Can 24 Arizona Football Be Better Than The 23 Team

can this year's Arizona football team be even better than last year's football team and what is the likelihood that that happens you are locked on Wildcats your daily podcast on the Arizona Wildcats part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day thanks for keeping it lock on wild cats I'm and making this your first listen of the day I am your host Mika Luke all right this show is brought to you by game time check it out at game time download the game time app today use code locked on college for $20 off your first purchase terms to apply all right we got a lot to get to this show but mainly we are going to talk about Arizona football and the likelihood the possibility the chance whatever you want to call it that this year's team is going to be better than last year's team and I think that you can definitely make that case now some of the things that we need to look at first our last year's Arizona team was clearly one of the top five teams in school history uh finished 11th in the country I don't know that they were better than the uh I don't know that they were better than um certainly than 199 9394 where the team that finished 10th in the country in absolutely demolished Miami in the fiesta bold Chuck leevy is still running down the middle of the field or certainly not better than 1998 where the team went 12- one and um beat Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl and finished fourth in the country and I believe had 17 or 18 uh NFL players might have even been more or I think there was a warer Smith team that finished to in the top 10 as well I don't know that they were better than those last year's teams but those Year's teams but I do think that there is a real uh real likelihood that uh they were right there I mean you can just tell by the way they finished and you could also wonder a little bit how good would this team have been had Noah faf been playing the entire season I don't know wink wink Jed fish there good job there Jed fish but overall this is a I think moving forward if you're from Arizona perspective there is a chance that this year's team can be better but now we need to look at some of the strengths of last year's team and I think we need to start obviously on the lines that was a a big thing and something you got to give Jed fish a lot of credit for and that he built up those offensive the offensive and defensive lines and he got them bigger and he got them better and a uh a big part of that obviously was the uh you know uh you had a lot of NFL players you know NFL players generally really really matter and uh and You Know It uh I think the uh the big thing about it is that um you know on the defens of or on the offensive line Jordan Morgan a first round pick obviously a good job by Kevin suin there getting him but then also on the other side Jonah savan gonna be a first round pick most likely and if he's not he's gonna be a second round pick then on the inside you got Wendell Moy who that was another really good Pi uh pickup then you had Leif Magnuson then you had uh you know obviously then you had Josh baker you had a lot of different you had a lot of different players that could play you saw though in the uh you saw though in the almobile that when when things kind of hit the fan though that uh you know you had a couple guys that probably shouldn't have been out there but I also put that far more on what uh you know what jet fish was uh what jetfish was doing Joe bouron or Boron should not have been out there period Point Blank but that uh that starting uh line was very good and then on the defensive line as well it was huge um you know you had Taylor Upshaw as one of your defensive ends then opposite him you had Isaiah Ward then you had BBN Big Bill Norton then Tia sea Tyler monoa sonone you had so many different big time you know just big guys but you know I think you could also make the case too maybe they weren't utilized maybe nearly as much as they uh they could have been and I think what I mean by that is that uh there wasn't really a huge uh impetus from this coaching staff to be able to get those uh to be able to get those players up the field to be able to get them after uh after the quarterback it was more of a you know just hold your Gap mentality and that is something that Dwayne Aina does not want to do now again we're going to talk about that a little bit more coming up here but um there is going to be a change in approach so let's now move back to the offensive side of the football and because I think that's where this gets interesting now last year's team had the uh well we had the displeasure of having to watch Jaden Dora for four games and Jaden Delora was a uh Jaden Dora was a um a player that uh you know just wasn't very good honestly and ran around threw the ball threw the ball a ton and threw them would throw the ball out of bounds you never really got the sense that he ever understood how to read a defense and that became more and more of an issue over time he just wasn't good enough in my opinion um and that's why he lost Mississippi the Mississippi State game he lost the Mississippi State game because jayen Delora just didn't know what he was doing um and with uh with Dora that was kind of a big part of his entire uh you know his entire thing here at the U OFA was that sure he had an awesome arm but he didn't know how to read defenses and you saw that again against Mississippi State and Arizona was well on its way to losing against Stanford before Noah ffid came in so Noah faid now comes in and you're gonna have him for the entire season that is a benefit that is clearly a benefit for Arizona that you have no fa for the entire season and Noah fa is just a much better quarterback and I would imagine in year two the division as a division one