On the day Lance Briggs decided where he would play college football, he carried two caps, one for USC and one for Arizona, into a press conference at Sacramento Elk Grove High School. It was waffling at its finest.

USC or Arizona? Trojans or Wildcats?

Both of the coaches who tried to persuade Briggs to play for them that day, USC's Paul Hackett and Arizona's Dick Tomey, have since been fired. But they did correctly evaluate Briggs.

Last year, his first as a college defensive player, Briggs made 113 tackles -- second in the conference -- and was a first-team All-Pac-10 selection. He has become the cornerstone of Arizona's latter-day Desert Swarm defense.

"I wasn't here last year, but you look at the film and you watch him at spring practice and he just jumps out at you," said Arizona defensive coordinator Larry Mac Duff. "He makes plays."

Briggs played fullback and special teams in his freshman season and it wasn't just garbage time. He made an impact, scoring on a 48-yard run at UCLA and averaging 6.5 yards per carry. He became UA's short-yardage back, a job won by explosiveness and by a willingness to battle for tough yards.

The Wildcat coaching staff believes he could develop into the nation's best linebacker.

"He's big (6-1, 235), he's got exceptional speed and he has God-given instincts," said UA coach John Mackovic. "We're going to lean on him."

Briggs fits nicely into Arizona's tradition of defensive excellence. In the Desert Swarm years (1992-2000), six Arizona linebackers became NFL players. Briggs has a chance to be the best of the group, rivaling 1980s All-Americans Ricky Hunley and Byron Evans as the best linebacker in UA's Pac-10 years.

After making 18 tackles in last year's opener at Utah, his first college game as a linebacker, Briggs modestly said that he didn't deserve any credit.

"If you watch the film,'' he said, "you'll see I made of ton of mistakes."

Three months later, after 11 starts, Briggs reassessed his performance.

"I've cut down on my mistakes and learned how to play the position," he said. "I'm looking forward to (this season) because I'll be able to react quicker and make more plays."

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