Arizona Wildcats: True Freshmen To Watch in 2020

Every February (and now December) college football teams sign a new class of football players to join their program. It’s exciting to dream about what a prospect can become in the future but come September, some of those freshman will redshirt and wait for their opportunity to shine, while a few will be given the chance to make an immediate impact this season. In this series we will take a team by team look at the true freshman who could be given the opportunity to make a name for themselves in 2020. Today we will look at the Arizona Wildcats true freshmen to watch in 2020.

Regen Terry – DE

JB Brown and Trevon Mason started last year and both are back and will likely open the season as starters for the Wildcats. Both players have showed flashes of their potential but the Wildcats will need depth at defensive end in 2020. Kyon Barrs is a redshirt freshman who has potential and will be counted on to provide depth at defensive end but there aren’t many proven options to fill out the rotation. While transfer Aaron Blackwell could play here, he is more likely to play nose tackle. There is a need for defensive ends to step up and provide quality reps for Arizona, Terry has the ability to do just that in 2020.

Terry was a standout at Florence High School in Arizona. He has good size and the ability to add good weight. He has long arms and a quick first step which allow him to rush the passer effectively. As he adds weight and learns to use his hands to disengage blockers he will become more effective. Terry has the physical presence and ability to play as a true freshman on the defensive front. The Wildcats need depth at defensive end and Terry can provide it, he also has the potential to harness his physical tools and grow quickly over the course of the year. It’s not easy for true freshmen to play on the defensive line but Terry has a chance to be a contributor in the two deep in 2020.

Khary Crump – CB

Arizona will no longer have the services of starting cornerback Jace Whittaker who graduated. Whittaker was the top corner in the Wildcats secondary, but fellow starter Lorenzo Burns does return and should be penciled in at one corner. Christian Roland-Wallace played significant minutes last year and should be the clubhouse leader for the other cornerback spot. After that there isn’t a lot of depth with game experience, Bobby Wolfe played a good amount but the other corners who return played sparingly. With the way teams are throwing the ball these days, teams need more than three cornerbacks they can count on. Crump is a talented prospect who has the opportunity to get reps at corner quickly in 2020.

Crump played his high school ball at Culver City High School in the talent rich state of California. Though Crump is not a big corner, he is willing to get physical with receivers and does a good job of jamming in press man coverage. He has quick feet and breaks on the ball well and has the hip flexibility to cover receivers down field. He will need to add some weight but has the competitive nature needed to play corner at the college level. Crump can play outside or inside and will be a versatile corner for the Wildcats, even as a true freshman. His ability and competitive nature will give him an opportunity to move up the depth chart and be a contributor in the Arizona secondary in 2020.

Roberto Miranda – TE

Bryce Wolma is the only tight end who caught a pass for Arizona in 2019, and he caught a total of five. With Grant Gunnell taking over at quarterback the offense should be more pass oriented in 2020. A pass oriented offense needs receiving tight ends to create mismatches for the defense. There just aren’t any proven options after Wolma on the roster right now. Miranda and JUCO transfer Stacy Marshall enrolled early and should compete with redshirt freshmen Zach Williams for playing time. Assuming Wolma retains the starting job, the two newcomers should both get plenty of opportunity at the tight end position. Miranda has a diverse skill set and should see plenty of playing time at tight end.

Miranda is part of a new wave of college recruits from Europe and arrived at Arizona from Germany. Miranda has a good combination of size, speed and body control and can put pressure on the defense in many ways. He is still somewhat raw but has good hands and ball skills and should be a good receiving tight end. Miranda will need to add bulk and learn to be more of a blocker as an inline tight end but the tools are there for him to become a complete player. As a freshman, we expect Miranda to be used as a versatile pass catcher who puts pressure on the defense in a variety of ways. The opportunity is there for him to see the field at least in passing situations and we expect Miranda will capitalize on it.

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Arizona Stadium, University of Arizona image taken by Ken Lund is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.