Juron Criner was the only all-conference player for Arizona from its 2008 recruiting class. Photo by Chris Morrison-USA Today Sports

The Arizona Wildcats football recruiting class of 2008 is in the books.

Arizona was coming off a 5-7 season in coach Mike Stoops fourth season and hadn’t had a winning record in nine seasons.

The Cats weren’t operating from a position of strength and finished 39th nationally in the recruiting rankings of Rivals.com and Scout.com, which put Arizona slightly below average among BCS conference teams.

So, how did Arizona do with its 2008 recruiting class?

Somewhere around average sounds about right.

The Cats hit on about half of the class, with “hit” defined as a starting player, but there wasn’t a lot of star power and not nearly enough defense.

Let’s take a look …

Good: You wouldn’t have known it at the time, but the eventual headliner of the 23-player class was three-star receiver Juron Criner (who was rated as only as two-star recruit by Scout.com). Criner was the only first-team All-Pac-10/12 player in this class, becoming one of the most prolific receivers in school history.

“We knew in high school he was pretty special,” Stoops said in 2010.

“He was a big, strong, physical guy. Played basketball. Could jump. I don’t know … we didn’t see anything that showed us he wasn’t going to be a very talented player.”

Good: The class was heavy on offensive linemen; seven signed with the Cats and six proved to be starters, including a pair who helped lead the 2012 line as fifth-year seniors — center Kyle Quinn and guard Trace Biskin.

Bad: Three of the offensive linemen were junior college transfers, so Arizona filled a need but didn’t get much lasting benefit. And the career of promising guard Vaughn Dotsy was cut short because of injury.

Bad: The best offensive lineman of the group — junior college transfer J’Marcus Webb — never made it to Arizona but has gone on to be a three-year starter for the Chicago Bears.

Good: Defensive back Robert Golden was one of the top-rated players in Arizona’s class and became a three-year starter and a NFL player last season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Criner, Golden and wide receiver David Douglas (who appeared in one game with Tampa Bay late in the season) all made the NFL from this class.

Good: Not included here is a player Arizona landed in the spring of 2008 — Michigan State transfer quarterback Nick Foles.

Good: Quarterback Matt Scott, able to redshirt in 2011 behind Foles, was a fifth-year senior last season. He earned second-team All-Pac-12 team and was the foremost reason why the Cats posted a surprising 8-5 mark in coach Rich Rodriguez’s first season.

Bad: With a class that featured six junior college transfers, five players who never played a down for the Cats, injuries, and guys who simply weren’t good enough, Arizona got useful play from only three fifth-year seniors: Scott, Quinn and Biskin. Lack of depth from the upperclassmen was a huge hurdle for Rodriguez in 2012.

Bad: Arizona went 0 for 5 in defensive linemen in this class, a huge reason why the Cats failed to have a suitable pass rush in 2011 and 2012. UA also went 0 for 2 on high school linebackers. The alarming lack of enduring defensive talent in this class helps explain Arizona’s woeful stats in the past two seasons.

Here is a player-by-player look at the 2008 class, with ratings by Rivals.com:

Keola Antolin, RB, Las Vegas, Bishop Gorman HS (3 stars)
He gave Arizona steady production for four seasons, finishing with 2,398 rushing yards, 508 receiving yards and 26 total touchdowns.

Dominique Austin, DE, La Puente, Calif., Bishop Amat HS (3 stars)
He was little-used before this year. He started the first five games before being sidelined with an injury, able to return briefly in the New Mexico Bowl.

Kenny Barnes, DE, Glendale, Raymond S Kellis HS (2 stars)
Never played. Quit the team in the summer of 2009 after redshirting.

Trace Biskin, OL, Westlake Village, Calif. Oaks Christian HS (3 stars)
Started 17 games over the past two seasons, including seven in 2012, when he battled a toe injury.

