2016 Arizona Wildcats football team

The 2016 Arizona Wildcats football team represented the University of Arizona in the 2016 season. The season was the Wildcats's 117th overall, 39th as a member of the Pac-12 Conference, and its sixth within the Pac-12 South Division. The team played their home games at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Arizona for the 88th straight year. They were led by fifth-year head coach Rich Rodriguez. They finished the season 3–9, 1–8 in Pac-12 play to finish in last place in the South Division.

Draft picks
The NFL Draft will take place from April 28 through 30, 2016 and will be hosted by the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, IL. The two following members of 2015 Arizona Wildcats football team were selected in the 2016 NFL draft.

Departures
The Wildcats would lose twenty-one senior football players to graduation as well as two junior football players (Junior linebacker and 2014 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, Scooby Wright and unanimous first team All-American junior wide receiver Cayleb Jones) who would choose to forego their senior season in pursuit of an earlier NFL career. The Wildcats would lose six more players from the 2015 team due to various reasons (transfers and withdrawals will be filled out once spring practice occurs). Notable departures from the 2015 squad included.

Transfers
In addition to the 2016 recruiting class, Arizona added two transfer football players in 2016 season. Linebacker Michael Barton transferred to Arizona in January from California. As a graduate transfer, Barton is immediately eligible to play in 2016, and he will have 1 year of his eligibility remaining. In 2011, Barton was a 4-star recruit out of De LaSalle High School in Concord, CA.

Wide receiver Zach Benjamin transferred to Arizona in May from Florida. Benjamin is immediately eligible to play in 2016, and he will have 2 years of eligibility remaining. In 2013, Benjamin was a 3-star recruit out of De LaSalle High School in Tampa, FL.

Position key
Arizona inked two junior college transfer players in February 2016, including 2-star walk-on safety Jalen Jenkins (Mesa CC) and 2-star wide receiver Shawn Poindexter (Glendale CC). All junior college transfers will enroll at Arizona in February 2016, participate in spring practice and be eligible to play in 2016.

Four freshmen signed financial aid agreements with Arizona in 2015 and will join with the junior college transfer as January 2016 enrollees. Financial aid agreements are binding on schools but non-binding on players. Early freshmen enrollees include 4-star offensive guard Michael Eletise (Kaiser) and 4-star quarterback Khalil Tate (Junipero Serra). Additionally, 4-star inside linebacker Kahi Neves (Brighton) expected to sign a financial aid agreement and enroll in January 2016.

National Signing Day is February 3, 2016. The incoming players listed below include the three junior college transfers that have signed binding letters of intent during the junior college transfer signing period, and the two incoming freshmen who have signed financial aid agreements to enroll in January 2016.

The Wildcats would go on to land another top 10 recruiting class in 2016 (#44 by Scout, #51 by Rivals, #45 by ESPN, and #43 by 247). The Wildcats has finish another top 10 in the Pac-12 recruitment class (#No. 9 by 247, Scout and ESPN, and #No.10 by Rivals)


 * RB Russell Halimon and WR Jessie Britt will grayshirt for the 2016 season because their enrollments were delayed and they did not receive scholarships.

2016 spring football practice
The 2016 Wildcats had spring practice from February 12, 2016, to March 25, 2016.

2016 returning missionaries
The returning missionaries will be filled in when national signing day occurs. Arizona had seven returning players on offense, five on defense and five on special teams that started games in 2015.

Offense

Defense

Special teams

† Indicates player was a starter in 2015 but missed all of 2016 due to injury.

Fall camp
Pac-12 media days are set for July 14–15 in Hollywood, California. Prior to media days,  The Wildcats were also picked by the Pac-12 media to finish fourth at South Division in the conference standings and received 87 first place votes, with the remainder going to top-picked UCLA in the South Division.

Fall camp is scheduled for August.

