Arizona’s Gerhard de Beer is slated to make his first career start at right tackle in Saturday’s season opener against BYU.
It’s fair to say no Wildcat has come so far, so fast.
De Beer literally traveled halfway across the world to attend the UA. De Beer was born and raised in South Africa, where he became one of the best youth discus throwers in the nation.
De Beer came to Arizona to participate in track and field — but also to give football a try, even though he had zero experience playing the sport.
De Beer famously did not know how to put on pads when he first joined the team in 2013. After stints at defensive end and tight end, he settled in at offensive line, redshirting as a freshman and practicing with the scout team the following season.
De Beer started four games at guard last year. Now he’s the Wildcats’ right tackle, succeeding Lene Maiava, who started all 13 games at that spot a year ago.
“I think the best way to say it is a roller-coaster ride,” de Beer said this week of his journey. “I talked to my father last night: ‘It only took three years, but we’re here now, I guess.’
“It’s been a lot of ups and downs, a lot of successes, a lot of failures. That’s how you learn. You’ll learn a lot more from losing than you ever will from winning. That’s one thing I do well — I take my losses, learn why I lost and build on that.”
De Beer is particularly conscientious and curious about his craft. He is determined to master the most minute technicalities to make up for his lack of experience.
“His work ethic speaks for itself,” defensive lineman Sani Fuimaono said. “He’s a guy who’s hungry, who’s always a student of the game, who’s always willing to learn more. He’s asking questions to not only his coach but also us as defensive linemen.”
