Arizona football training camp preview: defensive line

Arizona officially begins preparation for its second season under head coach Brent Brennan when the Wildcats kick off fall training camp on Wednesday.

Leading up to training camp, the Star is providing a position-by-position preview. Up next: defensive line.

Position coach: Joe Salave’a

Returners: DE Tre Smith (R-Sr.), DE Dominic Lolesio (R-So.), DL Jarra Anderson (R-So.), DE Eduwa Okundaye (R-Fr.), DL Julian Savaiinaea (R-So.), DE Ammon Kaufusi (R-Jr.), DL Christian Madoski (R-So.)

Departures: DL Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei, DT Stanley Ta’ufo’ou, DT Isaiah Johnson, DT Kevon Darton, DE Lance Keneley, DE Sterling Lane II, DT Keanu Mailoto

Newcomers (height, weight): DT Tiaoalii Savea (6-4, 310 pounds), DT Deshawn McKnight (6-3, 299 pounds), DE Malachi Bailey (6-2, 273 pounds), DE Chancellor Owens (6-3, 260 pounds), DT Porter Patton (6-7, 265 pounds), DT Leroy Palu (6-3, 300 pounds), DT Mays Pese (6-3, 270 pounds)

The rundown: Arguably the biggest victory of the busy offseason for the Wildcats wasn’t in the transfer portal, it was on the coaching staff.

Arizona hired Salave’a, a former All-Pac-10 defensive tackle at Arizona during “Desert Swarm” and one of the most renowned defensive line coaches in college football.

The 50-year-old replaced former UA defensive line coach Joe Seumalo on Brent Brennan’s staff after successful stints at Miami, Oregon and Washington State, where he produced all-conference and NFL defensive linemen.

“I’m going to hurt some feelings, and it’s unintended, but in the 28 years I’ve been doing this, Joe Salave’a is the best defensive line coach I’ve ever been around, and I’ve been around some good ones,” said Arizona defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales. “He’s been a significant upgrade to our staff across the board. Those guys are going to play hard, be violent.

“He’s as good a technician as he is as a recruiter. All of those things about being a wonderful recruiter he is, just put all that stuff on steroids. We’re just blessed to have him here. ... He has brought so much to our staff and it’s been a blast.”

Smith, who played under Seumalo at San Jose State prior to Arizona, said “it’s a gift” to work under Salave’a, who is “very technical, how he coaches, and I like it.”

“One thing I enjoy about it the most, is that he provides an explanation as to why we’re doing what we do and you can see the practicality in that,” Smith said at Big 12 Media Days. “On top of that, he’s helped me add moves to my bag.”

Smith was a mainstay in Arizona’s defense last season and recorded a team-high 28 quarterback pressures, but only 4.5 were converted into sacks. Arizona was 13th in the Big 12 last season in sacks. Sacking quarterbacks wasn’t the only flaw for the Wildcats.

Arizona also had the second-worst rushing defense in the conference and allowed 175.3 rushing yards per game last season, a stark contrast to its Top 30 rushing defense nationally from the Alamo Bowl season in 2023.

The biggest difference? Size and depth. Arizona’s only 300-pound defensive linemen last season were Johnson and Chubba Ma’ae. Johnson transferred to North Carolina, and Ma’ae converted to an interior offensive lineman for the Wildcats this season.

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Arizona added five 300-pound defensive linemen in its 2025 recruiting class in Savea, McKnight, Palu and junior-college transfers Ezra Funa and Zac Siulepa, albeit Funa and Siulepa are currently working through summer academic obligations before they can be added to the roster for training camp.

The 6-3, 300-pound Funa, who played at Mater Dei High School in Southern California, is the latest player from the College of San Mateo pipeline to sign with Arizona. Siulepa, a 6-7, 365-pounder, played a season at Garden City Community College in Kansas.

Two likely starters for the Wildcats on the interior line are transfers Savea, who returned to the UA after a season at Texas, and McKnight, a senior transfer from UT Martin. Savea “had a phenomenal spring and an even better summer,” Gonzales said.

“They got about three weeks off in May and then he came back in better shape than when he left, which is unbelievable for a 300-pound defensive lineman,” said Gonzales.

Savea, who had two starts and appeared in 19 games at Arizona, consistently sustained injuries, but when he was healthy, he impacted the UA interior defensive line with 36 tackles, 7.5 stops for loss, a pass breakup and a fumble recovery; his takeaway was in the fourth quarter of the 2022 Territorial Cup win over Arizona State. Savea also blocked a field goal in Arizona’s upset win over UCLA in 2022. After seldomly playing at Texas, Savea is spending his final season of eligibility with the Wildcats.

“Tia is just worried about him and how he can improve himself,” Salave’a said. “If Tia — like I know what we can become — continues on that trend, it’s going to elevate everybody else in the room, because he’s a big man that can move, he’s athletic, but he’s heavy-handed.”

McKnight, a Sumter, South Carolina native, is “another big man that can really bend and turn the corner, very athletic and heavy-handed at the point of attack,” Salave’a said.

Salave’a said McKnight has a “calmness about him being a veteran.”

“Leads by action, not by words,” Salave’a said. “That’s the the exciting thing about Deshawn. ... He speaks with high regard for the younger players because he’s been there. Now it’s his opportunity to compete and see if he can be a part of the rotation here, to elevate this room.”

Savea and McKnight “did a phenomenal job in spring and they’re going to cause some people some serious trouble in the Big 12, which is awesome,” Gonzales added.

Other interior defensive linemen expected to have a role this season are Palu, a Cerritos College transfer and first defensive line addition after the hiring of Salave’a, Anderson, who suffered a season-ending leg injury, Pese and Savaiinaea, the younger brother of former UA offensive lineman Jonah Savaiinaea. Funa and Siulepa could also impact the Wildcats up front.

In addition to Smith, Lolesio, Owens and Okundaye, who ascended in the spring, among others, will be in the mix at edge rusher.

Between Salave’a’s coaching and the added size to clog up lanes and occupy blockers, “those guys make what happen (in the defensive secondary) even better,” said Gonzales.

“It doesn’t matter how talented you are on the back end if you’re not getting any pressure on the quarterback,” Gonzales added. “So we’re going to beat the tar out of some quarterbacks this year and give those guys some opportunities to steal some interceptions on the back end.”