Senior defensive tackle Aaron Blackwell will return to Arizona for the 2021 season.
Blackwell joined the Wildcats as a graduate transfer last year from New Mexico. He is taking advantage of the NCAA ruling that grants all players an extra year of eligibility because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Blackwell (6-2, 293) was credited with six tackles, including two stops for losses, in five games.
On Tuesday, two other veteran defensive linemen, Trevon Mason and JB Brown, confirmed that they also will be returning for the ’21 season.
The Star has learned that four other players whose status was up in the air will be coming back for 2021: center Josh McCauley, tight end Bryce Wolma, safety Christian Young and defensive lineman Jalen Cochran.
Like Blackwell, veterans McCauley, Wolma and Cochran fall into that “super senior” category of players who are taking advantage of the extra year of eligibility. McCauley and Wolma are multiyear starters who indicated during the season that they'd be back. Cochran has been plagued by injuries but flashed potential during the 2018 season.
Young opted out during the 2020 season, his junior year. He was battling an ankle injury and played in only one game. He’ll have two more years of eligibility.