starter you're going to see a player that you're going to see a player that uh is I think going to be able to put up a a very nice year I think Dino babers and the staff understand what he can do they also understand that he can um uh you know how to best utilize him and being able to extend the plays with his feet a little bit I mean we'll we'll see obviously how that plays out but I think there is a lot to like in that uh in that realm and then so again I'm GNA say that Arizona's quarterback situation is better this year than it was last year and if it's not then I put a lot of that on uh well like I said I'll put a lot of that on this coaching staff but I have every reason to believe that this that it's going to be better under uh that's going to be better this year and I don't even really think that it's going to be close because again you had a quarter of the Year where you had Jaden Delora as your starter so I'm going to say the quarterback position is going to be better now I do understand that you could say well Mike the offensive Line's not going to be as good I think you can I and I certainly get that um a big part of the offensive line and the huge question mark is what can big Rhino do up front if Rhino at that left tackle spot is good for Arizona then Arizona is going to be in very very good shape if Rino struggles though Arizona is going to have some major major issues um but you also know that you've also got some you know you've got some players that you can rely on I would expect Wendel Moy to be an NFL type player this coming season big Jonah we know what he's going to do but the reason that I am also a little bit cautiously optimistic is that I don't believe that Josh Oglesby would have would U have Jonas Sav or have Rhino at left tackle if he didn't believe that Jonah savan could take over and be uh or excuse me I don't think that he would I think he would move Jonah saan over to left tackle if he didn't think that Rhino was capable of doing it again you're going to have to see it on the football field but so far so good when it comes to that so I'm cautiously optimistic Leif being out is a problem I love Leif I think Leif did a uh um I think Leif is one of the more underrated players on this entire football team but you know it is what it is he's been out and then uh I think it guard uh I I would like to see de become be the guard I think uh he has a higher upside and I just think he's better than Shango and so that's what I would like I don't expect the uh I don't expect this team this offensive line to be better but there still is a lot of talent there and I think that you can buoy a lot of this by the two tight end looks that you're going to be seeing with the I expect Arizona's tight ends to be even better than last year and I expect them to be more utilized I mean last year it was basically just Tanner mcglaughlin at that tight end position and Ed then it was essentially nobody else key and Bernett I think had 40 yards this coaching staff I think is going to utilize five tight ends and I think K and Bernett is going to be a massive massive part of what this coaching staff wants to do and I think he's going to be an NFL player as well I think you're going to have a lot more catches a lot more yards from this tight end position and I think it's going to be a really fun thing to watch and we're going to talk about that coming up here but first game time check it out download the game time app today use code locked on college for $20 off your first purchase here's the deal use uh again use code locked on college for $20 off terms do apply and I think the great thing about game time is this um with uh with game time you know that you know that you uh you can go into a a game at the last second and you're probably going to have a ticket and that is a great thing about it a lot of times you don't know what you're going to be able to have with game time you know that you're going to be able to get a ticket and we have seen Arizona fans take advantage of this so again download the game time app today and you can get into a a game you can get into a concert you can get into a variety of different things and I think that you're going to be more than happy with the uh with the results also FanDuel check it out fanduel.com all kinds of good stuff uh all kinds of good stuff when it comes to FanDuel um listen uh football is here basketball right around the corner and uh you know I don't think there's any better place to be than game than FanDuel so again check it out fanduel.com another one of these ones where you will thank me later because with FanDuel you know that your money is good and it is fun to be able to bet on things where you know that uh it's you got a little bit of skin in the game and you can maybe take a little bit of that money from the house so again check it out fanduel.com all kinds of good stuff thanks for keeping it locked on wild cats I am your host Mike Luke thanks for making this your first listen of the day all right now now now let's get back to the offense and why it could be better so again you're going to have a lot of two tight end sets I think that's where something that I think that's where it's going to be exciting to watch how this all does unfold so with that that being said The Next Step I think then is looking at where exactly uh how how are the skill how are the rest of the skill guys and I don't think that Arizona's running game is going to have any bit of a any bit of a Dropout as a matter of fact I think that uh as a matter of fact I think it's GNA be just as good and I think it could be even better and uh when I say that I say that it is a uh it's a group of people that all I think are you got multiple NFL type entities in there let's talk about Big Bill uh Big Bill Meritt or crossy Meritt First jakori crosy Merritt