Michael Lev: On Scooby Wright’s legacy, UA draftees’ landing spots, spring-game standouts (2024)

Current and former Arizona Wildcats are making news. We’ve got views.

News: Former UA All-American Scooby Wright announces his retirement from football.

Football is a brutally physical, violent game. But many who’ve played it have told me that the rush they get cannot be replicated in any other endeavor. It’s hard to walk away, even if your body is telling you to.

Whether this is the end for Wright or not, his accomplishments at Arizona — and what happened afterward — are worth commemorating and revisiting.

Even though he played less than three full seasons, Wright belongs on the all-time UA first-team defense. Find a spot for him at linebacker or edge rusher. He won every national defensive award you could win in 2014. He was really good as a freshman, too.

The first game I covered on the UA football beat was Wright’s last — the 2015 New Mexico Bowl. He had missed most of the season because of injuries. He came back to record 15 tackles, including 3.5 stops for loss and two sacks. He was the game’s Defensive MVP.

Wright announced he was going pro almost immediately afterward. Despite his knack for making plays and getting to the quarterback, he never found a place in the NFL. Cleveland selected him in the seventh round with pick No. 250 in a 253-pick draft. He appeared in 13 games with the Cardinals in 2016 and ’17, mostly playing special teams. The best defensive player in college football in 2014 played 14 defensive snaps in the NFL.

It always baffled me that no one could find a role for Scooby. It turned out that he was too small to be a pass rusher and not quite athletic enough to play in space. Hybrid players are incredibly valuable in the NFL. Tweeners get cut.

Wright played spring football in the AAF, XFL, USFL and UFL from 2019-24, and his pick-six sealed the USFL championship for the Stallions in 2022. He always had a knack for making big plays in clutch moments. That’s how UA fans will remember him.

News: Three Wildcats — Jordan Morgan, Jacob Cowing and Tanner McLachlan — get picked in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Views: This played out more or less the way I figured it would.

Morgan was projected to go in the 25-40 range. But the less draft pundits talked about him, the more I thought he’d come off the board in Round 1. Someone was keeping Morgan’s name under wraps, and it turned out to be the Green Bay Packers, who recognized Morgan’s high character, superb athleticism and elite feet.

I predicted on The Wildcast podcast that McLachlan would be selected ahead of Cowing, figuring McLachlan’s all-around game would enhance his stock while Cowing’s lack of size would hurt his. Cowing went 59 spots earlier to the San Francisco 49ers at the end of Round 4.

Cowing’s appeal on the next level is two-fold: He has legit breakaway speed, which is always at a premium; and he has value in the return game. Remember: The NFL has changed its kickoff-return rules. That should lead to more returns and fewer touchbacks — and a role for a gamebreaker like Cowing.

McLachlan fell to the sixth round, where the Cincinnati Bengals snatched him. Being the oldest tight end in this year’s class — McLachlan is 25 — probably didn’t help his cause. There was also a run on tight ends on Day 3, with six coming off the board in the fourth round — including Cincinnati taking Iowa’s Erick All.

I’m not surprised that Michael Wiley didn’t get picked. Such is life for running backs these days — especially those who don’t have any “traits” that jump off the scouting report.

Wiley won’t wow you in a workout. But he produces, and he’s an excellent pass catcher. There’s a place for a guy like that in today’s NFL, whether that’s with Washington (which signed him as a UDFA) or elsewhere.

News: Arizona completes its first spring camp under Brent Brennan.

Views: Five quick observations from the Wildcats’ spring game/scrimmage …

Tailback Rayshon Luke busted a big run down the left sideline in the first quarter. “Speedy” is in position to have a breakout year with the RB room in flux. He’s gotten noticeably bigger and stronger, although I still don’t see him as a “bell-cow” back. Getting him around 10 touches a game on fly sweeps, screens and conventional handoffs is the way to go.

Defensive end Sterling Lane II flashed during the scrimmage and throughout camp and could be ready to tap into his potential. Lane didn’t play much his first two seasons. But he was one of the highest-ranked prospects in Arizona’s program-changing 2022 recruiting class. The development timeline is different for everyone. This could be Lane’s time.

Tristan Davis, a 6-7, 255-pound redshirt freshman, lined up at defensive tackle during the scrimmage. Color me intrigued. Davis came to Arizona as an edge rusher. Brennan said DL coach Joe Seumalo likes to move his pieces all over the board, a smart tactic. I don’t know if Davis will crack the rotation this year, but players with his frame are hard to find.

Linebacker Justin Flowe blitzed on almost every snap, and that just might be the best way to utilize the one-time five-star recruit. LB coach Danny Gonzales used the term “limit focus” to explain how he’s minimizing Flowe’s responsibilities after a season in which he made “assignment mistakes” under the previous staff. I can see Flowe becoming a pass-rush specialist while sophom*ores Taye Brown and Kamuela Ka’aihue split time opposite Jacob Manu.

Kicker Tyler Loop made both of his field goal attempts — and hit one from 75 yards during warmups. He used the tee for that one, and there was no rush but … damn! Arizona has several future pros on its roster. Already one of college football’s most accurate kickers, Loop can put himself in the draft conversation if he can hit from range during games. He’s 7 of 12 from 40-49 yards, 2 of 4 from 50-plus in his career.

News: The UA baseball and softball teams squander late leads to lose road series.

Views: Both programs were long shots to host NCAA regionals, and those hopes likely evaporated via dueling late-inning collapses Sunday afternoon.

The baseball team led Washington 8-3 entering the bottom of the eighth. The Huskies tagged relievers Kyler Heyne and Casey Hintz for five runs via three- and two-run homers. Arizona lost 9-8 in 13 innings.

Bullpen woes have been a common theme in the Wildcats’ wins and losses of late. Roles continue to evolve, even as the stretch run approaches. Arizona might have found its closer in Anthony “Tonko” Susac. Matthew Martinez might be re-emerging as a late-inning weapon. Others could fall out of that mix.

Even with that series setback, Arizona has lost only three of its past 19 games — and all three defeats were by one run. Chip Hale’s team will scrap to the very end.

Softball’s blown lead was even more egregious. Arizona led 7-0 entering the bottom of the fifth. The Bruins scored seven runs in that frame and four in the sixth to win 11-7.

Talk about a wasted opportunity. The Wildcats were on the brink of knocking off their longtime nemesis and logging a series win over a top-10 team. It could have changed the outlook of their season.

Instead, Arizona remains stuck in that second tier. The Wildcats will return to the NCAA Tournament, but the road back to Oklahoma City will be a literal road — all away games. And they probably don’t have enough pitching to get there.

One can’t help but wonder how the season might have been different if Devyn Netz, Sydney Somerndike and Ryan Maddox hadn’t gotten hurt. At a minimum, Arizona would’ve had more matchup options in the circle.