Widely viewed as the front-runner to replace Matt Scott at quarterback for Arizona, Jesse Scroggins will have to wait until summer camp to start staking his claim to the starting job.
The transfer quarterback underwent surgery on his foot recently, Wildcats head coach Rich Rodriguez acknowledged Tuesday. As a result, Scroggins will “be very limited” during the 15 spring practice sessions.
Rodriguez said Scroggins “probably could have played with” the injury this season, while also stating that the foot issue was “something he probably needed to get fixed earlier in his career.” Regardless, the team and the medical staff decided to err on the side of caution with a player expected to play a key role in the offense in 2013.
“I’d rather have everyone be 100 percent in August than have a question mark if he tweaks it or something,” the coach said, adding the player “won’t be in any full-contact practices.”
In December of last year, Scroggins officially signed with Arizona after spending the 2012 season at the JUCO level. Scroggins had announced the previous June that he would be transferring from USC, two years after he was a touted four-star member of the Trojans’ 2010 recruiting class.
Scroggins will have two years of eligibility remaining beginning in 2013.
(Photo credit: USC athletics)