Robert Anae was at BYU for the past six seasons.
Photo from BYU

Nothing is close to official, but there seems to be little disagreement that former BYU offensive coordinator Robert Anae will be joining coach Mike Stoops‘ staff at Arizona.

WildcatSportsReport.com, one of our partners in the TucsonCitizen.com Sports Network, wrote Sunday night in a premium article that Anae was expected to replace offensive coordinator Bill Bedenbaugh.

The Deseret News and the Salt Lake Tribune also reported Monday that Anae was set to join the Wildcats.

Official word likely will have to wait. Stoops still has a job opening for a secondary coach, but the official university site lists no new job posting for an assistant coach.

Bedenbaugh, who is Arizona’s offensive line coach and co-offensive coordinator, is set to join his former Iowa Wesleyan teammate Dana Holgorsen at West Virginia. Holgorsen will be the Mountaineers’ offensive coordinator in 2011 and then take over head coaching duties in 2012.

Hiring Anae at Arizona makes sense in that he was the offensive line coach at Texas Tech under Mike Leach from 2000 to 2004, giving him a background in Arizona’s offensive system.

Anae, who was a standout offensive lineman at BYU and a member of its 1984 national championship team, resigned under pressure at the end of the Cougars’ season.

Wrote Gordon Monson in the Salt Lake Tribune:

Anae was forced out, a victim of Bronco Mendenhall’s recent declaration to his offensive assistants for them to seek employment elsewhere. And that strong suggestion was aimed primarily at You Know Who. Now that the main objective has been met, with the tossing of another assistant or two yet to come, Mendenhall can charge into independence with the guys he wants.

That’s what he desired for a long time, but the politics here were delicate. Anae was hired as BYU’s lead offensive man not by Mendenhall but by administrators. In other words, Anae was being crammed down the head coach’s throat before he was even named the head coach, and it wasn’t until recently that Mendenhall felt empowered to show Anae the door. …

Beyond what’s already been noted, it wasn’t easy unloading Anae because the Cougars had been putting up winning seasons (56-21), and statistically the offense had been impressive. In half of Anae’s years, BYU had ranked in the top six passing offenses nationally.

But there were troubles brewing beneath the surface. Players had difficulty communicating with the coordinator even in good seasons, and, at times, those breakdowns caused real antipathy. Mix in Anae’s stubbornness, and the entire offensive push was ham-handed, made worse by Mendenhall’s lack of expertise on that side of the ball.

Questions:

Would Anae just coach the offensive line at Arizona? Would he share coordinator duties with current co-coordinator and running backs coach Seth Littrell? Would he take over play-calling duties?

(My guess, given Stoops’ penchant for promoting from within, is that Littrell becomes the “full-time” coordinator and retains calls plays … we’ll see.)

Here’s a quirky fact if Stoops hires Anae:

Anae would be second new coach at Arizona who started his career under Dick Tomey.

Stoops already brought in ex-Wildcat defensive tackle Joe Salave’a, who started his coaching career under Tomey at San Jose State in 2008. Anae’s first coaching job was at Hawaii in 1986, which was Tomey last year at the school before becoming the Arizona head coach.

Bill Bedenbaugh

(7:25 p.m. UPDATE: I talked to Arizona coach Mike Stoops, who said he wouldn’t comment tonight on the possibility of Bill Bedenbaugh’s departure.)

According to a Twitter post from Tom Deinhart, the national college football writer for Rivals.com, Arizona co-offensive coordinator Bill Bedenbaugh will join the coaching staff of his old pal, Dana Holgorsen at West Virginia.

Holgorsen, who was the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State this season, will be the offensive coordinator at West Virginia in 2011 before taking over head coaching duties.

Bedenbaugh and Holgorsen were teammates at Iowa Wesleyan in the early 1990s and coached together at Texas Tech under Mike Leach.

Bedenbaugh has been at Arizona since 2007, coaching the offensive line. He was promoted to co-offensive coordinator with running backs coach Seth Littrell after last season, with Littrell being the primary play-caller.

Bedenbaugh has been key to Arizona’s recruiting efforts in Illinois, bringing in tight end Jack Baucus, as well as offensive tackles Mickey Baucus and Fabbians Ebbele, among others. Bedenbaugh talked recently about the potential of Mickey Baucus and Ebbele — who each redshirted this season — as part of a rebuilt offensive line for next season.