Coaching staff
Coaching staff sources: ArizonaWildcats.com

Coaching changes

 * December 21, 2015 – Arizona cornerbacks coach David Lockwood will not returning in next season.
 * December 21, 2015 – Arizona officially promoted from football analyst to assistant coach/safeties Jahmile Addae, replacing David Lockwood.
 * January 4, 2016 – Arizona defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel and defensive line coach Bill Kirelawich will not returning to UofA next season.
 * January 15, 2016 – Matt Caponi leaving Arizona to be West Virginia's safeties coach, reunited with Tony Gibson.
 * January 17, 2016 – Arizona hires Boise State defensive coordinator Marcel Yates, replacing Jeff Casteel.
 * January 17, 2016 – Arizona hires San José defensive coach Donte Williams to be a defensive assistant for cornerbacks.
 * February 10, 2016 – Arizona officially promoted from football analyst to new defensive lineman coach Vince Amey, replacing Bill Kirelawich.

Roster

 * Aug 8, 2016 – Zach Hemmila died in his sleep.
 * – Orlando Bradford has dismissed from the football program after the arrest for domestic violence charges.

Depth chart
Depth Chart Source: 2016 Arizona Wildcats Football Fact Book

Schedule
Arizona announced its 2016 football schedule on November 24, 2015. The 2016 schedule consists of 7 home, 4 away, and 1 neutral site game in the regular season. Arizona will face all five Southern Division opponents: Arizona State, Colorado, UCLA, USC and Utah. They will also face four Northern Division opponents: Oregon State, Stanford, Washington, and Washington State. Arizona is not scheduled to play Pac-12 North opponents California or Oregon.

The team will scheduled to play three non-conference games, two home games against Hawaii of the MWC,  Grambling State of the FCS' SWAC and travel to Glendale, AZ to play BYU of the (NCAA Division I FBS independent) for the Cactus Kickoff at University of Phoenix Stadium, a non—conference game at a neutral site one neutral site game.


 * Schedule Source: FBschedules.com

vs Grambling State
Arizona played their home opener against Grambling State, which was the Wildcats' first home game since the 2011–2013's expansion to over 56,000 in Tucson. This was the first-ever meeting between the two teams. (Arizona attempted to hire legendary longtime Grambling head coach Eddie Robinson in 1968, which would have made him the first African American head coach of an NCAA Division I-A football program at a predominantly White college, but Robinson declined the offer.) Arizona played their home opener against Grambling State, which was the Wildcats' first home game since the 2011–2013's expansion to over 56,000 in Tucson. This was the first-ever meeting between the two teams. (Arizona attempted to hire legendary longtime Grambling head coach Eddie Robinson in 1968, which would have made him the first African American head coach of an NCAA Division I-A football program at a predominantly White college, but Robinson declined the offer.)

Grambling's legendary World Famed Tiger Band performed with the Arizona marching band for the National Anthem, and also during the halftime show in Tucson. Both bands famously performed for the first NFL Super Bowl in 1967.

Defense
Key: POS: Position, SOLO: Solo Tackles, AST: Assisted Tackles, TOT: Total Tackles, TFL: Tackles-for-loss, SACK: Quarterback Sacks, INT: Interceptions, Yards: Yards, TDS: Touchdowns, BU: Passes Broken Up, PD: Passes Defended, QBH: Quarterback Hits, FF: Forced Fumbles, FR: Fumbles Recovered, BLK: Kicks or Punts Blocked, SAF: Safeties

Week 1
Nick Wilson Jamie Nunley Matthew Stagg Dane Cruikshank Issac Steele Justin Belknap Jalen Cochran Zach Werlinger
 * Coaches Offensive Player of the Week (Week 1 vs BYU)
 * Scout Team Offensive Player of the Week (Week 1 vs BYU)
 * Scout Team Defensive Player of the Week (Week 1 vs BYU)
 * Coaches Defensive Player of the Week (Week 1 vs BYU)
 * Scout Special Teams Player of the Week (Week 1 vs BYU)
 * Hard Edge Player of the Week (Week 1 vs BYU)
 * Student Player of the Week (Week 1 vs BYU)
 * Community Service Award (Week 1 vs BYU)