Juron Criner, WR, North Las Vegas, Canyon Springs HS (3 stars)
With excellent body control and leaping ability, Criner excelled at catching the deep pass from Nick Foles. He finished with 209 catches for 2,859 yards and a school-record 32 touchdown receptions, going on to play for the Oakland Raiders as a rookie.

Mike Diaz, OL, Cerritos, Calif., Cerritos CC (3 stars)
He started 20 games in two years, including 11 at left tackle in 2009.

Vaughn Dotsy, OL, Ventura, Calif., St. Bonaventure HS (3 stars)
He started two games as a junior early in the 2010 season before being sidelined by a back injury that forced him to give up football after the year.

David Douglas, WR, McKinney, Texas, McKinney North HS (2 stars)
Douglas caught 151 passes for 1,542 yards and 11 touchdowns at Arizona. He was on the New York Giants practice squad for most of last season before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers picked him up late in the season.

Zander Fabbri, LB, Bakersfield, Calif., Centennial HS (3 stars)
He suffered a concussion in 2008 fall camp and eventually had to give up football.

Phillip Garcia, OL, Cerritos, Calif., Cerritos CC (3 stars)
Redshirted in 2008 because of a knee injury, made a couple of spot starts in 2009 and then started every game in 2010 at right tackle.

Robert Golden, DB, Fresno, Calif., Edison HS (4 stars)
He started two seasons at safety and one at cornerback for the Cats before sticking with the Pittsburgh Steelers last season as an undrafted free agent.

Herman Hall, OL, Brenham, Texas, Blinn CC (2 stars)
He started 11 games as a senior in 2009, playing both guard spots.

Solomon Koehler, DT, Kaneohe, Hawaii, Castle HS (4 stars)
Plenty of recruiting hype but didn’t have the quickness needed at defensive tackle and was moved to the offensive line late in his redshirt freshman season. He was gone a year later.

Sterling Lewis, LB, Brenham, Texas, Blinn CC (3 stars)
Was a solid player, starting 15 games in two seasons and making 97 tackles.

Chris Merrill, DT, Scottsdale, Saguaro HS (3 stars)
He merely saw spot duty through his career, coming up with 15 tackles, including five in 2012.

Greg Nwoko, RB, Pflugerville, Texas, Pflugerville HS (2 stars)
Had a role in 2009 and 2010 as a bigger running back, but he lost 2011 to a knee injury and 2012 to a hip injury after moving to linebacker in fall camp.

Kyle Quinn, OL, Brentwood, Calif., Liberty Union HS (3 stars)
Quinn was a two-year starter at center, extending the program’s stability at the position after taking over for Colin Baxter. Worked out for scouts at the Casino Del Sol College All-Star Game and the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.

Matt Scott, QB, Corona, Calif., Centennial HS (4 stars)
Got his chance to be the full-time starter as a senior, completing 301 of 499 passes for 3,620 yards, with 27 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Scott has the potential to be a mid-round NFL draft pick in April.

Vuna Tuihalamaka, LB, Torrance, Calif., El Camino CC (4 stars)
He was productive as an every-game starter in 2009, with 72 tackles, including 5.5 for loss.

Jowyn Ward, DT, Katy, Texas, Mayde Creek HS (2 stars)
Only saw spot duty (11 tackles) for three years before being moved to backup offensive guard during the 2012 season.

Mark Watley, DB, Encino, Calif., Crespi HS (2 stars)
He seemed to be in line to be a contributor in 2012, but he made only four tackles as he slipped on the depth chart after making 27 stops in 2011.

J’Marcus Webb, OL, Corsicana, Texas, Navarro JC (4 stars)
He was the only member of Arizona’s recruiting class who failed to qualify, landing at lower-division West Texas. Webb, who began his career at the University of Texas, was a seventh-round pick of the Bears in 2010.

R.J. Young, LB, DeSoto, Texas, DeSoto HS (3 stars)
After making 25 career tackles at Arizona, Young transferred after the 2010 season to Louisiana-Monroe, where he led the team in tackles in 2012 with 94, including 11 for loss.