That leaves two openings on Arizona’s coaching staff. Coach Mike Stoops also has to hire a secondary coach to replace Greg Brown. Stoops already has replaced defensive tackles coach Mike Tuiasosopo with Joe Salave’a.

I wrote about Bedenbaugh’s relationship with Holgorsen on Dec. 15 for this story: How the West Virginia coaching job could affect the Arizona Wildcats

Former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach might resurface at Maryland. Photo by Bruce Thorson-US PRESSWIRE

Arizona Wildcats football fans should keep an eye on a head coaching situation taking place about 2,300 miles away.

Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen, 63, has reportedly agreed to a contract buyout, with former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach emerging as a leading candidate.

Leach has ties to three Arizona offensive coaches — offensive line coach and co-coordinator Bill Bedenbaugh, running backs coach and co-offensive coordinator Seth Littrell and outside receivers coach Dave Nichol.

Leach was an assistant coach at Iowa Wesleyan in 1991 when Bedenbaugh played there. Bedenbaugh was on the same coaching staff as Leach in 1996 at Valdosta State under head coach Hal Mumme.

When Leach became a head coach at Texas Tech in 2000, he brought in Bedenbaugh, who stayed through the 2006 season before joining Arizona.

Littrell played for Oklahoma in 1999, when Leach was the Sooners’ offensive coordinator. Littrell coached for Leach at Texas Tech from 2005 to 2008.

Nichol was a Texas Tech student assistant in 2000 and 2001, later joining Leach’s staff as a graduate assistant in 2003 and 2005.

Leach, who was fired after a successful 10-season run at Texas Tech after last season amid allegations of mistreatment of a player, certainly would be looking to hire assistants familiar with his Air Raid passing offense should he get the Maryland job.

Another potential problem for Arizona head coach Mike Stoops is that Oklahoma State offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen will become the head coach in-waiting at West Virginia after the Cowboys play the Wildcats in the Dec. 29 Alamo Bowl.

Holgorsen is another former Texas Tech assistant who has strong ties to that trio of Arizona coaches. Even though he won’t become the West Virginia head coach until after the 2011 season, Holgorsen could begin to remake the Mountaineers’ offensive coaching staff this offseason.

Might there be a situation in which Leach and Holgorsen are each trying to hire their old coaching buddies? Sure looks that way, so it could get very interesting for Arizona this offseason.

Freshman Fabbians Ebbele works out during fall camp.
Photo by Brad Allis, WildcatSportsReport.com

The Arizona Wildcats are losing their entire starting offensive line after this season, so who’s next?

One likely answer is Kyle Quinn, who will make his first career start in the Dec. 29 Alamo Bowl against Oklahoma State. Quinn replaces senior Colin Baxter, who is out following surgery on his right knee.

The next wave includes three redshirt freshmen and four freshmen who are redshirting. Among that latter group, watch for Mickey Baucus and Fabbians Ebbele.

“Those two young tackles, if they continue to improve, they’re going to be as good as anybody I’ve coached,” said offensive line coach and co-offensive coordinator Bill Bedenbaugh.

“They’ve got that talent. Now, they have to come with a mentality and a competitiveness and a toughness and those kind of things. If you look at them and see how they work, they’ve got what it takes.”

Baucus was listed at 6-8 and 275 pounds at the beginning of camp. Ebbele was listed at 6-6, 295. Both are from Illinois, which is Bedenbaugh’s recruiting area, one of the reasons why it’s important for Arizona to retain him. Bedenbaugh is the lead recruiter on four-star offensive lineman Chris Bryant, Ebbele’s former teammate at Chicago Simeon High School.

Arizona has a commitment from center Addison Bachman from Citrus Community College in Glendora, Calif. He is expected to enroll for the spring semester. If he wins the starting job, Quinn could move to guard.

The Wildcats are in pursuit of other junior college linemen to bolster what will be an inexperienced offensive line in 2011.

But there is the chance for a solid foundation that includes Baucus and Ebbele.

