Arizona is set to open spring ball next week and while the Wildcats will not have all their players on campus until the summer, the first 15 practices under new head coach Jedd Fisch will certainly shed some light on where the team goes from here coming off an 0-5 season in 2020.
There is certainly some renewed optimism for the Wildcats with the arrival of a new staff in Tucson, but there are also plenty of question marks as well. Arizona is on a 12-game losing streak so no job should be safe this spring making setting up some intriguing position battles that will be decided by the fall.
The process for determining which players get to see the field this season will begin next week as spring ball opens up, so we decided to take a look at some of the most intriguing position battles.
We'll start on offense today and keep the list of candidates limited to players who have already arrived on campus and will take part in the 15 spring practices over the next five weeks.
Quarterback
Incumbent: Will Plummer
Other options: Kevin Doyle, Gunner Cruz
Rundown: South Florida transfer Jordan McCloud will not arrive until the summer and UA will have several walk-on players competing for the job this spring, but our focus will be on the scholarship players who will likely end up earning most of the attention this spring. Grant Gunnell and Rhett Rodriguez have moved on to other programs leaving Will Plummer as the quarterback with the most experience among the group. Though, it is clear the job will not be handed to the Gilbert native who is entering his second season at UA. Gunner Cruz was able to get on the field some last season at Washington State, but his experience is limited. Kevin Doyle is the oldest among the group but he has yet to see any game action during his time three years Arizona. Each player has a different set of attributes that will give Fisch and the offensive staff some flexibility as they build the offense. As the newcomer Cruz might be the most intriguing member of the group because he checks off a lot of the boxes when it comes to what the coaches are looking for at the position with his strong arm and accuracy. Plummer is the most proven player while Doyle is the ultimate X-factor with plenty of strong attributes. It will be the most open quarterback battle the Wildcats have had in quite some time.
