LOS ANGELES 鈥 Last season鈥檚 struggles might have been the best thing that could have happened to Khalil Tate.
Coming off a breakout campaign, the 蜜柚直播 Wildcats quarterback got hurt. He grappled with his identity as a QB. He didn鈥檛 fully understand what it meant to be a leader.
Several months later, on the eve of his senior season, Tate has a new perspective.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 know who you are until you fail,鈥 he said Wednesday during Pac-12 Media Day.
Tate didn鈥檛 technically fail in 2018. He passed for 2,530 yards and 26 touchdowns 鈥 both top-10 marks in UA history.
But there鈥檚 no question he failed to live up to expectations after entering the season with legitimate Heisman Trophy hype. And 蜜柚直播 finished 5-7, despite leading the Pac-12 in total offense.
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鈥淲hen you don鈥檛 win,鈥 Tate said, 鈥渋t doesn鈥檛 mean anything.鈥
One of those losses came with Tate watching from the sideline. After fighting through a pesky ankle injury that had hampered him for weeks, Tate sat out against UCLA 鈥 the team he grew up rooting for. 蜜柚直播 ended up losing 31-30.
Tate and UA coach Kevin Sumlin have talked a lot this offseason about handling the ups and downs of big-time athletics. Tate already has experienced both extremes.
鈥淚t couldn鈥檛 have been a higher peak than coming in here last year, we were talking about winning the Heisman and everything else,鈥 Sumlin said. 鈥淎nd then it couldn鈥檛 be lower than being in your hometown and in street clothes, not being able to help your teammates and watching us lose by one point. If he鈥檚 healthy, who knows what that looks like?
鈥淎ll those things go into maturity and growth, how you handle that. And I think that those experiences really kind of drove him in the offseason.鈥
Sumlin said Tate communicated with coaches and players better this spring than last. Teammates have talked in the past about Tate鈥檚 progress as a leader, but none said anything as convincing as what J.J. Taylor said Wednesday.
The redshirt-junior tailback considers his words carefully. Asked where Tate has grown the most, Taylor said it wasn鈥檛 so much where but when.
鈥淭his spring,鈥 Taylor said. 鈥淗e made the biggest growth a person could possibly make. He鈥檚 taken over in being a captain 鈥 as in, 鈥業鈥檓 going to tell you what I think is best. I鈥檓 going to make practices. I鈥檓 going to get the team out here on this day to do work.鈥 Actually pushing us to be better.鈥
Tate said he didn鈥檛 fully understand what it meant to be a team leader until late last season. He played some of his best ball after sitting out against the Bruins, putting 蜜柚直播 on the brink of a bowl berth before a fourth-quarter collapse in the season finale against 蜜柚直播 State.
Tate described that process as 鈥渞eally understanding the label instead of just saying, 鈥業鈥檓 a senior, I鈥檓 a leader.鈥 It really doesn鈥檛 work like that. First of all, you鈥檝e got to be respected. Second of all, you have to put in the work for people to understand that you (are) serious. There鈥檚 a lot of different aspects that went into being a leader that I didn鈥檛 realize that I realize now.鈥
Tate views last season as a steppingstone, and his sights are now set on winning a championship. He sees that as the only fitting end to a career that features flashy moments but lacks the substance of wins in the Territorial Cup or the postseason.
鈥淚t鈥檚 kinda like, to complete the puzzle, it鈥檚 only right that I go out successful,鈥 Tate said.
How does he define success?
鈥淲inning every game,鈥 Tate said.
Khalil and Noel
Tate put his evolving relationship with Noel Mazzone in that same category: It was a valuable learning experience for the young quarterback.
Rumors persisted throughout last season that Tate wasn鈥檛 on the same wavelength as Mazzone, 蜜柚直播鈥檚 offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Mazzone said in spring that the two went through 鈥済rowing pains.鈥
鈥淣othing was ever a problem to begin with,鈥 Tate said. 鈥淚t was all just a part of the process. If something is going too smooth, it doesn鈥檛 really feel right. That fork in the road really helped us out.
鈥淚f it鈥檚 too easy, it鈥檚 like, what is really the point? You鈥檙e not learning anything.鈥
Sumlin denied ever having to act as a peacemaker between Tate and Mazzone, saying speculation of a rift between them was 鈥渕ade up. 鈥 I don鈥檛 know where that comes from.鈥
蜜柚直播 quarterback Khalil Tate answers questions during the Pac-12 Media Day in Los Angeles. Tate says he鈥檚 grown since his up-and-down junior season. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 know who you are until you fail,鈥 he said Wednesday.