Kyle Quinn missed three games because of injury this season but was Arizona’s starting center for the past two years. Photo by Matt Kartozian-US PRESSWIRE

Three Arizona Wildcats have accepted invitations to play in the Casino Del Sol College All-Star Game in Tucson next month.

Center Kyle Quinn, defensive lineman Dominique Austin and fullback/defensive end Taimi Tutogi will get a chance to interview and workout for scouts, and then play in front of UA fans one more time on Dec. 11.

The game will be played Jan. 11 at 7 p.m.

It will be interesting to how scouts evaluate Tutogi, who played both ways as a senior. He certainly has the body to be a situational NFL player on offense while being able to play on special teams. Austin missed the final seven games of the regular season because of a foot injury but came back to play in the New Mexico Bowl victory.

A list of 64 committed players released by bowl officials includes 13 from the Pac-12. Arizona State will send punter Josh Hubner, a Lindy’s third-team All-American.

One of the more intriguing players could be Washington State quarterback Jeff Tuel, who decided to enter the draft and not try to seek a medical hardship season from earlier in his career.

Tuel spent part of his childhood in Tucson, attending Salpointe Catholic High School for a year before his family moved to Fresno, Calif.

More player announcements are expected in the next week or so. The game featured about 90 prospects last season.

Here is a list of the 64 players who accepted invitations:

ALBUQUERQUE — The New Mexico Bowl has a laid-back vibe, and the teams were able to let loose at a team dinner Thursday night in a Family Feud-styled competition.

Arizona — adept at providing answers to survey questions such as “a game you played as a child,” “something you put on a baked potato” and “something in your garage” — won the event after four rounds of competition at the Albuquerque Convention Center.

With players crowding the platform and shouting helpful (and not-so-helpful) answers, five members of the Arizona coaching staff provided the win in the clinching round by defeating five defensive players from Nevada.

At least it’s a good omen. The past four winners of this New Mexico Bowl tradition have gone on to win the football game.

* * *

The Arizona Wildcats need as much help as they can get to stop Nevada’s Pistol offense in the New Mexico Bowl, and senior Dominique Austin figures to be an unexpected boost.

Austin is listed as probable after missing seven games because of a foot injury.

“That’s tremendous,” junior linebacker Marquis Flowers said of Austin’s return.

“He means a lot. He plays a great technique. He helps us out in pass rush. He’s a great player. He’s been wanting to get back since he got hurt. It was unfortunate when they told him he was out for the season, being a senior and not having another year.

“For him to be able to come out and play this game, it’s exciting for the whole team.”

Austin, who redshirted last season, is one of two Arizona players who have played in a bowl victory. The other is senior receiver Dan Buckner, who helped Texas beat Ohio State 24-21 in the 2009 Fiesta Bowl when he was a freshman.

Austin had 14 tackles before being injured Sept. 29 in the fifth game of the season.

* * *

The game will be officiated by an ACC crew. It’s hard to know whether there is a cause-and-effect, but the ACC had six of the nation’s top 16 least penalized teams.

Is the ACC more of a let-them-play league than the Pac-12? The Pac-12 has five of the nation’s eight most penalized teams.

* * *

Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez has a loyal coaching staff that followed him to Tucson sight unseen last winter. Four assistants previously coached with him at West Virginia and Michigan, and all but offensive line coach Robert Anae, who came from the former Arizona coaching staff, had some sort of direct connection to West Virginia or other new UA assistants.

There has been little buzz — at least so far — about turnover in the coaching staff.

Rodriguez said he wouldn’t be expecting any assistant to make a “lateral move,” but as the coaching carousel still spins, somebody could be offered a bigger role somewhere else in the next few weeks.

“I’ve got guys on my staff who I think would be outstanding head coaches, given the right opportunity,” he said.

* * *

Arizona will be breaking out a new uniform combination Saturday. The Cats will wear red helmets, blue jerseys and red pants.

