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If he hadn鈥檛 hurt his foot in spring drills, an injury that prompted him to medically retire from Arizona鈥檚 football team, this would have been his Senior Night 鈥� the Wildcats鈥� last home game of the year against Oregon State.

Denson was a star at Salpointe Catholic High School, one of the most accomplished football players to ever come out of Tucson. Despite offers to play all over the country, Denson chose to stay at home and play for the Wildcats, the team he grew up watching.

He鈥檇 play his home games at Arizona Stadium, the place where his father, Jerry, worked as an usher in the mid-1990s. The place where Cam Denson won a 2013 state championship with the Lancers.

Things didn鈥檛 go according to plan. He left the team on Oct. 4.

鈥淚t鈥檚 hard for me because he鈥檚 so talented,鈥� said Salpointe coach Dennis Bene. 鈥淗e鈥檚 such a competitor and I wish things would have worked out differently for him.鈥�

Denson didn鈥檛 respond to Star messages for this story, but his father, high school coach, an Arizona teammate and one Wildcats coach touched on a football career that didn鈥檛 go the way anyone expected.

Here鈥檚 their perspective.

Salpointe鈥檚 best ever?

In 20 years at Salpointe, Bene has coached dozens of Division I football players and some of the best teams in Southern Arizona.

Even by that standard, Denson was special. He played wide receiver, running back, quarterback and cornerback and returned both punts and kicks. Denson led Salpointe to a 14-0 record as a senior, its first-ever state championship.

Denson was at his best on the big stage, amassing 232 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns in the Lancers鈥� championship-game win over Scottsdale Chaparral.

鈥淚鈥檒l be in debt to Cameron for the rest of my life,鈥� Bene said. 鈥淚 honestly believe that 2013 Salpointe team was the greatest high school football team in Tucson history, and Cameron was the centerpiece of that.鈥�

By the numbers, Salpointe was sensational. That team averaged 49.7 points per game and won its 14 games by an average of 42.5 points. Denson had 1,950 all-purpose yards and scored 32 touchdowns. He finished his high school career with 5,505 all-purpose yards and 79 touchdowns.

Things 鈥渏ust weren鈥檛 hard鈥� in high school, Denson said last year. 鈥淚 could play anywhere (on the field) and be really good.鈥�

Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Washington, Oklahoma State, West Virginia, Arizona State and the UA all offered scholarships.

He picked Arizona.

鈥淚 just know how dominating he was in high school and I thought for sure he would have a tremendous college career,鈥� Bene said. 鈥淯nfortunately it didn鈥檛 happen, but such is life. Like I said, it wasn鈥檛 in the cards but the legacy he left at Salpointe is obviously undeniable and unparalleled and that鈥檚 just a fact.

鈥淭ruly, he鈥檚 the greatest football player to ever play at Salpointe.鈥�

Bumpy road at Arizona

In Denson鈥檚 first-ever game at Salpointe, he caught five passes for 77 yards and a touchdown.

Statistically, the 77 yards matched the best-ever game Denson had in college. He caught four passes for a career-77 yards and a touchdown in last year鈥檚 loss at Washington State.

Those close to Denson believe he would鈥檝e made a bigger impact at receiver had he started his college career on offense.

Denson, a four-star recruit and the centerpiece of Arizona鈥檚 2014 class, expected to play receiver for the Wildcats. But when two cornerback recruits flipped to other schools 鈥� Jalen Tabor went to Florida and Naijiel Hale to Washington 鈥� UA coaches asked Denson to switch positions.

He had been a gifted defensive back at Salpointe, intercepting 15 passes and deflecting 20 balls in four years.

At first, Denson showed signs of promise. He had 21 tackles and intercepted two passes as a true freshman. As a sophomore, he upped it to 39 tackles and three interceptions, one that he returned for a touchdown.

After Arizona won the 2015 New Mexico Bowl, Denson asked his coaches if he could move back to receiver. They said yes.

Denson鈥檚 junior season was a mixed bag. He had a team-best 202 receiving yards over a five-game stretch, but Denson battled inconsistency, poor quarterback play and injuries. He played in all 12 games last season, starting three of them, but finished with just 15 catches for 242 yards and two touchdowns.

Theron Aych, hired in the spring as UA鈥檚 receivers coach, never had the chance to coach Denson while he was healthy. Denson suffered a stress fracture in his foot and missed most of spring drills and fall camp.

鈥淚t鈥檚 strange for me because when I watch him in some of last year鈥檚 games, I鈥檓 going, 鈥�Who is that?鈥� And I realize it鈥檚 Cam,鈥� Aych said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of funny: I catch myself and go, 鈥楳an, I wish we had that guy healthy because I would鈥檝e loved to have seen what he can do.鈥欌��

Denson pushed himself to play this fall, and saw the field in a Week 2 loss to Houston. He caught one pass for five yards, and was done.

His foot never healed.

鈥淗e was very frustrated, I could just tell,鈥� said UA senior receiver Tyrell Johsnon, one of Denson鈥檚 best friends on the team. 鈥淚t was one thing after another. He鈥檇 come back and get healthy and then, boom, he鈥檚 hurt again. He was definitely frustrated. We talk about it all the time.鈥�

Denson approached Aych and UA coach Rich Rodriguez and told them he鈥檇 be leaving the team. He鈥檚 still attending classes at the UA.

鈥淚t was tough. It had been on his mind for a couple weeks and he had really tried to push himself through it,鈥� Aych said. 鈥淲ith guys like him who are athletes, when you feel like you aren鈥檛 full speed and you know you鈥檙e not going to be able to help us 鈥� I mean, it鈥檚 hard for those guys to realize that and go, 鈥榊ou know what, I better not do this because I鈥檓 going to be a detriment.鈥� So I told him I appreciated him being honest because he didn鈥檛 want to hurt the team. We appreciated that. And we miss him. Wish it would鈥檝e worked out for him.鈥�

Frustration

and the future

The last four years have been hard on Denson 鈥� and increasingly frustrating for his father, Jerry.

Jerry Denson would wake Cam up early as a boy and put him through running drills, conditioning drills and stretching. A young Cam would run up hills to build strength.

Jerry Denson saw his son as a future star at wide receiver, and figured Cam鈥檚 move to defense would be temporary. But one year turned into two, and by the time Cam Denson switched back to receiver, he was behind the curve.

鈥淗e was saying at one time they had made him quit liking football, because he wasn鈥檛 happy,鈥� Jerry said.

Denson regained some passion once he moved back to receiver, his father said, but never felt like he received much of an opportunity. Denson finished his junior season fifth on the team in receptions, and most of them came in that five-game stretch.

鈥淲hen he did go to offense, people would say, 鈥榃hy Cam ain鈥檛 playing?鈥欌�� Jerry said. 鈥淗e was playing, he just wasn鈥檛 getting the ball thrown to him. Every time they threw him the ball, he caught it 鈥� People on the street used to say, 鈥榃hy they got the beast all chained up in the cage?鈥欌��

Arizona鈥檚 coaches asked Denson if he would consider taking a medical redshirt this season, allowing him to play in 2018. Denson said no. He was too frustrated with injuries, telling Johnson that he was unsure if he鈥檇 ever heal.

However, Denson may not be through with football. If he can graduate this spring, Denson could transfer immediately to a program of his choosing. He could also train and participate in Arizona鈥檚 pro day.

Whatever it is, Denson isn鈥檛 saying.

鈥淚 think he鈥檚 got another plan, but he (hasn鈥檛) even really told me the plan,鈥� Jerry Denson said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 going to play football again, I believe.鈥