Arizona 2020 Signing Day with Kevin Sumlin

On the Arizona edition of the 2020 Inside Pac-12 Football Signing Day Special, Pac-12 Networks’ Mike Yam & Yogi Roth interview Arizona head coach Kevin Sumlin on the highlights of the Wildcats recruiting class.

Episode Transcript

(00:10):
I'll bear down insider San Francisco suit. Here's death the siding Day. I
feel like we were just doing thisa couple of weeks ago talking about Kevin
Sumlin's class, and all of asudden there's been some tweaks of Changees Mike
Yam Yogi Roth with you before wetalked to the head coach. Just your
general thoughts on how different this grouplooks and how coaches actually elevated his team.
Well, it's a great finish forthem recruiting wise, on a bunch

(00:31):
of levels. Number One, theybring in Paul Rose to be the defensive
coordinat You know how much I lovecoach. Yes, I mean, guys,
has been inspired me since I waseighteen years old, and he's gonna
do the same thing. I couldimagine the first meeting with that defense,
they felt his passion and also hispresence. They're gonna feel his scheme when
they get out for spring football.Then, the way they finished with the
players on the defensive side, specifically, they got some big bodies, athletic
bodies. They got some players likeFrank Brown, who to me is one

(00:53):
of the top athletes to sign overallin the conference out of Houston. So
nice job to finish with all thechanges they had among their staff, among
their roster. All right, well, I want to get your take on
some of these players, but Ialso want to hear from the head coach
as well, Kevin, someone iswith us. Coach, congrats on the
close at you and your program had. I want to get to some of
those players. But Yo, hewas just raving about Paul Roads, your

(01:14):
new defensive coordinator. Take me throughthe process of hiring him and why he's
the perfect fit for you in Tucson. Well, you know, I've known
Paul for a long time and we'vecompeted against each other, you know,
as assistant coaches and head coaches,being in the Big twelve and in different
places in the Midwest. So veryfamiliar with his style, very familiar with
his scheme. And we had theopportunity to sit down and visit, and

(01:37):
I thought it was a great fitfor us. His family thought it was
a great fit for him here inTucson. And and as you said,
you know, he's a very charismaticcoach, very very emotional, but great
great great schematically, but also greatas a motivator. And we're happy he's
here. What was it like goingon the road with him and finishing guy

(02:00):
like Sean Charles Key, a reallyathletic guy who will play all over your
defensive front and kind of cares abouthim specifically. And in the presence of
Paul, Well, it's I thinkit's the presence of really the three new
coaches on defense. You know,Paul is is as you know, great
motivator, uh Andy Boo comes tous and as coaching outside linebackers, has

(02:21):
been a coordinator, has been atCow, has been at Stanford, another
great coach, really experienced and andyou know, I think that the addition
of all of our new coaches ondefense really helped us close in the end
here with some of these big bodies, and Stan Higgan's been around for a
long time, and all three ofthose guys we would go when in the

(02:45):
homes, we're outstanding, and Ithink their impact is just beginning in this
program. Coach, Who are someof those impact players that you're making reference
to in terms of this close thatthat are going to help you this season?
Well, I think all those guysthat you saw today, you know,
we quietly decigned to fifteen guys beforesigning was done early signing date.
But today, you know, wewe've got a couple of guys that were

(03:06):
waiting on, maybe one in particularright now. I don't know if he's
announced yet, but we're not done. And uh, you know, I
think that the addition of our defensivecoaches. You can see the number of
players that we signed, you know, defensively closing in the last two weeks.
I think our defensive coaches have hadan impact. And as you brought

(03:27):
up, I think Frank Brown isa tremendous player, probably one of the
best players in the city of Houston, and a guy that people really tried
to come on late and we heldoff. He's you know, he's been
committed for a while now, buthe's a guy that can have an immediate
impact in this program. Another immediateimpact guy. We know his brother Colins

(03:47):
School or we got to know aBrandon School or a different institution in this
conference. But how did that oneshake out? And what's his president President's
been like with a young receiving corpson your roster? Yeah, you know
end and this is a guy that, uh, you know, it worked
out. I think, uh,I know, we're happy, but I'm
pretty sure his parents are really happyright now because they don't have to wear

