Gunner Maldonado, Treydan Stukes adjust to new roles in Arizona's secondary

Last season, Gunner Maldonado was a star. He’s not anymore.

That sounds like a dig at Maldonado, the junior from Chandler, but it’s not. He started at “star” — also known as nickel back — for nine games at Arizona in 2022.

Nowadays, Maldonado is competing with redshirt sophomore Dalton Johnson for Arizona’s starting “boundary” safety spot, which was previously manned by NFL draft hopeful Christian Young. Treydan Stukes, who started seven games at cornerback in 2022, will likely start at “star” this season.

“It’s like the same world but different responsibilities,” Stukes said. “It’s been nice to learn something new and put my skillset in a different part of the field.”

Stukes said UA defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen proposed the notion of playing nickel back after the season.

“I just said I would do it. I would do what’s best for the team and if he thinks that’s what is best for the team, I’ll play whatever,” Stukes said.

The idea was formed after the Wildcats deployed a seven-defensive back lineup, titled “dollar package,” to combat their issues at linebacker.

“It was just nice to have all of those DBs on the field and just match speed with speed,” Stukes said. “We could cover anyone we wanted to, no matter who they put out there, with all of those skill guys on the field.”

The changes in the second half of the season helped Maldonado log 28 tackles, two forced fumbles and a pass breakup in the last four games of the season. In 11 appearances last season, Maldonado made a career-high 48 tackles.

“Just trusting my coaching, trusting my teammates around me and remembering I have an amazing defense around me,” Maldonado said. “I’ll just do my job, and everyone else will handle their situation.”

Maldonado has recently been paired with free safety Isaiah Taylor in the starting group over the last two weeks this spring.

“It’s fun having him next to me, and we’re going to have to some fun together. ... Me and I.T. are very talkative back there and I think it’s going to help us in the long run,” Maldonado said.

Other notable safeties to earn reps at safety include Johnson, DJ Warnell and freshman Genesis Smith.

“We’ve got a lot of talent, a lot of young guys in the secondary that are playing and I think the coaches are doing a really good job of mixing and matching who is out there, so we’re out there playing with a bunch of different faces,” Maldonado said.

Arizona senior defensive analyst Duane Akina scouted Maldonado, the former Chandler High School star, to play at Stanford. Akina said Maldonado is “a guy that’s very passionate about football.”

“He loves the game, he’s very physical, enjoys the contact side of it, he’s a guy you can give a lot of information to, so I’m very, very impressed by him,” Akina said.

Added Akina: “I’m not sure what the final destination will be for him, but we’re not near the final product, and I’m just excited to see where he’ll end up. He still has a couple years in front of us.”

While Taylor and Maldonado appear to be the leaders in the safety clubhouse, Arizona safeties coach Chuck Cecil said this past weekend that the Wildcats’ starters comes down to “whichever guy plays the best, is the one that’s going to play and perform.”

“It’s show me, don’t tell me. I could not give two ding-dongs — I could try less, I just don’t know how, if you tell me how good you are,” Cecil said. “But if you put it on tape, that’s who you are.

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“The best guys are going to play. That’s not a top secret in our room. It’s that simple. Show me, don’t tell me. Put it on tape, and our guys have done a lot of great things during spring ball, and there’s a big learning curve.”

Ditto for Akina.

“It doesn’t matter if you were a starter and played every snap a year ago or you didn’t play at all, there’s a new set of eyes on you, and so everybody comes with a fresh start,” Akina said. “All we know is next season, that position will need to be played better; it could be the same player or it could be somebody else. All we know is that position needs to be played better.”

Akina flexible with position at UA

Akina’s hands-on coaching role could change soon.

Last month, American Football Coaches Association executive director Todd Berry told On3.com that a proposal to allow analysts — an off-field coaching position that is restricted to only communicating with staffers — to coach players will not pass.

After Arizona’s first scrimmage this spring, Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch said “he was very surprised” by the rule not changing before the upcoming season.

“I think it’s a shame,” Fisch said. “There’s so many great opportunities for coaches — young and old — to be able to continue to help the players develop. The fact that it didn’t pass is both surprising and disappointing at the same time. They’ll still have their roles in the building.

“They’ll obviously be coaches-to-coaches and work with the coaches and be very involved on the field as a cheerleader and motivator. ... You go look at some of the NFL staffs I’ve been on, we had 30-35 coaches at a lot of places, and we had a 53-man roster. They limit you to 11 coaches and four (graduate assistants) on a 115-man roster. It’s disappointing.

“It is what it is. Hopefully they’ll change that rule soon. I know all of the head coaches feel the same way I do that I’ve talked to. Maybe one of these days, we’ll allow these kids to continue to get coached by as many (coaches) as we can.”

Akina, a longtime assistant coach under late UA coaching icon Dick Tomey and Texas’ Mack Brown, has remained on the sidelines coaching UA’s players, with defensive line coach Ricky Hunley stepping away this spring due to rehab from knee surgery. Once Hunley returns to coaching, Akina’s position could revert back to the traditional analyst role.

“I’m just here to support what Coach Fisch and Coach Nansen do,” he said. “I’m just a small piece to this puzzle, and I’m just blessed that I’ve had the opportunity to come back here and be a part of this.

“Whatever my role becomes, I’m happy because as I’ve said to the players, I’ve watched them chase the football now and (get) physical. Shucks, I had Spam, eggs and rice for pregame meal, I feel like I’m back home.”

Extra points

Akina, on how spring practices were during the Tomey era: “We were a blue-collar outfit and we had a bunch of guys, much like here. We didn’t have a bunch of five-star, heavily-recruited (players) ... but they were guys that loved ball and were very connected. What Coach Fisch is doing with some of the team-building aspects, it’s what all the really outstanding football teams — and football players — were tied into. You see it right there, ‘The team, the team, the team.’ ... I think when we’re all in it together, it means so much more.”

Running backs Michael Wiley, DJ Williams, Rayshon “Speedy” Luke and true freshman Brandon Johnson were sidelined with injuries on Monday. The only scholarship running backs available were Jonah Coleman and Tucson native Stevie Rocker. Walk-on Nazar Bombata also took reps at running back.

Redshirt freshman tight end Tyler Powell missed his first practice of spring with an injury.