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– ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ quarterback Noah Fifita, who was invited to participate in the famous Manning Brothers Passing Camp later this month in Louisiana, will apparently be reconnected with the man he beat out as the UA’s No. 1 quarterback in 2023, Jayden de Laura, who is listed as a “camp counselorâ€� for the Manning camp. De Laura, who transferred from ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ to Texas State in 2024 but did not play, is active again. He is the starting quarterback for the Vegas Knight Hawks, an indoor arena team that plays in the same league as the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Sugar Skulls. The Sugar Skulls and Knight Hawks are scheduled to meet June 29 at the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Arena. Last week, de Laura threw four touchdown passes in a 63-43 victory over the Northern ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wranglers in Prescott.

– Pima College baseball coach/athletic director Ken Jacome worked both jobs in the 2024-25 season, a first-year experiment of sorts. How did it work out? Pima College set a school record with a 214-49 record in its seven team sports, or 81% success. How good is that? Salpointe Catholic, the local pace-setter for high school sports success, was 169-44, or 78%, in the same seven boys/girls sports. Pima College chancellor Jeffrey P. Nasse, has approved Jacome to work both jobs full time going forward.

– The changing landscape of college sports is being felt in the Big 12, at Colorado. Buffaloes athletic director Rick George last week laid off assistant track coaches Casey and Lindsey Malone, who had been CU’s throws coaches for men and women — shot put, javelin, discus — and isn’t going to replace them. Instead, CU will put its resources into distance running, at which it has been a national contender. It makes you wonder if new ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ track coach Andrew Dubs, hired away from Virginia Tech, might try something similar. Anything goes now, right? ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois got a strong recommendation to hire Dubs by Virginia Tech AD Whit Babcock, who is one of Reed-Francois’ mentors. She worked for him at Virginia Tech from 2014-17. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ had seven assistant track/field coaches this season, with a total income of $457,000. Harvey’s salary was $165,000.

– When Jeff Scurran coached Sabino High School to state football championships in 1990, 1992 and 1998, I often mentioned to him how the playing surface on the Sabercats’ campus was as hard as cement, with little grass, below the standards for Sabino or any TUSD schools. Unfortunately, the school district did little to improve those conditions over the years. Alas, TUSD this summer is installing artificial turf at both Pueblo and Sabino high schools, at a cost of almost $4 million. Long overdue. Safety standards will now be much better for Sabercat and Warrior football players.