Even though he’s put on an Arizona football uniform and taken the field at Arizona Stadium for the last time, Bryson Beirne is still a year and a half away from being finished at the UA.
When he graduates in May 2013, he’ll leave Arizona with a master’s degree in business administration. And after that, he has a pretty clear goal of what he wants to do. At least he thinks he does.
“Then I’m going to delve into the world of finance,” Beirne said. “At least try to. It’s a little tricky.”
After five seasons of playing quarterback at the UA, Beirne wants to take what he’s learned at Arizona back to his hometown of Honolulu. Hopefully, he said, he’ll be able to show people that it’s possible to create a better future for themselves.
“Hopefully you’ll see more guys like me come to Arizona,” said Beirne on Saturday, still holding the game ball from the final snap of Arizona’s 45-37 win over Louisiana-Lafayette.
Beirne said that one of the biggest things he learned while at the UA is how to adjust to the differences between life in Hawaii and somewhere like Arizona.
“If kids just never forget that they can do something,” Beirne said, “the sky’s the limit for any kid, especially from Hawaii. We’ve got some talented kids down there, they need a shot.”
But while Beirne isn’t planning on football being a key part of his future, that’s not the case for several of Arizona’s other seniors. Quarterback Nick Foles is one of those.
Foles said he’ll leave school at the end of the semester, then start training in January for Arizona’s pro day and the NFL combine — if he gets an invite. The Austin, Texas, native will train in Irvine, Calif., with a quarterback coach six days a week.
“I’m just trying to get ready for the next level,” Foles said. “I get a little bit of down time right now then I’ll get back in shape.”
But Foles said he didn’t know any specifics of the arrangement. His dad set everything up because Foles was still in season with Arizona.
“When I’m in season, I don’t care about anything else,” Foles said.
Foles isn’t the only Arizona senior with pro prospects. Safety Rob Golden said that after he graduates in December with a degree in sociology, he’s also going to start training for Arizona’s pro day and, he hopes, a shot at the NFL combine.
Wide receiver Juron Criner is in the same boat as Foles and Golden, and he’ll likely receive an invite to the combine. The 6-foot-4 receiver leaves Arizona with the all-time record for receiving touchdowns with 32.
“When he makes up his mind and he wants to play, he’s unstoppable at this level,” interim head coach Tim Kish said of Criner. “At the next level, he’ll definitely see competition.”