“We’re recruiting some other guys right now, but I think if they have the spring that I’m hoping they have, then they’ll be ready to go and start for four years,” Bedenbaugh said. “They have to do it on the field … but they’ve got everything it takes.”

As for Quinn, he could end up staying at center or playing guard, depending on who else Arizona brings in and how players develop.

“I have a ton of confidence in Kyle. Kyle is extremely athletic. He is a smart guy; he over-thinks things sometimes. But he’s passionate. He loves playing and he wants to be really good. Works as hard as anybody I’ve been around.”

Bill Bedenbaugh

Oklahoma State offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen is reportedly set to become the head coach in-waiting at West Virginia, a transaction that could affect the Arizona coaching staff.

And, of course, it could put a spin or two on the Dec. 29 Alamo Bowl, when the Wildcats take on the Cowboys in San Antonio.

Holgorsen reportedly would be offensive coordinator at West Virginia for the 2011 season and then take over for head coach Bill Stewart in 2012. Some reports have Holgorsen being able to bring in some new offensive assistants right away, and this is where it could get tricky for Arizona.

Holgorsen coached at Texas Tech under Mike Leach with a trio of UA assistants — offensive line coach and co-coordinator Bill Bedenbaugh, running backs coach and co-offensive coordinator Seth Littrell and outside receivers coach Dave Nichol.

Would Holgrosen try to raid the Arizona coaching staff? If not, would Bedenbaugh and Littrell be a candidate for the new vacancy at Oklahoma State, as suggested by The Oklahoman?

The bond between Bedenbaugh and Holgorsen goes back further than their days together at Texas Tech. They were teammates at NAIA school Iowa Wesleyan in the early 1990s. Hal Mumme was the head coach there until 1991, when Leach was an assistant coach there.

“We’ve known each other forever,” Bedenbaugh told TucsonCitizen.com on Sunday, before news broke about Holgorsen’s likely hiring at West Virginia.

“We worked together at Texas Tech for seven years. He’s one of my best friends, not just in coaching, but in general. Just a great guy.”

Holgorsen was a receiver at Iowa Wesleyan, whose early 1990s teams still hold several NAIA record for offense.

“He was what he is as a coach,” Bedenbaugh said. “Tough guy. Did his job. Did things the right way. Played hard. He wasn’t very fast, but he caught a ton of ball. I can’t tell you how many, but, obviously, we threw it every down.”

Since leaving Texas Tech, the Arizona coaches have tweaked the Air Raid offense to suit their needs and personnel. Same thing with Holgorsen, who in his first season at Oklahoma State, has the Cowboys leading the nation in total yardage (537.58 per game).

“We run a bunch of what we ran at Texas Tech. He does the same thing,” Bedenbaugh said.

“But everybody adds their own things. They’re rushing for 200 yards a game, which I don’t know if we rushed for that in three games at Texas Tech. There are some different things, but the plays and schemes are very similar.

“He’s adapted and done some different things, but the base principles of what they’re doing are very similar.”

QB Matt Scott tries to scramble for a first down against Toledo, but the play was called back because of holding in the end zone/Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE

The big question from the Toledo game: Why did the coaches put in backup quarterback Matt Scott early in the second quarter when the Wildcats were backed up at their 4-yard line, leading only 7-0?

“That was kind of unfair,” coach Mike Stoops said. “I wasn’t really pleased with that decision.”

Which is an odd thing for a head coach to say — doesn’t he make all the decisions? — so I asked him if he had the chance to overrule that personnel decision.

Sounds like that one zipped right past the chain of command.

Chalk up to the coaching staff, with new co-offensive coordinators Seth Littrell and Bill Bedenbaugh still working through communication issues during the game.

“That is just stuff we have to work through, and we will,” Stoops said. “That was a mistake. Like I said, we had talked about putting Matt in early in the second quarter, but that wasn’t the ideal situation. …

“That is just something that has to be communicated better. That was my fault.”

Scott and the Wildcats ended up facing a third-and-11 when he scrambled and bulled his way to what appeared to be a first down. But maybe he wouldn’t have gotten started on that run without the hold in the end zone from left guard Conan Amituanai, which resulted in a safety.

Scott got more time late in the game when the Wildcats had a comfortable margin, and you could see what the coaches have been talking about — and we’ve been writing about — regarding the quarterback’s improved throwing. He was 5 of 7 for 53 yards and one touchdown.