Dominique Austin

ALBUQUERQUE — The Arizona Wildcats expect to get back senior defensive end Dominique Austin for New Mexico Bowl on Saturday.

Austin, who was the team’s best defensive end early in the season, according to coach Rich Rodriguez, has not played since the fifth game of the year — Sept. 29 against Oregon State — because of a foot injury.

Rodriguez, at one point, said Austin would not return this season, but he is listed as probable on the team’s injury report released Thursday afternoon. Austin had 14 tackles, including one for loss, and broke up two passes in the first five games.

Wide receiver Dan Buckner, who battled an ankle injury late in the season and missed the majority of the regular-season-finale against Arizona State, also is considered probable.

The only concern is safety Tra’Mayne Bondurant, who is questionable because of an ankle injury. His backup is true freshman Wayne Capers Jr.

Linebacker Hank Hobson, who suffered a neck injury at UCLA on Nov. 3, is out.

This season wouldn’t have been possible without the play and leadership of Matt Scott. Photo by Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

Soon after Arizona hired Rich Rodriguez, the seniors-to-be filed into his new office, one-by-one, to hear the same message.

Center Kyle Quinn remembers Rodriguez saying something like this:

“This is your team. It’s the seniors’ team. I may not have recruited you guys, and this is your last year, but I want you guys to have the best senior year possible. You’re my guys.”

This is always the worry with a coaching change — the tenuous relationship between the new coach and the old players. The guy with the long-term plan doesn’t always have use for the short-timers. The short-timers tune out the guy with the long-term plan.

“We really bought into his philosophy and his mindset,” Quinn said.

“We were eager to change,” said senior defensive lineman Chris Merrill. “We knew we had to buy in for change to be implemented.”

“It started with us,” added senior fullback/defensive end Taimi Tutogi. “We talked to the guys and said, ‘Look at this guy’s record; he’s done a lot of good things at previous schools.’ The guys followed their leaders.”

Compare that to the situation at Washington State, where first-year coach Mike Leach said last month some of his seniors have an “empty-corpse quality.”

At Arizona, the senior class has helped pulled the Wildcats up from a 4-8 record last season to a 7-4 mark this year heading into Friday night’s regular-season finale against Arizona State.

It’s not that this senior class is supremely deep or talented — there are only five seniors who have started a majority of the games, none on defense. Several seniors are merely deep reserves, but they haven’t poisoned the well while filling small roles.

“I thought it was a good group of guys, but I didn’t know if they could play or not and what their contributions would be on the field,” Rodriguez said of his first impression of the seniors.

“But I loved their attitude. I thought they had a willingness to listen and learn and to lead in the right way. Particularly if you’re a senior and you’re not playing a whole lot, you could go a couple of different ways.

“You could buy into the team concept and help us out that way, or you could kind of go the other way and be a detriment. I think our guys chose to go the right way.”

This was hardly a seamless transition. Rodriguez asked the Wildcats to learn a new scheme on offense, a new scheme on defense, to practice differently — fast-paced all the time — to condition differently and harder than ever in the offseason. What’s more, the coaching staff has a different collective personality than that of the previous staff, another factor that could lead to unease and unhappiness.

“The guys that are here are happy that they stayed. I know it’s the best decision I’ve made,” Tutogi said.

“I’m just happy that Coach RichRod is doing what he is doing. It’s been a 360 (degree) difference from last year. Guys have stepped up. Now I wish I would have redshirted my freshman year. That’s just a product of how Coach RichRod coaches and his philosophy. I like that it’s a family.

“I’m sad, but I’m happy for the younger guys, because that’s what they are going to get for the rest of their career.”

The whole feel-good vibe has been a stark contrast to Rodriguez’s first year at Michigan.

These are some of the things that have been different at Arizona: UA didn’t have a public, anguished coaching search; Rodriguez nailed his introductory press conference; he’s had the full support of the administration; he hasn’t been publicly bad-mouthed by former players; his good ol’ boy personality has played well to the masses; he inherited an experienced senior quarterback … and any grumbling has stayed behind the scenes.

