TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Arizona Director of Athletics recently sat down with Pat Parris of KGUN-TV, to discuss the future of the Pac-12 and the current state of Arizona Football:
How are you approaching and evaluating year two for Jedd Fish?
A: "We made that decision to really rebuild, start from the ground up and rebuild the football program. "Coach Fish and his staff, and that vision, is starting to come to fruition. I think the key is we've got to be patient. You can build quick, you can do a lot of things, but it becomes really a house of cards. This is year two and exciting. You can see a great momentum. We've got the highest ranked recruiting class in the history of this school. Number one class last year in the Pac-12. So, a lot of student athletes that can make a difference. A number of student athletes that have never been on the field yet. You know about half of our roster have never been on this field and never really played. So it'll be there first time out there. I think it's going to be exciting for our fans. There will be progress. Our football program is headed in the right direction."
Let's talk about the health of the conference. Certainly a blow, USC and UCLA leaving. Your thoughts now that you've had a couple of months to kind of digest that?
A: "Well certainly to wake up to something like that was a big surprise. There's no secret in that, we've talked about it a lot. But I'm very proud of the position that the University of Arizona is in. We are strong, we are solid. This institution will be in the right place. I'm also very confident in the Pac-12, with its current membership of ten now. But again, we still have two years before those two other institutions leave. But we've got to be planning and orchestrating and be ready to pivot and do the right things. But I'm very confident in how the Pac-12 looks and how this conference looks going forward. We're an anchor in the west. We're one of the greatest conferences that there's ever been. We have so much tradition and history here, connected to the Rose Bowl. There's a lot of value in that and we're proud as Arizona to be part of that."
The TV dollar is very important. The Pac-12 has the Pac-12 After Dark, I know some fans don't like it, some coaches don't like it, but it could be a very important piece of what you get out of this next contract?
A: "Well it is. We want to have great exposure, don't get me wrong. We want to be coast to coast. We want all of our fans to be able to watch. We want to put the A out there and grow in the branding of this institution and our program. But yeah it is a little unique. We have control of these time periods here in the west where 100 percent of the population to the west can watch, and we really dominate those periods. That's an asset that we have. It's not to say that it's the only piece that we pay attention to, but it is a strong asset as we go forward and realign and put together new media packages that will benefit our institutions -- allow us to generate revenues to invest in our programs. It really is about ratings, it really is about eyeballs, market shares and market sizes. That's what's driving the media contracts going forward that really center around football."
I read a couple of different places that the University of Arizona has really been on the forefront of this and really been aggressive. Is that a fair assessment and does that show just how committed you are to maybe the Pac-12 but also making sure you guys are aligned in the right conference?
A: "Well, we have to have alignment in the right conference. We have good partners. Again, we believe in the Pac-12. At the same time, certainly President Robbins and I have to be very in tune with what's going on, how the landscape is moving, how the earth is shaking a little bit. We have to be aligned and understand what is right for the University of Arizona. This is an excellent institution academically, a great fan base, a power athletic program. That's why we're going to be in the right spot. No matter what happens and how this shakes out, we can be a leader in this and really not a follower. And that's where we want to be."
View the full Arizona Football P.R.O. special streaming live on our website.
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Pat Parris is an anchor and reporter for KGUN 9. He is a graduate of Sabino High School where he was the 1982 high school state track champion in the 800 meters. While in high school and college, he worked part-time in the KGUN 9 newsroom. Share your story ideas and important issues with Pat by emailing pat.parris@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
