Wildcats looking for new pass catchers to ‘step up and grab the ball.’

TUCSON - In the first meeting he had with his group after spring practice, Arizona Wildcats receivers coach Theron Aych discussed that most American of concepts: opportunity.

Jobs are available. Spots are open. The UA receivers’ room is in the midst of its most significant turnover in years. Who will form the next iteration of prolific Arizona pass catchers?

“It’s not time to sit back,” Aych told the wideouts. “Now’s the time somebody needs to step up and grab the ball and take that leadership.”

The Wildcats are looking for leaders and playmakers at a position that lost most of the prominent ones to graduation. For the first time in Rich Rodriguez’s tenure, Arizona does not return a receiver who caught at least 42 passes the previous season.

That stat comes with a couple of asterisks. Austin Hill had 81 receptions in 2012 but missed the ’13 season after injuring his knee toward the end of spring practice. And no one on last year’s team caught as many as 35 passes, let alone 42, as quarterback injuries and inconsistency undermined the passing game.

The Hill injury led to the emergence of Nate Phillips and Samajie Grant, who caught 51 and 47 balls, respectively, as freshmen in 2013. They would provide stability and production for the next four seasons. Trey Griffey did as well, albeit less consistently.

With all three having used up their eligibility, the receiving corps will have a different look.

“A lot different,” Rodriguez said. “We had all the veterans. There was a comfort level. I think we’re more talented there than maybe what a lot of folks think, because a lot of them haven’t played a great deal. They’ve done OK. We’re going to be OK at wideout.”

Junior Shun Brown is the leading returning receiver and the only known quantity in the group. He has a master’s level grasp of the playbook, and Rodriguez dubbed him “one of the most valuable players that we have on offense.”

When training camp opened Monday, Shawn Poindexter and Cedric Peterson joined Brown with the first unit. This is subject to change, of course, but the early camp buzz on both is promising.

Poindexter is a relatively raw former volleyball player blessed with excellent size (6-5, 212) and an intriguing upside.

The transfer from Glendale Community College caught only six passes in limited duty in his first season at Arizona last year but averaged 13.7 yards per reception.

Rodriguez praised Poindexter’s conditioning, and Aych lauded the senior’s work ethic.

“He cares,” Aych said. “He wears that on his sleeve. He probably is the guy that works harder than anybody besides Shun Brown out there. He always takes things seriously.”

At 5-11, 188, Peterson doesn’t possess Poindexter’s physical gifts. But Peterson has shown the coaches enough to put himself in the running for a big role. Peterson has done it despite a foot injury that ended his 2016 season prematurely and hampered him during the offseason.

Peterson, a redshirt freshman last year, made his first career start against Stanford on Oct. 29. He had caught one pass in each of the previous three games, including a nifty 31-yard sideline grab against Utah.

But the following Tuesday, Peterson heard an “awkward pop” in his right foot. He had season-ending surgery three days later, and he wasn’t fully cleared until the last March spring scrimmage.

After being somewhat restricted during summer workouts – a precautionary move to limit stress on the foot – Peterson said he felt “great” several days into training camp. He isn’t taking his current status for granted.

“As of now I’m running with the ones, but anything can change,” Peterson said. “It’s a competition. It’s a job. I’ve just got to go out there every day and do the best I can do to make sure my day, today, was better than yesterday.”

Peterson knows others will push him. That group includes speedy senior Cam Denson, who’s working his way back from a foot injury of his own, and redshirt junior Tony Ellison.

“Obviously, we’ve got some new faces out there,” said Aych, himself a new face after joining the program in spring. “We’ve got to replace some great players from last year. Each and every day, I see those guys getting better.”