Arizona football roster reset: With holes at LB and safety, Wildcats have work cut out on ‘D’

Editor’s note: This is the second in a three-part series examining what might have been — and could still be — for Arizona Wildcats football after the Pac-12 postponed the fall season. Today: the defense.

The offseason has brought upheaval to Arizona’s defense — and that was the case even before the coronavirus struck.

In December, Kevin Sumlin put the unit into the experienced hands of Paul Rhoads, a longtime FBS defensive coordinator and former head coach at Iowa State.

The Wildcats brought in Stan Eggen to coach the defensive line and Andy Buh to coach the outside linebackers. Combined, the three have about 90 years of Division I experience on their résumés.

Then, just as spring practice was getting under way in early March, secondary coach Demetrice Martin left for Colorado. Sumlin hired Greg Burns, who most recently coached at USC (for a second time) and also worked in the NFL.

Unlike the other three new defensive assistants, Burns never got to coach his players in spring practice; it was halted before he ever stepped foot on the field.

Over the next several months, three multiyear starters entering their senior seasons would enter the NCAA transfer portal: safety Scottie Young Jr. and linebackers Tony Fields II and Colin Schooler. They just so happened to play positions where Arizona’s depth already was scarce.

So Rhoads and the defensive staff will have their work cut out whenever football resumes, whether that’s winter/spring of 2021 or next fall. The interim offers an opportunity to examine what might have been this fall – and what could still be in early ’21.

As we already did with the offense, here’s our position-by-position breakdown of the UA defense:

Defensive linemen

Arizona has spent considerable resources to boost the defensive line’s size and depth in recent recruiting cycles, and those efforts are starting to show. The Wildcats have mined the junior-college and graduate-transfer markets for immediate help while adding young players with growth potential to the pipeline.

The projected top two units in the base three-man front are laden with seniors who will have decisions to make about their participation in 2021 if a spring/winter season happens.

JC transfer Trevon Mason totaled 44 tackles, including six for losses, and defended two passes in his first season as a Wildcat. He improved steadily over the course of the year, has NFL size (6-5, 310) and earned a spot in the Senior Bowl’s Top 250.

Myles Tapusoa, another JC product, struggled with conditioning early in his UA career before carving out a role in the rotation. He’s a pure nose tackle at 6-1, 330.

Sophomore Kyon Barrs is the only underclassman in the projected top six. Barrs flashed major upside as a freshman, totaling 13 tackles in 11 games, including a season-high four in the finale at Arizona State. He possesses the requisite size for Rhoads’ scheme at 6-2, 299.

JB Brown did not have the breakout junior season many were expecting of him; his tackle total fell from 30 to 21, his TFLs from 7.5 to five.

He could be among those who benefit from a scheme change. Brown is a bit of a “tweener” at 6-3, 255, and his best role might be as a pass-rush specialist who can line up inside.

Graduate transfers Aaron Blackwell and Roy Lopez provide additional size, depth and experience. Blackwell (6-2, 293) previously played for Eggen at New Mexico. Lopez compiled 137 tackles, including 20 TFLs, in three-plus seasons at New Mexico State. Both missed most of 2019 because of injuries.

The Wildcats have four other veteran defensive linemen on the roster and brought in four more in the 2020 signing class, so there’s no shortage of big bodies. Ideally, the freshmen will use 2020-21 to develop and get ready for playing-time opportunities that will come sooner than later.

Linebackers

This position looked dramatically different five weeks ago. The projected starters then were Fields and Schooler on the inside, with senior Anthony Pandy and redshirt junior Jalen Harris on the outside. Now, assuming he sticks around, Pandy could have to move inside, and the overall depth takes a huge hit.

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Pandy has breakout potential regardless of where he plays after notching a career-high 66 tackles last season, including five TFLs. The same goes for Harris, who has ideal measurables at 6-5, 250 and who is best suited to play a stand-up pass-rushing role after often playing with a hand on the ground the past two seasons.

It’s highly likely that sophomore Derrion Clark will step into one of the inside spots, possibly at the “Mike.” Clark was named Arizona’s Special Teams Player of the Year as a freshman and drew praise from Schooler for his approach to the game.

Senior Kylan Wilborn is a candidate to play opposite Harris, although his skill set isn’t as complementary as Pandy’s. Wilborn hasn’t been able to replicate the production of his freshman year, when he totaled 9.5 TFLs, including 7.5 sacks, and four forced fumbles. He has just two sacks over the past two seasons.

The other linebacker candidates include redshirt freshmen Eddie Siaumau-Sanitoa and Kwabena Watson, and true freshmen Derrick Mourning and Jabar Triplett.

Siaumau-Sanitoa (6-3, 235) is an intriguing athlete whom some projected to play safety coming out of American Samoa. Watson was just starting to come on when spring practice got shut down. He’s listed at 6-2, 210, so adding bulk is essential.

Mourning arrives with similar dimensions (listed at 6-3, 212 on signing day) and potential. Triplett likely would have played right away if not for an Achilles’ injury suffered in spring. He’s progressing, but it’s not clear whether he’d be available to play as early as January.

Cornerbacks

If there’s a winter/spring season, fifth-year senior Lorenzo Burns will have to decide whether he wants to participate in it. Burns is a borderline NFL prospect who considered leaving Arizona after last season, when he notched a team-high four interceptions (giving him nine for his career). If he elects to play, Burns will be the leader of this unit.

The future leader of the group is sophomore Christian Roland-Wallace, who started eight games as a true freshman. Roland-Wallace enduring his share of growing pains but produced 37 tackles and six passes defensed. He has the talent to be an all-league performer.

Classmate Bobby Wolfe also oozes with ability but must become more consistent. It’s conceivable Roland-Wallace or Wolfe (or another corner) could get a look at safety at some point given the Wildcats’ needs there.

Redshirt junior Malik Hausman has made a bigger impact in the #WeAreUnited player-empowerment movement than on the field for the UA; he has appeared in only eight games during his time here. But he should have a chance to compete for playing time with depth lacking in the defensive backfield. Likewise junior McKenzie Barnes, who mostly has played on special teams.

Arizona brought in junior-college transfer Isaiah Mays with the intention of using him right away. Mays’ best position is believed to be nickel corner, and the Wildcats might have to play more nickel than originally intended because of the dearth of experienced linebackers.

Freshmen Khary Crump Jr. and Edric Whitley will have opportunities to contribute on special teams at the very least.

Safeties

Young was one of four safeties to enter the transfer portal this offseason, leaving the position bereft of depth. Arizona lists four scholarship safeties on its online roster.

Barring imports from other positions, the probable starters are fifth-year senior Jarrius Wallace and junior Christian Young. Wallace has ample experience with 36 career appearances, including nine starts. Young is big (6-2, 217) and physical and could thrive in a traditional strong safety role.

The most intriguing unknown at safety is sophomore Jaxen Turner, whose freshman season was cut short because of injury. Turner mostly played on special teams in his six appearances. He was a standout in two sports (football, basketball) at Rancho Verde High School in Moreno Valley, California.

The other scholarship safety, Rhedi Short, is entering his redshirt-junior season. He has yet to appear in a game for Arizona.

Figuring out the best combinations in the secondary (and linebacking corps) will require maximum creativity when play resumes.