There are a ton of storylines that played out in the 2018 season but one of the most interesting to surface out in the Pac-12 was the sudden drop off in play from Arizona quarterback Khalil Tate. The Wildcats star was labeled a Heisman Trophy favorite after dazzling with his legs and his arm as a sophomore and was expected to be even more dangerous under the new coaching staff of Kevin Sumlin.
That turned out not to be the case however, with an early season ankle injury holding Tate back for most of the year and the team going from one-time South Division threat to missing out on a bowl game altogether. The signal-caller opted to bypass the NFL Draft and return for his senior year in Tucson as a result and he addressed why his focus is now on moving forward in 2019 after not much went his way as a junior.
“I knew I had a lot more to prove. I knew I left a lot on the table. I know what my ceiling is. I know what I can do,” Tate said, according to the Arizona Daily Star. “With the circumstances I was dealing with last year, I couldn’t really perform to the best of my ability and show the next level what I can do. Thankfully, I had another year to learn and refine myself in this offense.”
Interestingly, the Daily Star notes that refining himself in the offense will actually result in fewer of those highlight reel plays we were so used to seeing out of Tate because offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone wants the QB to play more “within the system.”
We’ll see if that helps Tate live up to his ceiling but either way, it’s good to hear he’s healthy again and aiming to be much more like the caliber of player we all expected to watch after bursting onto the scene back in 2017.