DAVID SANDERS / arizona daily star 2007

Other articles by Ryan Finley:

Cats clearly know what's at stake as clock ticks down Victory by Ducks ruffles bowl slots Results elsewhere will help clarify Arizona Wildcats' bowl destination Players ditch pigskin to cozy up alongside turkey, cheesecake Mom says OK, giving linebacker from Texas blessing to attend UA Being a good sport, UA's Bondzio plays the game, eats it up Arizona Wildcats Football: Texas linebacker verbally commits to UA Cats would land raise if Pac-10 earns 2 BCS bids OSU's 20-minute drill a painful end for CatsCats bit at the end

Education
Assessment Technology, Inc
Social Studies Content Writer Health Care
Rio Salado College
PA's/Online Instructors General
CORT
Warehouse Supervisor General
CORT
WAREHOUSE/DRIVER Construction
Komatsu Equipment Co
Mechanic

Few players in Arizona Wildcats history have had a better 13 months than Rob Gronkowski.

Since making his college debut last September, the Wildcats' star tight end has caught 36 passes for 712 yards and 11 touchdowns.

His 2008 numbers — eight catches for 141 yards and five touchdowns — would be better had Gronkowski not missed the first three games of the season because of mononucleosis.

"I'm very proud of what he's done," UA coach Mike Stoops said. "What he brings to our offense … well, he's a very tough guy to keep up with."

Tight ends coach Dana Dimel said, "I really don't know what his ceiling is."

There is no denying Gronkowski's importance to the Wildcats (4-1 overall, 2-0 Pac-10), who take on Stanford on Saturday in Palo Alto, Calif.

Identifying just what makes him special is a bit tougher. Here are the parts that make Gronkowski the UA's most outstanding player:

Gronkowski is listed at 260 pounds but looks at least 10 pounds lighter since getting sick. Adding the weight back should not be a problem: Gronkowski has put on about 25 pounds since high school.

Gronkowski stands 6 feet 6 inches, making him the Wildcats' tallest receiver and second-tallest player, behind 6-foot-7-inch guard Mike Diaz. Height runs in Gronkowski's family. Older brothers Dan — the starting tight end at Maryland — and Gordie, a former minor-league baseball player, are both 6-6. Another older brother, Chris, is the Wildcats' starting H-back and is 6-2.

Gronkowski is still recovering from mono, an infectious disease that causes flulike symptoms, fatigue and an enlarged spleen. He first reported feeling sick when the UA returned from four days at Fort Huachuca in August. He missed three full weeks and lost weight and strength. "His game is still not back to where it was at Fort Huachuca," tight ends coach Dana Dimel said. "There's a lot more that he can bring out."

Gronkowski has been a starter since the day he arrived on campus last summer and is already among the nation's top tight ends. NFLDraftScout.com lists Gronkowski as the top tight end in the 2011 draft class. "The thing about Robby is he's such a competitive guy," Stoops said. "That's going to enable him to be a tremendous player."

Rob is among the Wildcats' most accomplished lifters. He was putting up "between 375 and 380 pounds" on the bench press before contracting mono. Now, he is down to about 325. He can power clean 335 pounds when spending a lot of time in the weight room, which is usually during the off-season.

Gronkowski caught flak from Mike Stoops for duck-walking after he caught his second touchdown pass against the Huskies last week, a 9-yard slant that gave Arizona a 31-7 lead in the second quarter. Rob blamed the dance — "We'll call it the Gronk Wiggle," he said — on adrenaline.

The Wildcats' star tight end has a team-high five touchdowns since returning in Week 4 after a battle with mononucleosis. His 17.6 yards per catch are second on the team among players with more than one grab. The leader is his brother Chris with 18.

Gronkowski ran the 40 in 4.7 seconds while in high school and says he has become faster playing in college. Some teammates say his speed cannot be measured, because Gronkowski seems to run faster when being chased. "I get faster when it's game time," Gronkowski said.