Jackson State long snapper Avery Salerno transfers to Arizona football

Arizona landed its second long snapper this week, after Jackson State transfer Avery Salerno committed to the Wildcats.

Salerno announced his commitment to Arizona on his social media pages Wednesday afternoon.

The 6-foot, 200-pound Salerno, a Clemmons, North Carolina, native, played the last two seasons at Jackson State in the post-Deion Sanders era.

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

Salerno joins Broden Molen, a Great Falls, Montana, native, as long snappers at Arizona for the 2025 season. The 6-foot, 215-pound Molen played in the Navy All-American Bowl in January. Salerno and Molen replace Tucson native Trey Naughton, who medically retired after the spring. Arizona’s new long-snapping tandem will succeed graduate transfer Justin Holloway, who played one season at the UA after beginning his career at Ohio.

Salerno and Molen join a specialists group — or, as special teams coordinator Craig Naivar calls it, “teams” — that includes sophomore kicker and punter Michael Salgado-Medina, Illinois State kicker and punter transfer Ian Wagner and walk-on punter Jordan Forbes.

Arizona kicks off the 2025 season against Hawaii on Aug. 30 in Tucson.