Last season, when Scott came into a game in relief of Foles, everyone in the stadium knew he was there to run the ball. This season, defenses are going to have to be a bit more honest against him … or likely pay the price.

* * *

True freshman receiver Tyler Slavin entered the Toledo game as the backup to Juron Criner and it was expected that he would play, but Slavin did not make an appearance. Junior Gino Crump, who made two catches for 20 yards, played as the second-stringer.

Does that mean Slavin is headed to a redshirt season?

Not necessarily. Outside receivers coach Dave Nichol said the coaching staff will continue to get Slavin — and true freshman receiver Austin Hill — ready for action. Just in case. But no final decision has been made regarding a redshirt.

* * *

What’s up with ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit? He picked Arizona at No. 22 in his preseason AP ballot, and then the Wildcats wiped out Toledo, 41-2. So, Arizona might have a chance to move up, right?

Nope. Instead, Herbstreit dropped the Wildcats out of his Top 25.

Even more curiously, USC, which struggled to put away Hawaii, rose from No. 24 to No. 18 on Herbie’s ballot. Hard to figure.

Senior center Colin Baxter warms up with QB Nick Foles before the Aug. 21 scrimmage/Photo by Mark Evans, TucsonCitizen.com

Arizona senior center Colin Baxter has a little problem.

There’s nothing wrong with his health or his reputation. He’s ready to go for Friday’s opener at Toledo, and he has picked up all manner of preseason All-American honors, including recent second-team honors from Rivals.com and third-team honors from CBS Sports.com.

He’s a team captain. He’s probably the “nastiest” of the offensive linemen, according to quarterback Nick Foles.

Here’s the thing: He’s listed at 6-4 and 295 pounds … but he might not really be that tall … and that could be the problem. Not for this season at Arizona, but his future beyond it in the NFL. He and offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh admit that.

“Everybody looks at that,” Bedenbaugh said of height.

“Colin is right at 6-3. He does a heck of a job for us, but, obviously, if you get a guy as talented as him, you’d like him as tall and as big as could be.”

While Baxter spent the offseason getting bigger and stronger under the direction of strength coach Corey Edmond — five days a week — he admits with a chuckle, “It’s hard to make myself grow taller.”

He lists his positive attributes: “Hard work. I’m tough. I don’t get hurt. Play hard. All those kinds of things. And I feel like I’m a pretty smart player, but I’m a little on the small side.”

Baxter will work with what he has. He is projected as a fourth- or fifth-round pick by NFLDraftScout.com. A more dire account comes from the National Football Post, which claims Baxter “looks like nothing more than a camp body” in the NFL.

So, Baxter still has a lot to prove. Not so much to his coaches and teammates and everyone in the Pac-10, but to those in the NFL who will be breaking down everything about his game:

His initial quickness, hand placement, acceleration, getting into second-level blocks, balance, flexibility, lateral agility, lower body strength, knee bend, blocking angles, arm length, height, awareness …

“Colin is a great player,” Bedenbaugh said. “Colin is going to have a chance to play in the NFL. How he plays this year is going to determine where he goes and how much of a shot he has. …

“But, heck, I wouldn’t trade him for anybody.”

* * *

A potential Michigan-Michigan State rivalry now belongs to the state of Arizona.

While Arizona is set with Michigan State transfer Nick Foles returning at quarterback, Arizona State on Monday selected Michigan transfer quarterback Steven Threet as its starter. Threet started eight games for the Wolverines in 2008.

I asked Foles after practice Monday if he had ever crossed paths with Threet — at a high school quarterbacks camp or anything like that.

“I don’t think I have ever met him,” Foles said. “I didn’t really go to camps in high school. I played basketball. I think I went to one Nike camp and that was it. …

“I knew he played at Michigan, so that was neat. He’s a good quarterback. I saw play at Michigan on TV.”

* * *

It was a bit curious when Mike Stoops said at his Monday news conference that he wasn’t sure who was going to start at running back. Nic Grigsby is the presumptive starter, backed by Keola Antolin and Greg Nwoko.

Co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach Seth Littrell said it didn’t much matter who is out there for the first play, and it could very well depend on what kind of package Arizona has for early in the game.

