Notable Arizona football roster changes heading into 2019

The Arizona Wildcats have officially kicked off fall camp before their season open at Hawaii.

Kevin Sumlin has evaluated his roster, guys have made big gains in the weight room and the staff has continued to add more pieces behind the scenes.

While there are a handful of updates, some changes noted have already been public, but not reflected in the online roster.

Position changes

Mykee Irving came in as a premier nose guard in the 2018 class and eventually flipped to offensive line in a head scratching move given the depth on defense. Now it appears he’s back on the defensive line, which isn’t a great indicator of the progress or the defensive line.

Jamarye Joiner is working with the offense as a wideout. While he was not put in position to succeed at quarterback last season, it would have been tough to break through. By all accounts he has looked natural out as a receiver and he should have a shot at contributing for what is an unproven unit.

2019 Signing Class

All 2019 signees have been added to the roster with the exception of defensive tackle Kane Bradford who is battling eligibility requirements, but still expected to make it to campus.

A very interesting change is Jaden Mitchell, who was announced at 6-feet on National Signing Day but is officially listed at 5-foot-9, 175 pounds.

O-lineman Jordan Morgan has made significant progress since being on campus for summer workouts. He was announced at 270 pounds but is now checking in at 287 on his 6-foot-5 frame.

Linebacker Kwabena Watson had a lean frame on his film and he’ll need to add some weight before contributing at defensive end since he’s only sitting on 210 pounds. By next spring he should easily be up in the 230-240 range.

Linebacker Eddie Siaumau has done a tremendous job since capping off his high school career, listed at 215 pounds on NSD and now jumping up to 235.

It is interesting to see Jaxen Turner officially listed as a corner. He certainly has the versatility to play all three safety positions.

The hope is that four-star wideout Jalen Curry emerges as the go-to target, and since arriving on campus he has gone from 197 pounds to 206 on a 6-foot-2 frame.

Tayvian Cummingham was a very late addition to the class as the speedy wide receiver junior college transfer and is listed at 5-foot-7, 181 pounds.

Another late addition to the class was Kyon Barrs, who cleared up some testing requirements in order to make it on campus. The d-lineman is listed at 6-foot-2, 299 pounds which is great size as a true freshman.

Notable additions/removals

Sumlin was able to persuade Dallas Baptist power forward Zach Lord to walk-on and give football a whirl. He’s listed at tight end with a 6-foot-7, 275-pound build.

Wide receivers coach Theron Aych will now have his son in his position group, as Thomas Aych is on the roster at 6-foot, 167 pounds. He had participated in spring practice after transferring from Angelo State.

Arizona added Samari Springs from Richmond. He can play corner, safety and key roles as the special teams return man. He had a productive two years at Richmond and had good high school film. In what is now a crowded secondary, it’ll be interesting to see if he can crack a two-deep.

Jailen Bailey is no longer on the roster. The low-end three-star wide receiver had some decent praise as a potential kick and punt returner, but seems to be headed in the wrong direction.

Measurement updates

Some other significant changes from last years roster include Justin Belknap dropping from 259 to 245. Tony Fields II shed 10 pounds and will play at 220. Brian Casteel has significantly slimmed down going from 210 to 195. Colin Schooler dropped from 236 pounds to 229.

Jalen Harris has gone from 6-foot-4, 230 pounds to 6-foot-5, 250 pounds over the last 365 days.

Three members of the 2018 class saw some big changes as well. The lanky corner McKenzie Barnes has upped his weight from 178 to 193. Tight end Jake Peters added 13 pounds and is up to 235. Christian Young added an inch and eight pounds, now at 6-foot-2, 217 pounds.

Notable walk-on additions

And now for some new walk-on additions to the roster.

Cornerback Dhameer Warren is one of the more significant additions who had excellent film from Merced High School. At 6-foot-1, 175 pounds, he has great length to go with his speed.

The staff finally won a Salpointe prospect, Devin Green, a 5-foot-10, 166 pound receiver.

Safety Quinn Sullivan was once at national powerhouse Bellevue High but transferred to an even bigger powerhouse, IMG Academy. He checks in at 5-foot-11, 181 pounds.

The staff brings in two Arizona junior college prospects in 6-foot-1, 250-pound defensive end Dante Diaz-Infante and 6-foot-5, 220 pound tight end Connor Hutchins. Both come from Phoenix Community College.