It’s depth chart season.
Ahead of the Arizona Wildcats’ season opener against Hawaii, the UA released its first depth chart of the season on Monday, which featured a few surprises.
For starters, Arizona had 12 offensive and defensive starters listed. Wait, 12? Yes, 12, even though only 11 players can start.
The least surprising starter on the UA depth chart is quarterback Noah Fifita, with Wisconsin transfer Braedyn Locke slotted in the backup role.
At running back and tight end, it’s “or” galore. The Wildcats have Texas State transfer Ismail Mahdi, junior Kedrick Reescano and Portland State transfer Quincy Craig as co-starters. Ditto at tight end with senior Sam Olson, redshirt junior Tyler Powell, Mercyhurst transfer Cameron Barmore and junior Keyan Burnett.
The Wildcats have four wide receivers listed, however, three will likely start on Saturday against Hawaii. The receivers listed as starters include Washington State transfer Kris Hutson, New Mexico transfer Luke Wysong, Chattanooga transfer Javin “Nunu” Whatley and returning starter Chris Hunter and Kansas State transfer Tre Spivey III as co-starters. Arizona often used Spivey, Hunter and Hutson as a starting trio during training camp.
Arizona wide receiver Tre Spivey (12) catches a pass during fall football practice at Dick Tomey practice field on Aug. 20, 2025.
Arizona’s backup receivers are redshirt freshman Brandon Phelps, who had a productive spring, along with freshman and Orlando native Isaiah Mizell, Phoenix-area product and freshman Gio Richardson, senior slot receiver Jeremiah Patterson, redshirt junior Rex Haynes and redshirt sophomore Devin Hyatt, who suffered a horrifying leg injury in the Territorial Cup, but recovered in the spring and ascended as a possible mainstay in fall training camp.
Arizona’s projected starters on the offensive line include Texas Tech transfer left tackle Ty Buchanan, tackle-converted-guard Michael Wooten, center and Hawaii transfer Ka’ena Decambra, right guard Alexander Doost and Michigan transfer right tackle Tristan Bounds and returning starter Rhino Tapa’atoutai as co-starters.
Before Tapa’atoutai suffered a season-ending leg injury, he was Arizona’s starter at left tackle. Tapa’atoutai didn’t take team reps during training camp, but participated in the Wildcats’ mock game on Saturday.
Arizona Wildcats offensive lineman Rhino Tapa’atoutai (59) leads the team in the fight song while greeting Zona Zoo students under the lights at Arizona Stadium during a short break in the training camp routine, Aug. 21, 2025.
Tapa’atoutai, who started his UA career at right tackle and switched to left tackle last season, was discussed as a potential starter at left guard with Buchanan and Bounds as the starting tackles, but Arizona offensive line coach Josh Oglesby said earlier this month, “I see him as an offensive tackle.”
“But the beauty of Rhino is that he can play both,” Oglesby said. “I don’t believe in guys losing their spots due to injury, especially with my background (with injuries) and how everything went for me. With that being said, if the guy that’s in is playing great, we’ll roll with the hot hand. I fully envision Rhino being back full strength sooner rather than later, and he’s going to have every opportunity to step right back into the role that he played for our team in the past.”
Wooten, who played his first collegiate snaps at tackle last season and struggled, moved to left guard during training camp.
“I think we found that Michael does a nice job inside there, and we’re excited about he’s going to be as a guard,” said Arizona head coach Brent Brennan on Monday.
Arizona’s backup offensive linemen are redshirt freshman left tackle Matthew Lado, redshirt senior left guard Chubba Ma’ae, redshirt junior center Grayson Stovall and right guards Ise Matautia and Portland State transfer Isaac Perez.
The Wildcats’ defensive line on the depth chart has redshirt senior Tre Smith and redshirt junior Dominic Lolesio as starting defensive ends, with redshirt senior Tiaoalii Savea and UT Martin transfer Deshawn McKnight at defensive tackle. Cerritos College transfer Leroy Palu, who was the first addition on the defensive line since Arizona hired defensive line coach Joe Salave’a, is a co-starter with McKnight.
Arizona Wildcats defensive lineman Malachi Bailey (44) rolls to his feet as the defensive unit runs through a tackling drill during preseason training camp, Aug. 13, 2025.
Arizona’s reserve defensive linemen are freshman Mays Pese, redshirt junior Julian Savaiinaea, Northwestern State transfer Chancellor Owens, redshirt sophomore Jarra “Bear” Anderson and Alcorn State transfer Malachi Bailey, who was arguably the most improved defensive player from the spring through training camp.
The Wildcats’ starters at linebacker are junior Taye Brown, Texas State transfer Max Harris and former defensive end Chase Kennedy, with Montana transfer Riley Wilson, redshirt sophomore Leviticus Su’a and redshirt freshman Jabari Mann as backups.