(04:08):
two different jerseys and hats and thingslike that. But he's, you know,
he's he's an experienced player, he'san All league player on special teams.
He's you know, I think whathe brings to us is, you
know, that experience, but alsothe maturity. UM. And he's been
in this league. He's played inbig games and special teams, been in
situations. Yeah, that's one partof it. But he also brings that

(04:29):
maturity to the to the locker roomand with the team. That's you know,
we got a young quarterback. Wegot some young guys who are playing
UM, but he's got that experienceand knows how to win. And I
think that's going to be important tous, UM on the field, but
also in the locker room, inthe locker room, in the weight room.
I got to ask about Aaron Blackwallbecause we did some research. We
took a deep dive in the socialmedia and saw this dude with his long,

(04:54):
flowey hair, pump and iron andnow you get him as a graduate
transfer to help out outside of theball. I'm curious if a You've worked
out with him and have you seenanything like this on the stream right now
and be what do you think abouthim adding a veteran element. Yeah,
it's another you know when you thesegrand transfers can really have an impact on
your program. You know, here'sa guy that obviously brings attitude right in

(05:17):
uh in the middle of our defense, is a real nose um in a
three four defense, and has experiencebut uh as you can see strength as
something that he does not lack,and uh and and and attitude. So
you know, he's a guy thatwe're looking forward to to to getting on
the field. But also you knowanother older guy in the locker room that's

(05:39):
gonna bring some attitude to this footballteam. I'm just I kind of want
to see that video again. Thatmight be like one of those things I
just see on repeat constantly. Ithink the scream on the back end is
what did it for me? Hey? Why not? Coach? I know
you probably aren't going to get tiredof something like this out there. You
know, it's interesting too, becauseI would imagine too, just getting guys

(06:00):
into your program like this is certainlygoing to be helpful because there's an experience
factor that you had alluded to.But I know a year ago when we
had this conversation about your class,I thought about Khalil tating all the hype
around him and how much of apiece that is for a potential recruitingility to
get to play with a guy likethat. Grant Canell last season gets some
meaningful burn at the end of theyear, and I'm just wondering, when

(06:21):
you go into a home and youtalk to offensive players, how much excitement
is there around playing with a guylike that. Yeah, there's a lot
of excitement about that. You know, when people have seting play, you
know, start against UCLA and whenyou know on television didn't hurt us in
recruiting it. You know, whenyou have young players and across the board,

(06:43):
you know, I think they helpyou in recruiting because guys want to
know who they're going to play with. And that certainly does not hurt us
at all, particularly in Houston,and it may have had an effect on
Frank Brown being here. But youknow, we've got some good players across
the board, and as you said, you know, good players want to
play with other good players because becausethey want to win. Speaking of good

(07:04):
players, Reagan Terry Dalen Miller theseare two guys that I know you know
a ton about What do they dofor you within the state of Arizona.
Well, you know, Reagan isanother guy that you know, we had
to hold off later on the earlysigning date. You know, went to
visit I think he went to scthere one weekend. And a guy that
was pretty highly recruited towards the end, and uh, you know these in

(07:26):
state players. He's right up theroad about you know, about forty five
minutes. Uh, just a reallygood player that we recruited for a long
time. He's getting bigger by theday. But physical playing defensive end.
You know. Dylan Miller is anotherbig, physical receiver. Uh, right
up the road in Phoenix. Andso you know, those in state players
were always going to start in statebefore we go anywhere else. And uh,

(07:49):
you know that that really helps us. And you know it's easy for
those guys and their parents or familiesor coaches to be around this program and
uh, you know, we're we'rehappy to get them here, all right,
so you stay in state, butyou also went out of the country
a couple of times, just whynot? And we absolutely love that.
But I wonder if you think backto the beginning of your career, when
you're a graduate assistant, you're coachingLeif Magnussen's dad. Did you ever think

(08:13):
like, yeah, I might recruityour kid to my program. And about
twenty some odd years, well,you know, there's there's good and bad
to that. When you start,you know, with the relationship, I
was like, hey, man,that's that's really cool. But then you
know, you get in the carafter you leave, you leave the house,
and you're like, wow, man, I'm getting old. I'm now
coaching players that I coached their sons, and that's you know, that's that's