The proof of the buying-in is in the win-loss record and an on-field effort that can’t be called disappointing. Much credit goes to the seniors.

“He asked a lot of us as a group,” Tutogi said.

“It’s been easy when you’ve got a group of guys like the ones you’ve got. We didn’t know what guys were going to think when Coach Rod came in because you have a lot of different opinions with a lot of different coaches. But it started with us.”

Arizona rotates captains on a weekly basis but on Wednesday named captains through the bowl game — Scott, Quinn, Biskin and junior linebacker Jake Fischer, a fourth-year player who is the leader of a defense that does not start a senior.

“A few of the guys have been not just good leaders but great leaders. I think that has really helped us in a year of transition,” Rodriguez said.

“We’ve been fortunate to make steps as a program while the seniors have been all in.”

* * *

Arizona’s 2012 senior class

*Note: WR Terrence Miller not listed because it is expected that he will get a medical hardship for this season, able to return as a fifth-year senior in 2013.

Arizona linebacker Hank Hobson is carted off the field with a neck injury at UCLA on Nov. 3. Photo by Andrew Fielding-US PRESSWIRE

RELATED: Arizona likely to seek medical hardship for Terrence Miller

The Arizona Wildcats’ injury problems started during their spring game. That’s when safety Adam Hall tore his ACL for the second time in a year.

The bad news kept coming for Rich Rodriguez in the summer and fall camp.

Four players never made it to the start of the season, including sophomore linebacker Rob Hankins, who had to give up football because of a concussion. Senior Greg Nwoko, who moved from running back to linebacker in camp, suffered a career-ending hip injury.

Injuries hit hard at offensive tackle. Jack Baucus, a converted tight end who might have been able to help, succumbed to a knee injury and is no longer on the roster. Promising redshirt freshman Jacob Arzouman suffered a torn ACL in August practice. Another redshirt freshman tackle, Lene Maiava, played in four games before tearing his ACL.

The offensive line further had to be a mix-and-match unit to cover for in-season injuries to guard Trace Biskin, center Kyle Quinn and guard/tackle Chris Putton.

“I don’t look at it as a patchwork deal,” offensive line coach Robert Anae said a couple of weeks ago.

“Guys who are playing have earned that. They earned that. To me, if you have a patchwork approach, the guys are playing out of default. We’ve had some injuries, so there has been some of that, but I don’t like to look at it as a guy is playing out of default.

“I like to look at it as a guy has earned his time to play and deserves to be on the field.”

Said Rodriguez: “That group probably has as much pride as any group we’ve had.”

Injuries also made Arizona (more) vulnerable at every level of defense. Freshmen and walk-ons have had to step in at linebacker and at safety. Arizona’s most productive defensive lineman early in the season, senior Dominique Austin, won’t be back after suffering a foot injury in the fifth game, Rodriguez said.

The big question for this week is whether quarterback Matt Scott — as well as Putton and safety Jourdon Grandon — will return for Saturday’s game at Utah. All three starters missed last week’s 56-31 win over Colorado because of concussions.

Arizona will release its official injury list Thursday afternoon.

Looking only at guys who did or could have impacted the two-deep, here is a list of how many games Arizona players have missed (or in the case of those who won’t be back will miss) this season because of injury. Total games lost so far: 112.

*Projected

Juron Criner will have to get his ESPN publicity on some other day. Photo by Rick Osentoski/US PRESSWIRE

Arizona Wildcats senior wide receiver Juron Criner had planned to do multiple interviews today on various ESPN shows, including SportsCenter and College Football Live. But an Arizona official said Criner had to cancel his trip because of family reasons.

Criner had been scheduled to appear on the ESPN campus in Bristol, Conn., with USC quarterback Matt Barkley and Oregon quarterback Darron Thomas in a mini-media blitz for the Pac-10 (soon to be Pac-12).

