TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Most of Arizona Football’s 2023 recruits and transfers are already on campus.
The landscape is unfamiliar for new defensive lineman Bill Norton.
“All these mountains and stuff… I’ve never seen a mountain before I came here,” he admitted.
But the Georgia transfer says the program already feels like home.
“I took an official visit here for two days and I had other visits lined up after that,” Norton told KGUN. “And after my two day visit here, I was sold.”
Norton says that’s in part because the Wildcat coaches are teaching a familiar technique and he therefore feels like he will have less of a learning curve.
But the defense as a whole still has a lot to learn. Last year, the Wildcats were second-worst in the Pac-12 in *yards and *points allowed.
“I think, with people coming in… with Tyler [Manoa], with Justin Flowe, with some of—with all the return players, I think we can build something really special here,” said Norton. “I think we can be a really dominant defense.”
At quarterback, Arizona is in a good place with starter Jayden de Laura and backup Noah Fifita.
But four-star recruit Brayden Dorman could be the QB of the future for the Wildcats.
He’s already thinking bigger than that: he wants to go pro one day.
“Coach Fisch has spent a lot of years in the NFL. You don’t really get that NFL experience anywhere else,” said Dorman.
But in the more immediate future, the 2023 season represents another chance to build Arizona into a consistent winner.
These new ‘Cats on the block are eager to prove themselves.
“I think it’s gonna be a whole different team,” said Dorman. “We got a lot of guys that have come in and come out. And Coach Fisch really knows what he’s doing. So he’s bringing in the right guys, so I feel very confident going forward about this team.”
Norton is just as optimistic.
“I think we’re gonna be—have a certain leadership that we’re gonna show to these younger dudes on how to win.”
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