Junior college players can be hit or miss when they made the transition to the Division I level. The expectations will always remain the same, however. They are recruited with the plan of being used right away, but sometimes that path doesn't turn out to be a straight line. Junior college prospects can be a quick fix for college teams.

It's a way for coaches to plug a hole without having to wait out the development process. You typically get players who have a bit more experience than their high school counterparts who are also expected to be more mature as well – both on and off the field.

It's supposed to provide a shot in the arm to almost any position.

For Arizona the need for junior college players came in the trenches, so Kevin Sumlin and his staff addressed it in the offseason by securing commitments from several JUCO linemen in the winter.

Three of them made it to campus in January and participated in spring ball while another one was late to the party showing up only days before the team was set to open camp last month.

The two players on the defensive side of the ball who were brought on board, Myles Tapusoa and Trevon Mason, joined a team that was in need of some more depth up front. Tapusoa participated in spring ball but missed a big portion of that month while an academic situation pushed back Mason's arrival to Tucson nearly seven months.

It's not exactly the way a coaching staff hopes two careers start off. To their credit, however, both players have made strides over the last few weeks and both should be able to make an impact for the Wildcats – possibly as soon as this Saturday's game against Hawaii.

"With Tre we've kind of just moved him in and took it easy with him because he just got here," Sumlin said last week about the late-arriving defensive tackle. "Then kind of increased his reps every practice. ... It's a big difference in there right now with 320 and 310 in there. It's a lot different.

"They've really added some things in there as far as size and being able to hold the point. So, it's been good. They've been working really hard and I think coach [Brian] Johnson has done a nice job. ... We're building their stamina, but I'm really pleased with where both of those guys are right now."

Tapusoa was with the team back in the spring and while he missed quite a few practices he showed during the spring game just how important his size can be to the defensive front. His progress is not as surprising as it is with Mason, who has been able to put in enough work in just a few weeks on campus to become part of the expected game-time rotation.

Arizona defensive line coach Iona Uiagalelei said the strength staff has made sure to monitor Mason during practice make sure he has enough to do to help him make strides but also not enough to overwork him since he missed the summer workouts that the rest of his teammates went through.

Overall, the UA defensive line coach is happy with the progress of both junior college newcomers.

"They're coming along just fine right now," he said. "Both of those guys came in knowing that endurance and conditioning was going to be the concern. But through the camp, watching these guys, the amount of reps that they were taking and through those reps they're getting in shape. They're doing a good job of understanding what we want from them, and the job that they gotta get done.

"And I'm really impressed with where they're at right now. ... Trust me, from today and then three weeks ago – big difference."

Ultimately, Arizona's opponents won't care who has or hasn't been with the team for the duration of the offseason. The results are what will matter ,and for the Wildcats it will come down to trust and confidence that both players are ready to go when the team takes the field against someone else.

Right now the plan is no different than what it was when the team recruited both players last year.

"For me, because they're JC guys, my expectation is that they're a little bit more seasoned guys. They've got a little bit more playing experience . They're older guys. So, my expectation is for them to come in and play right away. That's what we want. When we recruit JC guys we want them to come in and make an impact as soon as possible, and they're doing that."

The Wildcats open the 2019 season a long way away from home out in Honolulu this Saturday when they visit Hawaii. There will be a lot of new faces on the field for UA when things kickoff at 7:30 p.m. MST and right now both Mason and Tapusoa have done a lot ot help ensure that they will be two of the new players to see action.

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