It would have been a nice showcase for Criner and the Wildcats. …

Arizona might not have senior defensive lineman Dominique Austin for the 2011 season. He is in summer school, but we hear he has significant work to do in order to play this year.

The coaching staff tried Austin (6-foot-4, 292) at defensive end this spring, trying to add some size at the position, especially for when the Cats face power running teams (such as Stanford).

Austin was listed as a second-string end in the spring behind senior C.J. Parish. Mohammed Usman is considered the starter on the other side. Both are listed at 245 pounds.

Arizona is going to need significant contributions from redshirt freshman end Dan Pettinato and incoming junior college transfer Lamar De Rego, among others. …

Arizona quarterback Nick Foles is a 45-1 favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, as listed by Bodog.com. Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck is, naturally and logically, the betting favorite at 9-2.

But those aren’t good odds on Foles, even if he puts up big numbers this season as the Wildcats figure to lean more heavily on their four-wide spread passing game. For Foles to come anywhere near the Heisman, Arizona is going to have to have a H-U-G-E season. That is just how the (often lazy) Heisman voting works — the votes simply go to the QB of an elite team.

Consider: Nine of the past 11 Heisman winners have been quarterbacks. The combined record of their teams at the end of the regular season was 102-9. The worst team mark among the Heisman winners in that time was 9-3 (Tim Tebow’s Florida team in 2007).

Foles won’t gain any traction unless the Cats, generally picked someone in the middle of the Pac-12, pull off a couple of big upsets in September.

Junior college transfer Kyle Dugandzic punts during Arizona's scirmmage on April 2.
Photo by David Kadlubowski/The Arizona Republic

We caught up recently with Arizona Wildcats defensive ends/special teams coach Jeff Hammeschmidt after a recent practice to see how spring practice is going from his perspective.

Some of the good news is that Hammerschmidt has an emerging senior end in C.J. Parish to help replace Brooks Reed, Ricky Elmore and D’Aundre Reed.

But defensive end is one of the least experienced positions on the team, and Hammer is also trying to improve the kicking game. (We’re hoping to have an update on kicker Alex Zendejas later in the week.)

Until then, here are five questions for Hammer from me and Brad Allis of WildcatSportsReport.com — and one of the bloggers with the TucsonCitizen.com Sports Network:

Q: How’s your new punter, junior college transfer Kyle Dugandzic?

HAMMER: “He’s doing OK. There were times when I lost a little bit of sleep, but he’s going to be fine. He’s a very polished directional guy. He’s not Keenyn Crier. He’s not going to amaze you when you go out and watch him kick. But he’s a direction guy; I think he’ll be fine. …

He is just getting used to his long-snapper. That’s a little adjustment. But then we start talking about our operation time. For what we do, we don’t like to kick it in 2.5, 2.4 (seconds). We’re more of 2.1. I think he was trying to hurry himself at times too much. Now, he’s just getting back into his rhythm. There’s a happy medium where he has to get comfortable. And he’s such a hard-working guy. We’re videoing him, and he goes in and watches it every day. He’s getting back to his normal self, the stuff that we saw before. And he’s athletic. He’s an old receiver, so it gives you a guy who do some things. He can throw and he can run, so that’s good.”

Q: Redshirt freshman end Dan Pettinato passes the eye test; how has he been?

“He’s coming along. I think his senior year of high school he was 6-4, 215, and the next year he was 6-4, 260. He’s gained some weight early, and he’s just getting used to it. I think the adjustment for him is just getting his foot speed quicker. But he’s going to be a good player because he works so hard. He could be one of the better guys for us. This year, we’re hoping he can get 10, 15 snaps per game or so — and play a bunch of special teams — and then next yeat hopefully he has a chance to be a three-year player for us.”

Q: Defensive tackle Dominique Austin has been practicing at end; how do you use a 290-pound guy at end?

