UA football freshmen hit the practice field early

Tanith L. Balaban Arizona Summer Wildcat Freshman linebacker and Tucson native John Denny finishes an endurance drill Friday. Denny and the rest of the football team will head to Camp Cochise Wednesday.

Summer may not officially be over, but the sounds of fall can already be heard.

Football season has started at Arizona.

Friday and Saturday saw the arrival of the UA football team's incoming class of freshmen and junior college transfers, as well as 11 walk-ons hoping they can sneak onto the team.

Seventeen freshmen and two transfers were run through a set of informal practices over the two day period in the lingering summer heat.

"The guys from Houston think this is paradise," University of Arizona head coach Dick Tomey said after the Friday morning practice. "It's so hot there you can't breathe right now. The guys from California and Washington are having a pretty tough time, though."

While trainers rushed around with bottles of water and wet towels to keep the players cool, the UA coaching staff ran the players through various practice drills, minus pads and any kind of scrimmaging.

"These aren't the real things," Tomey said. "But it's a start."

Tomey said he was impressed after the first day with two players he noted that the media had yet to pay attention to.

Freshman wide receiver/defensive back Michael Hairgrove and offensive lineman Darren Safranek both caught Tomey's eye.

"It feels good," Hairgrove said. "I feel real confident right now. This is just more of a learning thing for us."

Tanith L. Balaban Arizona Summer Wildcat Freshman running back Leo Mills runs a blocking drill Friday at the UA football practice field as part of freshman orientation. Mills, who was ranked as the number three running back in the nation out of high school, will be part of a crowded but talented Arizona backfield this fall.

"Nothing's conclusive that comes out of this," Tomey said. "We're mostly looking for people who appear to have the fundamentals to play this fall."

Safranek said that the practices do not mean much when it comes time to suit up to play Hawaii Sept. 3.

"I don't know yet," he said of his role for the team this fall. "I'm kind of young, not quite as developed as some of the older players."

Both Hairgrove and Safranek are local recruits, with Hairgrove having graduated from Flowing Wells High School and Safranek from Catalina Foothills.

The 6-foot 2-inch, 198-pound Hairgrove said the heat hasn't bothered him too much.

"It's still a pain, though," he said. "It's tough for the other guys. I see them bending over and dying out here all day."

Hairgrove hopes to "find my spot on special teams" for the fall. He said beyond that he'll spend the fall learning the system and watching his more experienced teammates.

Safranek, 6-7 and 256 pounds, said he felt confident going into the camp as he had worked with two of the UA coaches before.

The duo who worked with Safranek in the past at football camps were offensive line coach Charlie Dickey and recruiting coordinator Rob Ianello.

Safranek said he didn't mind ending his summer early to start practice.

"I think it's cool," he said. "I like playing, so I'd rather be doing this than just sitting around at home."

Safranek said he expects college football to be very different from the high school version.

"Just the speed of college football, the size of the players," he said. "Learning all the drills and stuff, it'll be tough."

Freshman offensive lineman Darren Safranek practices with offensive line coach Charlie Dickey Friday. Safranek, a Tucson native, was singled out by head coach Dick Tomey after the first day of practice for his hard work.

"This is a different game than what they've been playing," he said.

Tomey said he was pleased with the early practices, but he warned not to read too much into them.

"They all worked hard," he said. "I don't think anybody walked off the field discouraged.

"This is just patty-cake stuff. You learn over the years not to get too high or too low on the freshmen after just this."

With the practices and freshmen orientation all but complete, Tomey and the team will be making preparations to head off to Camp Cochise, the team's annual preseason training camp.

The team will be in Douglas from Wednesday through Aug. 19, running practices twice a day to prepare for the season.

Arizona was ranked 25th in the USA Today/ESPN coaches' poll, released last week, but Tomey said that preseason polls don't mean all that much.

"It showed some respect for us," he said. "But now we've gotta go play and prove we deserve the ranking."

Football fans ... logon!

Although the Wildcat will not print again until Aug. 24, we will be covering the football team's annual journey to Camp Cochise, held at Cochise College in Douglas, Ariz. Starting positions will be on the line as the team has two-a-day practices from the Aug. 12 to Aug. 19, Sports Editor Seth Doria will file daily reports on the Wildcat website at http://wc.arizona.edu. If you can't get enough of Arizona football, check us out online, and we'll tell you what's up.