsbyAZ]

I'm surprised at lack of discussion as well, but don't blame folks - after that mess last year I'm not sold on anything changing either.

After thee years of Porthole and NIL nonsense, I admit I'm no longer surprised. Just tell me who's on the roster come Week 1. The Porthole is especially to blame for why I only minimally pay attention to College Football's offseason.

This is my 3rd recruiting cycle that I haven’t followed recruiting headlines like commits and ongoing class rankings. If Arizona lands a commitment from a four-star receiver my first reaction is negative: how long does he contribute to the roster before someone like Oklahoma or Ole Miss take notice and buy him away with their larger NIL offerings? If Texas lands a commitment from a five-star lineman, my first reaction is suspicion: by how much did the Longhorns have to outbid LSU and Georgia? And what if Georgia, still liking what they see two seasons later, comes up with even more NIL money?

I had followed offseason recruiting news for years before giving it up. And I’ve been wondering what happens to recruiting insider services like 247Sports? The obvious pivot is to focus on Transfer Porthole, but I just don’t see that as quite as lucrative. There was something about tracking players as early as high school, that was like discovering a band before they hit the big time, that gave the fan some sense of having a rooting stake in watching players develop from the point of scholarship offers through college and even into the NFL. That’s all gone now.

Admittedly, the only offseason story I’ve actively tracked is Bill Belichick’s laughable start at UNC. And also, just recently, the Nico Iamaleava story of him bailing on Tennessee. My lack of offseason interest is reflected across the sport. On another board I post to, the SEC moderator had this to say: "I think the portal business has taken the wind out of a lot a sails...traffic has dried up postseason...There are still a few die hards over there hanging on every nugget, but they are a tenth of what they used to be."

[TheCatInTheHat]

This is where I miss the PAC12 network. The spring game would have been televised live and there would have been several re-runs.

I have seen very little actual coverage of the scrimmage.

I get the SEC and Big Ten networks, and I've seen little, compared to the past, in terms of spring football games. As stated earlier, there's a national trend to de-emphasize them. In the case of our "Spring Showcase", I suspect coverage from anybody would have consisted mostly of interviews with coaches and players and very little substance. I doubt that 7 on 7 drills on about a quarter of a field would be very compelling TV; pretty much like watching QBs warm up in pre-game drills. I'd love an evenly-divided full-on game, keeping traditional score with Fifita and Locke competing against each other on ESPN+. But, we joined many other schools in not doing that, so there was nothing to televise.