um he looks different than he looks different than everybody else on this roster and when I say he looks different than uh everybody else on this roster I mean that he is a dude who is uh he looks like an SEC running back and uh not only does he look like an SEC running back he looks like the type that is going to dish out a lot of pain to a lot of play or to a lot of different players he is uh he can get up the or he can you know he's he's very patient with his blocks but he can also run by players he can get through he can get into the secondary he can make guys miss he was a very very nice get for Arizona and you got to remember too the story where this is a dude who nobody really thought was going to be El was going to be uh was going to be eligible um because it appeared that he had played all he had already played Five Seasons but he was uh was some stuff with his jersey and swapping it back and forth that he I think you need to uh that obviously was an interesting situation so there's that now when it comes to uh when it comes to the rest of it qually Conley totally uh you know you know what you know what you got withw Conley you know that he is going to be a very very good running back and you also know that um you also know I think rayan Speedy Luke you want to get fam involved in plays you see what you can do there but overall I think the running backs are going to be every bit as good Jonah Coleman was good Michael Wy was good DJ WIlliams was good all those guys were good I think this running back unit's going to be just as good as those so we will see how that plays out but that is my bold Proclamation then when it comes to the wide receivers I think between T-Mac between qually con or not quy Conley between T-Mac between Mal Malachi Riley Montana lonus Craig and Jeremiah Patterson this is going to be a this is going to be a a group that uh is going to be even better I really think that um he that uh Jacob coing was the man Jacob coing was absolutely a fantastic wide receiver and I think one of the best wide receivers to come through here um you know I think he's going to be in the NFL for a long time but there's just something a little bit different about watching Jeremiah Patterson um his quick twitch his burst his way his ability to be able to get from point A to point B is really really impressive and he just feels like the kind of player that just kind of slipped through the cracks and I don't really care you know what his ra ratings were in high school or Junior College you know it when you see it he is going to have a big big impact I think for the University of Arizona and then tmac listen I I had some questions about T-Mac and where he was going to be the uh I had some questions about T-Mac and where he was going to be at this time you know because again you been off for a couple months but you look in practice and he looks very very good um he's already kind of manhandling players he's making a lot of different uh he's just making things uh he's just making things look very very easy and it's been fun to watch honestly he is a he is a specimen he is a player that does not come through here and when he does come through here you need to enjoy it because you do not see a lot of players that are like that and I think that's what's very exciting about all of this then you also look at uh you know I think Montana lonus Craig people know I'm not the biggest fan of Montana but I also do think that he is a he's a good football player as far as maybe blocking things like that but this team though I don't expect there really to be much of a drop off there on the offense that my only question really is the the o line and that's kind of where uh that's kind of where I'm at now when it comes to uh when it comes to the defense that's where it gets interesting uh let's talk about one unit that I think will be better and that is obviously the uh that is obviously players and the defensive back field this is a you got tario Davis back that was huge obviously with tario Davis um he's an NFL type he's an NFL player he's showing up on a lot of different boards you're going to have a lot of different Scouts that are looking at him very very closely if he can intercept if he can catch the football this year that's going to be a real problem for a lot of different a lot of different uh passing attacks but all the safeties are fantastic you got three dudes that we already know can play you've also got an Owen Goss coming in as well and listen e losing Ephesians price so that was obviously a loss um there's no way around it he's probably an NFL player but I do think the Groves killer Brew I think he's going to be right in there and then trade and stooks as well also I think there's a lot to be said but the secondary I think is going to be better I really do and then I to look at linebacker the linebacking unit and Jacob Manu should be even better I mean he is a uh he's a player that um you have uh that doesn't come through here a ton he's got very much of that Marcus Bell type feel to it that he's just kind of in the or he's just always around the ball he can make impactful plays and he's just very good at what he does uh he is a I mean he's a treasure I think he's going to force his way onto an NFL roster and just because of how you know instinctive how good is and somebody that we should all I think enjoy watching here while he is at the University of Arizona now at the other linebacker spot Martell ly kind of really took that spot and ran with it towards the end of the year um I think it's going to be much the same with Owen Goss it's hard to say that Owen Goss is going to be able to be as good as uh Martell Irby was for the wild cats but I also don't know that he can't be somewhere in there and I do think that there is some chances for the linebackers to be you