At the very least, James Tretheway is the answer to a trivia question: Who was the first member of Mike Stoops' heralded 2006 recruiting class to enroll at the UA?

But at the most, Tretheway could be just what the Wildcats are looking for after a pair of 3-8 seasons.

Tretheway, a 6-foot-6-inch, 300-pound transfer from the College of San Mateo (Calif.), will compete for playing time on a revamped offensive line after an All-America season in junior college.

He enrolled at the UA in January, and is the only member of Stoops' 22-person class in uniform as spring practice begins.

"The biggest difference is speed," he said. "It's so much faster here. I'm just building on my strength and my speed, and getting accustomed to this level of play."

But unlike some of the more polished players who will come to the UA later this summer, Tretheway is a work in progress.

He was a successful baseball and football player at El Camino High School in south San Francisco, but did not lift a single weight until after his senior year. Tretheway said his high-school coaches did not teach the players much about strength training.

Naturally tall and strong, Tretheway did not need it.

"I was always just a big kid," he said.

Tretheway grayshirted his first year at College of San Mateo, which means he did not enroll until after the football season. The extra time allowed him to work out with the team in the spring and summer leading to his first year on the field.

"James came in here as a big kid, but he was not ready for college-level football," COSM coach Larry Owens said. "He was like a little doe — all over the place, not knowing the whole thing. But once we got him in the weight room, he got himself ready to go. He started to understand what college football was all about."

By his sophomore season, Tretheway was one of San Mateo's stars. Tretheway's mean streak made his junior college coaches howl, and his quick feet and speed — he ran the 40-yard dash in 5.12 seconds — made him a three-star recruit, according to Rivals.com.

UA special teams coach Joe Robinson noticed.

Tretheway chose Arizona over Marshall and Wisconsin, with the understanding he would improve under the Wildcats' strength program and training table.

"He has so much potential and so much upside," Robinson said. "Everywhere he has gone, he has improved immediately. Before you know it, he was an All-American."

A solid spring could help Tretheway force his way into an already-packed competition on the offensive line.

He is listed third on the depth chart at left tackle, but likely will finish spring ball somewhere above that.

"We're going to see him take some leaps here," Robinson said.