HAMMER: “It’s just about finding a place to give him some reps. Dominique does a good job. At times, you would like more fast-twitch because you’re outside, but he’s a big, strong guy with long arms. Sometimes you get into a position where you’re playing the Stanfords and some of those teams that just power the ball, and I think you can use a bigger d-end. He has a chance to do that for us.”

Q: Does he have to transform his body a little bit, does he have to drop down some weight?

HAMMER: “No. I think we’re just going to let him be a guy who can do both. Donald Horton did it a couple of years ago and he was 280 pounds. He wasn’t ideal for pass-rush stuff, but when we’re playing teams with tight ends and fullbacks and all that stuff, then we brought him in. That will be (Austin’s) role.”

Q: What’s it like coaching the line with new defensive tackles coach and former Wildcat Joe Salave’a?

HAMMER: “Oh, it’s awesome. Joe is great. I really loved (former defensive tackles Mike Tuiasosopo), but Joe is so fun because of his energy. He is just going. He’s great for the guys. The guys really respect him and he knows exactly what he’s talking about. And he’s gotten much wiser over his days. He used to just grunt when he played. Now, he makes sense. He gives a lot of the motivation stuff — just about effort and playing hard. It’s been phenomenal. Then he comes to me, and asks, ‘You have anything to say?’ I say, ‘No, I would have said just what you said if I had the ability.’”

C.J. Parish celebrates with linebacker Jake Fischer (left) after a defensive stop in Saturday's scrimmage.
Photo by David Kadlubowski/The Arizona Republic

Arizona Wildcats senior C.J. Parish figured his career was over. He suffered a concussion last year against Iowa in the third game of the season. Symptoms lingered.

It wasn’t as if he was playing a lot anyway as a hybrid linebacker/defensive end/fullback.

“I was like, ‘This is all over,’” he said.

The bad news was the head injury kept him out of action for the rest of the season.

The good news is that the head injury kept him out of action for the rest of the season.

Because of that, Parish, who had never redshirted, qualified for a medical hardship. The NCAA approved the application, and Parish regained his season of eligibility.

Now, he is one of the big stories of Arizona’s spring ball.

The guy who seemingly had nowhere to play on last season’s team is penciled in as a starting defensive end after the loss of Brooks Reed, Ricky Elmore and D’Aundre Reed.

That’s all great for Parish and the Wildcats.

“Oh, I’m definitely happy,” said Parish, who transferred to Arizona from Blinn College in Brenham, Texas.

“Defensive end is my position. I played it in high school, I played it in junior college. I’ve played a lot of positions, but d-end is something I really favor. I like it a lot.”

There is something else he would like.

“Brooks’ spin move. I really want that,” Parish said with a smile.

“I’ve talked to him about that several times. He has tried to help me with that. That spin move he has is vicious. I tell him, ‘I want to get better, can you help me with that?’ He’s always willing to help me.’”

Parish (6-2, 245 pounds) still has a lot to learn about footwork and reading the placement of the offensive tackle and understanding momentum — some of the tricks of the trade with the spin move — but he does have some raw skills that should help Arizona replace its lost pass rush.

He was a sprinter at A&M Consolidated High School in College Station, Texas.

“We knew he had some speed,” said defensive ends coach Jeff Hammerschmidt.

“I tell you, he’s been a nice surprise. He’s a tough guy. A leader. I think he is going to be good for us. He’ll definitely help us against the passing game.”

Parish is part of an inexperienced group of ends that includes Mohammed Usman, redshirt freshman Dan Pettinato and senior Dominique Austin (who is trying to make the move from tackle). Usman played in only the final three games last season because of an academic suspension after transferring from junior college.

Help could arrive in the fall with junior college transfer Lamar De Rego and freshman Dame Ndiaye.

“Yeah, a lot of people are going to say, ‘You need experience, you need this, you need that,’” Parish said.

“But if you have a group that is willing to work, that is willing to put in the time, the blood, the sweat, the tears … then you can do anything. I don’t ever think anything about us being young. I just feel we’re all go-getters.”