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

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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.

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Jacob Arzouman as a senior at Salpointe Catholic High School. Photo by Andy Morales, TucsonCitizen.com

Arizona Wildcats offensive lineman Jacob Arzouman, who was set to be in the playing rotation, suffered what likely is a torn ACL in Monday’s practice, coach Rich Rodriguez said.

Arzouman will have surgery “sometime soon,” Rodriguez said, which ends the redshirt freshman’s season.

“It’s really sad,” Rodriguez said after Tuesday’s practice.

“It was in a one-on-one drill and it just kind of buckled on him. He would have contributed. He had a good summer and he was in good shape.”

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Ka'Deem Carey.
Photo by Deirdre Hamill/The Arizona Republic

The highest-rated prospect in the state of Arizona — offensive lineman Christian Westerman — is going to Auburn.

The second-best prospect, according to Rivals.com, signed UCLA.

Keep going down the list: Signed with USC, signed with Oregon, signed with Oregon, signed with Nebraska.

Then you get down to running back Ka’Deem Carey from Canyon del Oro High School, the seventh-best recruit in the state.

In a tug-of-war between the major state schools, Carey signed with Arizona over Arizona State on Wednesday. And that’s a sign, Wildcats coach Mike Stoops said, that his program has at least earned some loyalty to the few BCS-level recruits that emerge from Tucson each year.

“I think there’s loyalty now to the University of Arizona,” Stoops said.

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