Regarding criticism from fans who blamed Mazzone for Tate鈥檚 decline in rushing production, Sumlin said everyone deserved blame after a 5-7 season. The head coach, quarterback and coordinators received the most.
鈥淭hat comes with the territory,鈥 Sumlin said. 鈥淓verywhere I鈥檝e been 鈥 there鈥檚 52,000 offensive coordinators in the stands every week.鈥
Defensive tackle enrolled
Defensive tackle Trevon Mason was officially cleared Wednesday, Sumlin said. The junior college transfer is expected to report for training camp Thursday. 蜜柚直播鈥檚 first practice is scheduled for Friday evening.
Sumlin said he isn鈥檛 sure when Mason will be able to fully participate in practice after missing offseason team workouts. 鈥淏ut he鈥檚 been cleared academically, and he鈥檚 ready to go,鈥 Sumlin said.
The picture is less clear for freshman defensive tackle Kane Bradford, the lone member of the 2019 class who has yet to enroll.
鈥淲e鈥檙e still waiting for him,鈥 Sumlin said. 鈥淗is status hasn鈥檛 changed.鈥
Sumlin is optimistic that another first-year defensive tackle, Kyon Barrs, can contribute as a freshman. Barrs joined 蜜柚直播鈥檚 鈥19 class in May.
鈥淗e鈥檚 big enough. He鈥檚 athletic enough,鈥 Sumlin said. 鈥淎ll the reports from the weight room are that he works his tail off and he鈥檚 strong. That鈥檚 a pretty good review. He鈥檚 gonna have every opportunity to play.鈥
Joiner鈥檚 move
Redshirt freshman Jamarye Joiner has been working out at wide receiver for about a month. The Cienega High School product came to 蜜柚直播 as a quarterback and spent last season at the position, appearing in two games.
鈥淗e鈥檚 one of the best athletes on our team,鈥 Sumlin said. 鈥淲e met and talked about it, to give him an opportunity to get on the field. He鈥檚 excited about it.
鈥淲e鈥檒l see where his growth is. But he鈥檚 explosive, he鈥檚 dynamic, he鈥檚 big and he鈥檚 fast. He can help us.鈥
Sumlin said he wasn鈥檛 sure if Joiner would work primarily as an inside or outside receiver. He already has a grasp of the offense after learning the system as a QB.
鈥淭he big deal for him is technique and all those kinds of things,鈥 Sumlin said. 鈥淐an he be a stop-and-start guy? We鈥檒l evaluate that fairly quickly.鈥
鈥楴o problem鈥
Sumlin can鈥檛 talk about specific recruits who haven鈥檛 signed yet, so he couldn鈥檛 comment on four-star defensive end Jason Harris, who has deep family ties to 蜜柚直播 and listed the Wildcats among his final six.
But Sumlin was asked how he鈥檇 handle a potential two-sport player if one came aboard. Harris, who attends Gilbert Higley High School, is also a big-time basketball prospect. Sumlin said it would be 鈥渘o problem鈥 to accommodate such a player.
鈥淎t Houston, we had several multisport players, dual-sport players,鈥 Sumlin said. 鈥淭wo or three of our receivers went to nationals in the (4x100) in track. We鈥檝e done this before.
鈥淢y philosophy at Houston was, if you can help our university win in that other sport, that鈥檚 great. If you鈥檙e going to go over there and not play, then you need to continue to work on your craft in football and continue to get better.鈥
Extra points
- Taylor made the first-ever preseason Pac-12 All-Conference Football Team at two positions. Taylor earned a first-team nod as an all-purpose specialist and made the second team as a running back. UA junior Colin Schooler made the first team at linebacker.
- Sumlin said junior tight end Bryce Wolma will be limited for the first couple of weeks of training camp while he recovers from a broken elbow suffered in spring practice. 鈥淲e want to keep an eye on that elbow, get him some strength, ease him back into it,鈥 Sumlin said. 鈥淲e know what he can do. We鈥檙e gonna need him. But we鈥檙e going to kind of bring him back slowly.鈥
- Sumlin said freshman cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace will be in the mix at punt returner. 鈥淗e bet me that he would be one of the top punt returners on our team,鈥 Sumlin said. 鈥淎nd he did a pretty good job in the spring. So we鈥檒l see where he is. He鈥檚 a pretty confident guy. He鈥檚 definitely gonna help us this year.鈥
- Sumlin said the football team had the highest spring-semester GPA in the history of the school. 鈥淲hat that鈥檚 telling me is that these guys are listening, and they鈥檙e operating at a different level on and off the field,鈥 Sumlin said. 鈥淎nd that鈥檚 where that level of consistency that we did not have last year begins.鈥
