TUCSON, Ariz. -- The Arizona Wildcats special teams personnel stepped onto center stage on day four of fall camp Tuesday, the second day in shoulder pads for the Cats.
Arizona spent a considerable chunk of time in practice focusing on kickoff coverage and returns, and following the practice session sent special teams coordinator
Jeremy Springer and kicker
Lucas Havrisik to speak with the media.
Springer touched on all aspects of the special teams unit, including the growth of Havrisik and punter
Matt Aragon, the importance of everyone contributing to special teams, the process of acclimating freshmen into their new roles, and more.
Havrisik, who owns one of the strongest kicking legs in the country,
discussed his offseason work and the mental approach to kicking field goals.
Quote of the Night
Special teams coordinator
Jeremy Springer on the progress of kicker
Lucas Havrisik: "Man, he's got his head on straight. He had it last year on straight, but as you get older he's become more mature. So his body of work and how he takes care of his body from eating, to working out, to the offseason training, has been zero to 100. I couldn't say enough good words about him from an off-the-field standpoint in treating his body like a professional."
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Number of the Night — 1/3
Those who follow football have surely heard the truism that "special teams are 1/3 of the game," and coach Springer reiterated the importance of that fact on Tuesday night. To that end every member of the Wildcats is available and eager to help out on special teams, including starters such as
Colin Schooler and
Tony Fields II. Said Springer, "In this culture we have, everyone contributes on special teams. So all those guys are going to help, whether you're a starter and you're playing 80 plays a game or you're not playing at all, you're going to contribute in some fashion ... [Schooler, Fields and other starters] get it, they know that in order to help this team they've got to help on special teams, it's 1/3 of the game. They understand that in order for us to win a lot of games and try to win this conference, they've got to help out on special teams."
Havrisik returns to Arizona in 2019 and figures to be featured heavily in the Cats special teams plans. Over his two-year career in Tucson thus far, Havrisik has connected on nine field goals and in a 2017 contest against Washington State tied the school record with a 57-yard made field goal. He has primarily been used on kickoff duties and has excelled in that role — since 2017 he has kicked off 167 times and posted an average of 63.6 yards per kick with 123 touchbacks. Last year, Havrisik finished the season ranked second in the Pac-12 and ninth among all FBS kickers in touchback percentage at 81.1 percent. During the summer Havrisik had the opportunity to work a weekend camp teaching younger players the ins and outs of kicking, something he sees as valuable for himself as well as the kids attending the camp.
"I usually coach kids up which is also a good thing because it takes you back to the small things. You might not realize [until you're teaching it], oh, I'm not doing that, so it's always a good refresher."
Featured Newcomer — Freshman Maurice Gaines
Gaines, a cornerback originally from Oakland, Calif., was an accomplished student-athlete on and off the field during his prep career. Between time at Folsom High School and St. Thomas Moore School (Conn.), he logged hours on the football field and the track. On the gridiron, Gaines collected 150 total tackles, six interceptions, 10 touchdowns, and 20 pass receptions, earning first-team all-section honors. On the track he competed in the 100- and 200-meter sprints as well as the 4x100 and 4x400 relays. Gaines also excelled in the classroom, posting a 3.8 GPA as a senior to land on the school's Honor Roll. Coming out of high school, he was ranked as the No. 11 cornerback in the state of California.
"Maurice is a defensive back that can play multiple spots and he loves to ball! He understands and loves the game and welcomes hard work" cornerbacks coach
Demetrice Martin said about Gaines on signing day.
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