(08:35):
that's kind of a slap in theface. But no, that relationship is
it didn't hurt us, um,you know. And it was also about
twenty seven degrees below zero there andthey came under visit here it was about
sixty five seventy, so you know, it was it was it was a
good match for us. It's thatall that certainly didn't hurt us. And
and uh, you know he isa strong, physical guy that bring attitude

(09:00):
and another guy that's going to helpus in the offensive line. He's gotten
bigger Fanny fans that are a littleconcerned that that's what he's going to show
up. That was him and saysa little guy, And certainly he's gotten
a little bit larger, which Iknow is going to be huge for for
you, coach, and I knowthis fan base can't wait to see him
on the football field. Yeah,you add a couple of lbs. That's

(09:22):
certainly is going to be a goodthing. You joked a second ago about
feeling old, and yet I thinkthe wisdom and the experience that comes with
that, coach is is definitely abenefit. I know the last couple of
seasons maybe not exactly what you hadanticipated or want to see for this fan
base in terms of wins and losses. You also know, because you've been
in the game so long, it'snot like this this you snap your fingers

(09:43):
and all of a sudden everything isgoing to be honey Dory, peaches and
cream and you're winning Pact twelve championships. It does take time to build.
Is there a message that you wantto convey to the fan base about the
trajectory trajection of this program and whereit's going, not only this season,
for the next few Sure, Ithink you know we're in a fa right
now. Last year where we neededto get bigger and stronger and recruit to

(10:03):
that a lot of first year players, whether they were freshmen and or transfer
guys that from junior college. Butyou know, we've got some continuity now
on our offensive line, which wehad you know, five different guys start
in nine different games, so youknow, we only lost one of those
guys. We've got a young quarterbackand some young receivers that have have have

(10:26):
had some success, and you knowwe're doing We've got a new defensive staff,
and I think our scheme and theplayers that we've recruited and recruited to
this scheme give us a lot ofexcitement in the building just because we do
have a bunch of good young playerscoming into spring football and a new defensive
staff. So there's some excitement inour building and we can't wait to get

(10:48):
going the spring. Coach can't waitto see you guys in the spring game.
Not to mention on the football fieldthis upcoming season. Best to luck
to you this offseason, and we'lltalk to you real soon. All right,
I appreciate you guys. Thank you. All right. Coaches talking about
the defense, and obviously, youknow Coach Rhodes really well, he asked
about Terry and what he brings tothe table. Just tell me how different
really this defense is going to lookbecause the results have to be there for

(11:11):
this team to win. Well,I really believe this in college football.
College football is like seventy to eightyemotion and drive and motivation. And the
previous staff well respected. Obviously,Kevin Sumlin's knowing those guys forever. But
Paul Rhodes is different in that regard. Man. When I was at Pitt,
I was an offensive player, andin the pregame speech, the offensive

(11:31):
coordinator, who was our head coach, would give one speech to one side
of the team and Paul would giveit to the defense. After like the
third game, the whole offense wentto the defense beside of the locker room
to listen to Paul Rhodes speak.That's not going to happen in this scenario.
But my point is that the playeris gonna feel them, and they're
gonna play with an energy that's infectious. They're gonna play with a relentless energy
that's infectious. And this is ateam when I look at them last year,

(11:54):
Mike, they lost seventh straight toend this season, Like there's a
confidence thing there. How do youdo it? Do it through enthusiasm,
you do it through repetition, doit through going through hard things. That's
what coach Road is gonna do.And schematically he's really intelligent as well.
He's been a former head coach thatsuccess everywhere he's been. So I think
among all the changes that coordinators,the impact here like the jump will probably

(12:15):
be the biggest. And it's aveteran defense Colin schooler, Tony Fields,
et cetera, et cetera, Sothey should be much better on the defensive
side. And Paul and the decisionof coach someone and the Staffe reference is
the reason you just mentioned a coupleof those guys on the defensive side for
their starters, not for nothing.I feel like they were playing like when
we launched a network eight years ago. I mean, these guys have been

(12:35):
around. You mentioned confidence. Somewins early certainly will help change that and
they can. Hopefully that happens forsomeone's team. We'll get our first sneak
peak Paul Rosen a Defense Spring gameApril fourth, five pm Pacific time.
You do not want to miss it. Pac twelve Network and the pactwelve now app