Arizona’s projected defensive secondary is junior free safety Genesis Smith, redshirt senior strong safety Dalton Johnson and redshirt senior nickel back Treydan Stukes, along with co-starters at cornerback. West Virginia transfer Ayden Garnes is listed as a co-starter with San Jose State transfer Michael Dansby and returning starter Marquis Groves-Killebrew.
Listed backups in Arizona’s secondary are Texas transfer Jay’Vion Cole and redshirt sophomore Johno Price at cornerback, redshirt sophomore nickel back Gavin Hunter, redshirt sophomore safety Jack Luttrell and freshman safety Coleman Patmon.
Arizona sophomore kicker and punter Michael Salgado-Medina is listed as the starter at both positions, which “was not the plan going into the season, but that’s how it played out in training camp,” Brennan said.
“Everything we do is decided on the field, and that’s how it played out in training camp,” Brennan said. “Now, he better kick some ass on Saturday night or someone else is going to get a chance, because that’s the way this game goes. Credit to him, he did a really nice job in camp — and so did the other guys.”
Australian punter Isaac Lovison “did a nice job punting the ball and he’s coming along,” and walk-on freshman kicker Tyler Prashun “did a nice job with his placekicking” in training camp, Brennan said.
“The good news is we do have competition there, which is going to keep the pressure on those guys to achieve and continue to compete,” Brennan said.
Illinois State transfer kicker and Sierra Vista native Ian Wagner is handling kickoff duties this season. Mahdi, Craig, Patterson and Hutson are projected returners for the Wildcats this season. Jackson State transfer Avery Salerno will start at long snapper.
Between offense and defense, the Wildcats have 16 newcomers listed as starters or co-starters. In total, the Wildcats have 61 newcomers for this season, which “speaks to where we are in college football right now,” Brennan said.
“I don’t think that’s going to be unique at the University of Arizona, where somewhere between 25-50% of your starters are all new players,” Brennan said. “I would also guess that other places might look like 80-100%. Every program is different, but that’s what we needed to give us a chance to field the best football team we can field this season. The offseason was critical and the portal was critical.”
Hawaii scouting report
Arizona’s upcoming opponent, Hawaii, overcame a 10-0 deficit to beat Stanford in walk-off fashion, 23-20, on Saturday in Honolulu for Week 0.
After watching the game and assessing the Rainbow Warriors, Brennan’s most notable takeaway “is how they responded,” said Brennan, who has known Hawaii head coach Timmy Chang since the UH leader was a junior at St. Louis High School in Honolulu. Brennan was a graduate assistant at Hawaii in 1998, when Chang was being recruited by the Rainbow Warriors.
In the first half on Saturday, Hawaii redshirt freshman quarterback Micah Alejado fumbled in the Warriors’ end zone and Stanford recovered it for a touchdown.
“The start of that game was not great for them, and I thought they responded incredibly (well) and found a way to win it,” Brennan said.
Alejado, who suffered a leg injury in the third quarter and is expected to play against Arizona, completed 27 of 39 passes for 210 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Alejado was named Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week on Monday.
Brent Brennan, right, shown embracing Hawaii coach Timmy Chang before their game in October 2023, has been named the head coach at Arizona, where his mentor, Dick Tomey, once thrived.
Between his careers at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas and Hawaii, Alejado has passed for a combined 10,028 yards, 133 touchdowns and four interceptions. His last interception was during his junior season at Bishop Gorman in 2022.
“He’s tough,” Brennan said of Alejado. “I give him all kinds of credit, because he took some shots, but the kid kept getting up, kept coming back and kept playing. He made plays when he had to, made throws when he had to. He looks like an accurate passer who also has good ability to use his legs. He’s a big challenge. Obviously, he’s an incredibly experienced passer and was a high-profile, prolific passer in high school. It looks like he’s carrying that on at Hawaii.”
Extra points
— The first day of the fall semester at the UA was on Monday. The start of classes “shakes up everything” for the UA players, Brennan said. He added: “The biggest difference is how committed we are to the academic process. That’s the reason these young men are here, is to graduate and go to school and get an education and give themselves a chance to build a life beyond the game of football. With that, comes academic responsibility, and that’s the difference they haven’t had the last month; it’s been focused 100% on football. That has to get divided a little bit.”
— Arizona held a mock game at Arizona Stadium on Saturday, which Brennan referred to as a “dress rehearsal.” With a Big 12 officiating crew present, the Wildcats went through pregame procedures, emulated commercial breaks and “situational football.” Said Brennan: “We wanted to have it feel exactly like game day. With 61 new players, there’s a lot of guys that have never been out the tunnel at Arizona Stadium on game day. They don’t know what that feels like, they don’t know what that process is.”
— Arizona Stadium officially installed the name plates under the press box for ex-Wildcats Randy Robbins and Tetairoa McMillan, who will both be inducted into the Arizona Stadium Ring of Honor on Saturday.