“Not important at all,” Littrell said of who starts.

“What matters is how you compete and make the most out of your plays. If one guys gets the hot hand and is doing things right, then we’ll try to get the ball in his hands as much as possible.”

Fabbians Ebbele, from Chicago, should be one of the new building blocks for the offensive line/Photo by Brad Allis, WildcatSportsReport.com

You might not have been able to tell from the kind of vocabulary offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh was using during Monday’s practice, but he seems to really like his young offensive linemen.

It’s this group of four true freshmen, combined with three redshirt freshman offensive linemen from the class of 2009, that will be the future foundation of everything the Wildcats want to do on offense.

For now, the true freshmen might give up a speed rush to Brooks Reed coming off the edge in practice. They might not go hard every time from snap to whistle. That’s OK. It’s early. What is encouraging is they look the part.

Mickey Baucus, Fabbians Ebbele, Carter Lees and Trent Spurgeon are part of what appears to be Mike Stoops’ most physically impressive freshman class.

“These guys, there are all in the 6-6 to 6-8 range, and they all have long arms, and they are all 290 to 300 pounds. They’re athletes,” Bedenbaugh, also the co-offensive coordinator, said of his linemen.

“But the biggest thing is, just mentally picking up the game. They’re getting a lot of reps right now, but it’s going to take some time.”

With six seniors and one junior (guard Vaughn Dotsy) in the two-deep, Arizona doesn’t have much margin or error with injuries. The experience drops off quickly. Redshirt freshman Eric Bender-Ramsay is listed as a possible backup at left tackle. Chris Putton is a second-stringer at left guard.

The opportunity could be there for a true freshman.

“We’ve got to have one of them develop in case we get into a situation where we need them,” Bedenbaugh said.

* * *

When Lindy’s National College Basketball magazine hits the newsstands in a few weeks, Arizona will be picked to finish second in the Pac-10 behind certain-unanimous pick Washington.

Lindy’s won’t have the Wildcats in its preseason Top 25, but UA will be right on the fringes, which sounds about right as Sean Miller‘s team looks to climb after a 16-15 season.

I wrote the Arizona preview for the magazine (although I did not have any input in the rankings). While interviewing Miller for the magazine, I asked him if he had learned in his first year which buttons to push with senior-to-be forward Jamelle Horne.

“I think one things players always respect is honesty. I thought I was very honest in coaching Jamelle last year, as was our staff, and we had some very direct conversations this spring,” Miller said.

“The only thing I can judge Jamelle on is what he does past those conversations.”

Since the end of last semester, Horne stayed in Tucson and attended summer pre-session classes and both regular summer sessions. “He didn’t have to do that,” Miller said.

And he was devoted to his workouts.

“He has done a great job in the classroom,” Miller said. “Physically, he has probably has made as much improvement as anybody on our team. He’s much stronger, heavier. I think he is in a good place.”

Now, Horne just needs to devote himself to having a full-time rebounding mentality.

* * *

Various reports in the past few weeks have said that Kentucky shortstop/third baseman Andy Burns will be transferring to Arizona. Burns hit .271 as a sophomore last season, starting 44 of the team’s 56 games. He hit 11 home runs, one off the team lead.

Burns was a two-time state player of the year at Rocky Mountain High in Colorado Springs, Colo., and was the 38th-best prospect in the nation after his senior season, according to Baseball America. The Colorado Rockies selected him in the 25th round in the 2008 draft.

* * *

Former Arizona Wildcat Chris Gronkowski, an undrafted rookie fullback, has been catching the eye of Dallas Cowboys coach Wade Phillips in training camp. The Cowboys opened the exhibition season over the weekend against the Cincinnati Bengals. In his evaluation a day later, Phillips said about Gronkowski, “For a rookie, I thought he played well.” If Gronkowski makes the team, it will be in no small part because of his coachability and work ethic … and his ability to help on special teams helps, too.