know in that in that mold as well because again I think with when you get linebackers that are you know um young like a Tay Brown like a kamu I think that you can you can work with them a little bit and if you can work with them then I think there's something that you can also go with now we're going to talk about the defensive line here in just a second but first we need to talk about iata all kinds of good stuff with ibata here's the deal I Bata is offering our listeners $5 off for just trying ibata by using Code locked on call col when you register get real cash back on your everyday purchases with ibata download the free us-based app for cash back on in store and online shopping have a listen you know with an app like this it just makes things a lot easier for you iata is here to make your life better to make your life easier check it out ibata the great thing about iata is the uh um the great thing about iata is uh uh that you know you can have somebody else do stuff for you I mean that's cool stuff so again and again you don't have to worry about it ibata is uh again ibata is offering our listeners $5 for just trying ibata by using the code locked on College when you do register check it out ibata it thanks for keeping a lock on wild cats and making this your first listen of the day I'm your host Mike Luke all right now uh let's see let's talk a little bit about uh uh let's talk a little bit about um you know the defensive line I have a hard time seeing the uh the defensive line being uh being as good as it was last year um but I also think having a new uh um I also think having a different um a different uh you know uh scheme might be a little bit more advantageous for some of these players gone are the days of just wanting to fill up blockers and all of that no no no no no no no you want to be able to get after the quarterback and that's what I think that's what this obviously aen wants to do Trey Smith tie Tai off the edge chuba and then Isaiah Johnson backed up by Kavon Darton I don't think the dline is going to be as good as it was last year but I do think that there is enough talent and I also think that this coaching staff is going to be able to utilize the dline in a manner in a pressure type manner in which I don't know that the other Co coaching staff would have would have used and I think that's what one thing that Aina is very very interested in this year so we will find out how that works because if the D line is as good as it was last year even though it's going to be different Arizona is going to be in very very good shape um and then the Special Teams obviously you got Tyler loop back I expect the kick return game to be a little bit more utilized mainly because I think you have a coach that wants to utilize the kick return game so we will see how that plays out but overall I think this team has every possibility of being better than 2023 and um you know and we kind of laid out the reasons why now again there's certain position units that you all that you know will not be as good but you also know too that you going to have Noah faid knock on wood barring injury you're going to have a coaching staff that is going to start Noah faid the entire season that is a very very good thing when you have somebody of that of that stature of that uh of that caliber obviously now we're GNA talk a lot about Noah again tomorrow we're going to talk about you know what kind of year can Noah what should uh what should people really expect from him can he be a can he be in contention for being a first team All-American I don't know that he can't I watch him and I'm like all right I you know I I don't see why that can't be the case but again you got to continue to improve on the field um but it's going to be able to it's going to be fun to see how this all does play out gonna talk a little bit about cold tannin bomb as well got the uh the backup uh uh looks like got the backup spot as well so there's all kinds of stuff there but this team like I said college football playoffs are bust my friend I believe that they I believe that Arizona has the best talent in the Big 12 I believe that this is a team that can have a lot of uh have a ton of Team success and they can have it in year one under Brent Brennan obviously this has to happen but as long as this does happen then I think Arizona is going to be in you know I think Arizona is going to be in really good shape then we might try to get to a little bit of basketball as well but you know again Arizona's never been able to string together two straight really really good seasons and that is H something that um I think is on the minds of a lot of people there's always at least in the modern era there's always kind of been that let down after a really good season and that's where it's uh that's where it's all come into play this is big because again you got all these players back and they talked about how they wanted to come back and do this with Brent Brennan so again there's going to be like I said there's going to be a lot of uh a lot of eyes on this coaching staff and what they can do um so again we're going to talk about that but it's almost here man it's about a week and a half away and uh you know as an Arizona football fan you just got to be really excited because there's a lot of Hope and you know when you have I think players of this caliber when you have players of this uh character there's a lot of reason to be very optimistic about what you're going to see so that's kind of where we're at wanted to talk about why the this team could be better than last year's team and we will see but as always very very much appreciate you all making locked on Wildcats your first listen of the day I'm your host Mike Luke bear down back the a have a great rest of your day and as always we will be back with you first thing tomorrow