When he was a sophomore at Lethbridge Collegiate Institute, Tanner McLachlan and his teammates attended a game between Arizona and Washington State in Pullman. WSU is the closest FBS program to Lethbridge, a city of about 100,000 in southern Alberta, Canada.
Unlike most of his teammates, McLachlan was rooting for the Wildcats (who won that 2014 matchup 59-37). His family had vacationed in Arizona to get away from the cold. He envisioned donning the UA colors someday.
“I was a huge Arizona fan,” McLachlan said. “I wanted to play for Arizona. I didn’t know how I was gonna get there. I didn’t know when it was gonna happen. But I knew I wanted to be here.
“It’s funny how life works out, because obviously it happened and I’m pretty excited about it.”
McLachlan didn’t take a direct path from Lethbridge to Tucson. But he eventually made it. And he’s thriving.
McLachlan, an athletic 6-foot-5-inch, 240-pound tight end, transferred to Arizona from Southern Utah. He earned a scholarship on the eve of the season. He has nine receptions through three games, tied for third most on the team. With two more catches, he’ll surpass the total amassed by last year’s leading pass catcher at tight end, Alex Lines.
“He’s fast, he can catch, he’s big,” said UA coach Jedd Fisch, whose team opens Pac-12 play at Cal on Saturday. “He gives you a really good passing target. He has great hands. He’s built a great trust up with our players and with our quarterbacks.”
McLachlan improbably has emerged as Arizona’s biggest receiving threat at tight end. And it’s not just because he’s from Canada, started out at an FCS school and came to the UA as a walk-on.
McLachlan suffered a torn ACL in his left knee while playing for Southern Utah in the spring of 2021. He had surgery on June 15. Around that time, McLachlan said, he reached “a point in my career where I knew I needed a change.”
McLachlan still needed to rehab his knee, though. He began the process with the aid of Southern Utah’s trainers. But when he was between schools, McLachlan relied mainly on YouTube videos.
“A lot of it was YouTube,” McLachlan said. “A lot of it was talking to other people that have gone through the same process and just kind of figuring it out on my own. ... I’d look up where I should be at week by week, month by month.”
McLachlan’s connection to the UA came through former Wildcat linebacker Paul Magloire, who’s now a trainer in the Phoenix area. Magloire talked to tight ends coach Jordan Paopao, who asked Fisch if he’d be willing to add a walk-on tight end who was coming off an ACL surgery but had good film and a good reputation. Fisch was game.
“Then, as he showed up, it was a lot more than that,” Fisch said. “So we’re pretty fortunate.”
Arizona tight end Tanner McLachlan signals that he got the first down after a catch and run on Saturday. McLachlan made his first career start against the Bison.
McLachlan was limited in the spring as he continued to rehab his knee. He still wears a brace. But he made an impression on his teammates and the coaching staff.
“We had an idea pretty early on that the kid had some special talents and some traits,” offensive coordinator Brennan Carroll said. “He’s got a great mind for the sport too. It comes pretty naturally to him. He’s a good athlete. He wants to learn. Great teammate. Just a kid that the guys love to play for and play with.”
McLachlan faced an uphill battle for playing time. Lines started 11 games last season. Arizona also added four-star recruit Keyan Burnett. McLachlan knew that if he was going to secure a spot, he’d have to earn it.
“Coming in as a walk-on led me to have a chip on my shoulder,” McLachlan said. “And that’s been a blessing because I’ve approached every day with that mindset — trying to get better, trying to be the best in the room, trying to be the best version of myself.”
Lines, Burnett and McLachlan were listed as co-starters on the Week 1 depth chart. The night before the opener at San Diego State, Fisch awarded McLachlan a scholarship. His teammates — including cornerback Treydan Stukes, another Wildcat who went from walk-on to scholarship player — were thrilled. Stukes also was surprised.
“I didn’t even know he was a walk-on, honestly,” Stukes said. “That was like a revelation.”
McLachlan caught one pass vs. SDSU. He caught four in each of the next two games. He made his first career start last week against North Dakota State. He has played the most snaps (132) of any UA tight end.
When he left Southern Utah, McLachlan made a bet on himself. That bet has paid off and then some.
“It was the best decision I’ve made so far,” McLachlan said.
‘Overcome with joy’
Stukes played an instrumental role in Arizona’s 10-3 victory over Cal last season that ended the Wildcats’ school-record 20-game losing streak. He broke up the Golden Bears’ final pass attempt on fourth down.
“It’s generous to call it a pass breakup,” Stukes said.
Stukes had mixed feelings about the play because he felt he should have intercepted the pass.
“At first it was like, ‘Oh crap, I dropped it.’ Then I realized that the game was over,” Stukes said. “I was overcome with joy. I was just so happy for everyone on the team to finally get over that hump.”
Stukes secured his first career interception in Week 2 of this season against Mississippi State. It was his 2022 debut after sitting out the opener because of a knee injury. Stukes suffered a bone bruise during training camp.
“I’m feeling a lot better,” Stukes said. “I’ve been in the training room every day. Trying to get back to 100%. I’m pretty close — 90-plus.”
Stukes played 17 snaps against the Bulldogs. He started and doubled that number against the Bison.
Extra points
Defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen on Arizona’s late stand vs. NDSU: “It was a hard game, a hard-fought game, a physical game. When we needed to make the plays, our guys stepped up.”
Carroll on center Josh Baker‘s bad shotgun snap on the second play from scrimmage: “We can’t do that anymore. Josh is all over it. He’s very mindful of it. I think it’s just a lack of concentration in that instance right there.” Baker, who had some accuracy issues the previous week, didn’t make any errant snaps the rest of the game.
Fisch implied that defensive tackle Tiaoalii Savea would be able to return this week after missing most of the MSU game because of a lower-leg injury. That would enable Nansen to rotate more players along the defensive line. “We’re always looking to get fresh bodies in there — when they’re available,” Nansen said.
Cal’s starting quarterback, Jack Plummer, is the older brother of UA reserve QB Will Plummer. “I don’t know Will’s brother,” Stukes said. “So I’ll get the scouting report from Will — the personal scouting report — and make sure we got everything we need.”
The 2022 University of Arizona Wildcats college football season in photos.
