Photo by: Mike Christy / Arizona Athletics
Building the A with Anthony Pandy
04/09/2020 | Football
On a typical Saturday in the fall when the Arizona Wildcats are in action, Anthony Pandy and his roommate at the team hotel, Colin Schooler, waste no time putting their minds into game day mode.
"We'll wake up around 8 a.m., and then I'm turning the speaker on full blast and we are waking up," Pandy said. "It doesn't really matter what the music is; it just has to be loud. From that moment on, you're just getting through the day, passing the time, getting ready to play."
Eventually, the speaker goes off for Pandy and the headphones go on. When it's time to leave the hotel and head to Arizona Stadium for some football under the lights, the mood shifts a bit. It becomes quieter.
"The polo is tucked in, the Beats are on, and I'm thinking about football, and nothing else," Pandy said.
That mindset served Pandy well last season. He played in all 12 games with eight starts and finished with 66 tackles, which was third on the team. He will enter the 2020 season as one of the main cogs on the defense and be counted on to be one of the leaders of the group.
Of course – as is often the story – that's a long way from where Pandy's journey started. One of seven siblings, Pandy grew up first with his grandpa in San Pedro, California and then with his mom and step dad in nearby Carson.
Football wasn't an early passion. Instead, Pandy was more into skateboarding and playing tag with his cousins and siblings on the streets until after a family dinner that usually consisted of chicken, rice and gravy.
The gridiron didn't become a part of Pandy's life until seventh grade when he started playing at his cousin's urging. He started as an offensive lineman, but by the next year, Pandy was playing all over the field, including some games at quarterback where he wore his No. 52 jersey.
He then went on to Narbonne High School, where he first appeared in a varsity game as a freshman in the postseason. By the time he was a senior, he was a co-captain, a consensus three-star recruit and a player with a bright future ahead.
He committed to Arizona after his senior season and has been a stalwart for the Wildcats since. He's played in 34 games in his career and enters his senior campaign with exactly 100 career tackles. The success he's experienced during his time in Tucson has reinforced Pandy's decision to attend Arizona.
"I had taken some unofficial visits before, but when I went to Arizona it was just a whole different environment," Pandy said. "I loved how it felt. I remember I saw some guys working out on their off time, and that told me a lot about the program. Everyone was all in. That drove me to want to be there."
"I also loved Tucson. I like how it's spacious and calm and peaceful and the mountains are all around. And you can't beat the sunsets."
"We'll wake up around 8 a.m., and then I'm turning the speaker on full blast and we are waking up," Pandy said. "It doesn't really matter what the music is; it just has to be loud. From that moment on, you're just getting through the day, passing the time, getting ready to play."
Eventually, the speaker goes off for Pandy and the headphones go on. When it's time to leave the hotel and head to Arizona Stadium for some football under the lights, the mood shifts a bit. It becomes quieter.
"The polo is tucked in, the Beats are on, and I'm thinking about football, and nothing else," Pandy said.
That mindset served Pandy well last season. He played in all 12 games with eight starts and finished with 66 tackles, which was third on the team. He will enter the 2020 season as one of the main cogs on the defense and be counted on to be one of the leaders of the group.Of course – as is often the story – that's a long way from where Pandy's journey started. One of seven siblings, Pandy grew up first with his grandpa in San Pedro, California and then with his mom and step dad in nearby Carson.
Football wasn't an early passion. Instead, Pandy was more into skateboarding and playing tag with his cousins and siblings on the streets until after a family dinner that usually consisted of chicken, rice and gravy.
The gridiron didn't become a part of Pandy's life until seventh grade when he started playing at his cousin's urging. He started as an offensive lineman, but by the next year, Pandy was playing all over the field, including some games at quarterback where he wore his No. 52 jersey.
He then went on to Narbonne High School, where he first appeared in a varsity game as a freshman in the postseason. By the time he was a senior, he was a co-captain, a consensus three-star recruit and a player with a bright future ahead.He committed to Arizona after his senior season and has been a stalwart for the Wildcats since. He's played in 34 games in his career and enters his senior campaign with exactly 100 career tackles. The success he's experienced during his time in Tucson has reinforced Pandy's decision to attend Arizona.
"I had taken some unofficial visits before, but when I went to Arizona it was just a whole different environment," Pandy said. "I loved how it felt. I remember I saw some guys working out on their off time, and that told me a lot about the program. Everyone was all in. That drove me to want to be there."
"I also loved Tucson. I like how it's spacious and calm and peaceful and the mountains are all around. And you can't beat the sunsets."
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