Dismissal of Jordan Poland a Major Loss for Arizona Offense

Redshirt freshman Jordan Poland found himself in trouble with the law on Wednesday, getting arrested for trafficking in stolen property. Rich Rodriguez and the Arizona Wildcats wasted little time responding to the incident, dismissing the star recruit of the 2014 class the very same day. How will his dismissal impact the Wildcats’ offense in 2015?

According to the Arizona Republic, Poland was arrested for pawing off a microphone that had been reported stolen in a burglary. While police say the investigation into that burglary is still ongoing, they do not believe that Poland was involved in the actual burglary, just in trafficking the stolen goods.

Arizona faces a daunting challenge of replacing three starters on the offensive line next season. After redshirting his first year on campus, the massive Poland figured to see at least some playing time in 2015 with an opportunity to become a prominent member of the offense. At 6-foot-7 and 343 pounds, Poland certainly had the size to be an impact player as long as he proved he could handle the offense.

But Arizona won’t get to find out what he could do on the field. Instead, after learning of the details of Poland’s arrest, cut ties immediately with the young man who had so much potential. The Wildcats will now turn their attention to getting players like Zach Hemmila, T.D. Goss, and Cal Bears transfer Freddie Tagaloa more reps in fall camp to see if any of them can overcome their lack of experience to anchor the offensive line.

While the team isn’t necessarily hurting for bodies along the offensive line, Jordan Poland had the makings of a special player. With his time now done in Tucson, will the rest of the Wildcats’ o-linemen be able to pick up the slack?

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