* * *

Hallie Wilson/Photo submitted by Hallie Wilson to USA Softball

Three Arizona softball recruits — each of whom will be entering their senior seasons of high school — are playing with the U.S. junior women’s national team at the 18-under Pan Am Championships in Bogota, Columbia. The trio of outfielder Hallie Wilson, catcher Chelsea Goodacre and shortstop Shelby Pendley were a combined 5-of-7 with four RBIs and four stolen bases in the first two games, each won by the United States via no-hitters. …

More softball: Arizona senior-to-be outfielder Brittany Lastrapes should have been with the U.S. Futures team at the Japan Cup in Sendai City last week. But she was in Tucson, still feeling the effects of the mononucleosis that she fought through at the Women’s College World Series in early June. Team USA, helped by ex-Cat third baseman Jenae Leles, won that event with a 5-0 victory against Japan on Sunday.

* * *

Arizona outfielder Steve Selsky, who will be a junior next season (assuming he doesn’t sign before Aug. 15 after being a 34th-round pick of the Colorado Rockies), has homered in three consecutive games in the Cape Cod League playoffs. Selsky and UA teammate Kyle Simon are playing for the Orleans (Mass.) Firebirds in the East Division Finals. Simon had a 0.92 ERA in seven regular-season starts in the summer league, spanning 39 innings.

Bill Bedenbaugh

The identity of Arizona’s play-caller for offense is still a mystery. Which is not the same thing as it being a concern.

Coach Mike Stoops has two new co-coordinators — offensive line Bill Bedenbaugh and running backs/tight ends coach Seth Littrell. He also has a new quarterbacks coach in Frank Scelfo, who called plays last season for Louisiana Tech and has done so at other places, including Tulane.

Stoops’ message: It will all work itself out as Arizona goes through spring ball, which was set to begin Friday afternoon.

“We haven’t really worked through all that yet,” Stoops said. “It’s just about getting comfortable with who we are as a staff. A lot of will be determined as we move through the spring. That’s a process that will be ongoing.”

Stoops admits that the lack of a play-caller at this stage is “probably a little bit unorthodox.”

But Bedenbaugh is entering his fourth season at Arizona, Littrell is second season, and they coached together at Texas Tech. So, they each have a high level of comfort in this offensive scheme.

And the players have a high level of comfort with them, Stoops said.

“I think our players are as confident as they have ever been in our staff, that is for sure,” Stoops said.

“I think they have a great feeling of continuity. I think that is the biggest thing. There is not a lack of trust there. The big thing is to have chemistry among our staff and players. I think we have that. If we didn’t have that, then that would be alarming.”

Seth Littrell

Stoops met with the media Friday morning, and then his co-offensive coordinators and co-defensive coordinators (linebackers coach Tim Kish and new secondary coach Greg Brown) did the same.

As a practical matter on game days, Bedenbaugh said he will be on the field while Littrell will be in the press box.

“We have been in this offense; we know what we want to do,” Bedenbaugh said. “We think alike. We want to run the same things. Everything will be good.

Two other members of the offensive staff return — outside receivers coach David Nichol and inside receivers coach Garret Chachere — easing the transition.

“We have great position coaches,” Littrell said. “We are not going to have to be looking over anyone’s shoulder.”

Bedenbaugh said the playbook has been tweaked to reflect the team’s strengths and weaknesses. The team’s biggest strength at this point, Stoops said, is the experience on offense, where 10 starters return, including quarterback Nick Foles.

“I think it will be a much more confident group,” Stoops said. “I think they know they can move the football.”

One thing to work in the spring is to continue to explore the options with backup quarterback Matt Scott, including specific packages for his running skills.

“I think you have to,” Stoops said. “He’s one of our most talented players. I think you have to keep him involved. …

“He’s going to have a lot of opportunities. It will be his chance to show us what he can do and see if he’s matured through the course of the year.”

Now, all Arizona has to figure out is who calls the plays. The game plan typically is done by Tuesday of game week. On game day, it laregly will be a collaborative effort — as it was with Sonny Dykes as the coordinator the past three seasons — but somebody has to pull the trigger when things get crazy during games.

In spring and fall scrimmages, the coaching staff will have to work on communication and timing, as well as the play-calling.

“These guys are all in it together,” Stoops said.

NOTES

Stoops said three players are out for the spring — starting OG Vaughn Dotsy (back surgery last week), projected starting DT Dominique Austin (toe) and third-string RB Greg Nwoko (shoulder).