Week 2
Parker Zellers Bryson Cain Richard Merritt Lee Anderson III Richie Estrada Nick Reinhardt
 * Hard Edge Player of the Week (Week 2 vs Grambling State)
 * Scout Team Offensive Player of the Week (Week 2 vs. Grambling State)
 * Co-Scout Team Defensive Player of the Week (Week 2 vs. Grambling State)
 * Co-Scout Team Defensive Player of the Week (Week 2 vs. Grambling State)
 * Student Player of the Week (Week 2 vs. Grambling State)
 * Scout Special Team Player of the Week (Week 2 vs. Grambling State)

Week 3
Brandon Dawkins J. J. Taylor Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles Josh Pollack Nate Phillips Tyrell Johnson Zach Benjamin Larry Tharpe Jr. Jarrius Wallace
 * Co-Coaches Offensive Player of the Week (Week 3 vs Hawaii)
 * Co-Coaches Offensive Player of the Week (Week 3 vs Hawaii)
 * Coaches Defensive Player of the Week (Week 3 vs Hawaii)
 * Coaches Special Teams Player of the Week (Week 3 vs Hawaii)
 * Hard Edge Player of the Week (Week 3 vs Hawaii)
 * Student Player of the Week (Week 3 vs Hawaii)
 * Scout Offensive Player of the Week (Week 3 vs Hawaii)
 * Scout Defensive Player of the Week (Week 3 vs Hawaii)
 * Scout Special Teams Player of the Week (Week 3 vs Hawaii)


 * Week 7


 * Week 8


 * Week 9


 * Week 10


 * Week 11


 * Week 12


 * Week 13


 * Week 14
 * Bye

Award watch lists

 * Anu Solomon
 * Maxwell Award Watch list – College Football Player of the Year
 * Walter Camp Award Watchlist – Player of the Year
 * Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award Watchlist
 * Davey O'Brien Award Watch list – the collegiate American football player judged to be the best of all NCAA quarterbacks


 * Nick Wilson
 * Doak Walker Award Watch list – The nation's top college football running back


 * Paul Magloire Jr.
 * Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List

Postseason games
Senior Bowl

All Star Game

Radio

 * ESPN Radio – (ESPN Tucson 1490 AM & 104.09 FM) – Nationwide (Dish Network, Sirius XM, TuneIn radio and iHeartRadio)
 * KCUB 1290 AM – Football Radio Show – (Tucson, AZ)
 * KHYT – 107.5 FM (Tucson, AZ)
 * KTKT 990 AM – La Hora de Los Gatos (Spanish) – (Tucson, AZ)
 * KGME 910 AM – (IMG Sports Network) – (Phoenix, AZ)
 * KTAN 1420 AM – (Sierra Vista, AZ)
 * KDAP 96.5 FM (Douglas, Arizona)
 * KWRQ 102.3 FM – (Safford, AZ/Thatcher, AZ)
 * KIKO 1340 AM – (Globe, AZ)
 * KVWM 970 AM – (Show Low, AZ/Pinetop-Lakeside, AZ)
 * XENY 760 – (Nogales, Sonora) (Spanish)

TV

 * KOLD (CBS)
 * KGUN (ESPN College Football on ABC/ABC)
 * FOX (Fox Sports Media Group)
 * FS1 (Fox Sports Media Group)
 * ESPN (ESPN Family)
 * ESPN2 (ESPN Family)
 * ESPNU (ESPN Family)
 * CBS Sports Network
 * Pac-12 Network (Pac-12 Arizona)

2017 NFL draft
The 2017 NFL draft was held at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Philadelphia on April 27 through April 29, 2017. The following Arizona players were either selected or signed as free agents following the draft.