Left tackle vacancy 'a unique situation' for Arizona football in Alamo Bowl

Attempting to replace a starting left tackle, especially a multi-year starter and one of the top talents in college football, can be a daunting task.

Luckily for the 14th-ranked Arizona Wildcats, time has been on their side — even as they prepare to face No. 12 Oklahoma in Thursday's Valero Alamo Bowl.

Earlier this month, Arizona starting left tackle Jordan Morgan, who is considered a potential first-round NFL Draft pick, announced that he's opting out of the Alamo Bowl to train and prepare for the draft while not risking the injury another game could bring. The Marana native was expected to go to the draft last year until a season-ending ACL injury at UCLA in November 2022 hindered Morgan from participating in Arizona's Pro Day and the NFL Draft combine in Indianapolis.

While the Wildcats are in San Antonio, Morgan is training at Exos, a Phoenix-area facility renown for training high-profile athletes and draft hopefuls.

As for Morgan's replacement? The Wildcats have three options, according to head coach Jedd Fisch. Redshirt sophomore Joseph Borjon, who is listed as the starting left tackle on the team's most recent depth chart, freshman right guard Raymond Pulido or right tackle Jonah Savaiinaea.

"Where they fit in has been constant moving parts to figure out," Fisch said. "'If we did this and did that, how does that work? Alright, if we did this combo, how does that work?' So that's what we're working through."

Arizona offensive line coach and offensive coordinator Brennan Caroll said the weeks between the regular-season finale win over Arizona State in November and the Alamo Bowl have been a "special opportunity for us, because we haven't had these practices" and "it gives those guys an opportunity to move around, get the positions they may develop into later." 

"This is a very unique situation where we get a chance to try guys out and see what the best fit is," Carroll said. "All three of those guys have the ability to play tackle. We'll probably finalize it when we get to Texas and figure out what the best format is. All of those guys will be fine if they go in there."

If the Wildcats want to simplify the decision, Borjon, a 6-8, 325-pound La Puente, California, native, who transferred to Arizona in 2022 after two years at Mt. San Antonio College in California, was the only other available tackle who started a game this season. He started the Mississippi State and UTEP games at right tackle while Savaiinaea replaced Pulido at right guard after the freshman was sidelined with injuries following a bicycle accident near Arizona Stadium. Borjon had a 78.1 pass-blocking grade on Pro Football Focus for his performance at MSU, which is a season-best for him.

Another option is Savaiinaea, Arizona's Swiss-Army knife of an offensive lineman who moved from guard to tackle this season. In 821 snaps this season, Savaiinaea has played 682 at right tackle. Moving Savaiinaea — again — "is always a concern" for Carroll.

"If we didn't have this time, I wouldn't do it," Carroll said. "But we do, so we're trying to work it out. Of course, Jonah is a fantastic athlete, so he can move in and out where he needs to. But it does take some time and we've been granted that time."

Pulido, the 6-6, 335-pound true freshman from Walnut Creek, California, at left tackle could be a precursor to next season, if Arizona puts Pulido on the same track as Savaiinaea — mature as an underclassman interior lineman before jumping out to tackle. 

Arizona's offensive line bookended by Pulido and Savaiinaea could be a preview to next season, with starting left guard Wendell Moe and center Josh Baker returning. Borjon and Savaiinaea at tackle and Pulido at guard could also be a look at the 2024 UA offensive line. 

"It's a unique situation," Carroll said. "It's a fantastic situation that Jordan is moving on to the NFL and he's going to live his dreams and do all of these cool things. Then that's giving some new guys some opportunities.

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"It's special all around."

Wildcats not overlooking shorthanded Oklahoma

Since the transfer portal opened up three weeks ago, the Wildcats have seen eight players enter college football's free agency; now-backup quarterback Jayden de Laura was the most recent to make his intentions known in a social media post on Christmas Day.

It's nearly double that for Oklahoma, with most of them on the offensive side of the ball. Sooners two-year starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel transferred to Oregon, after leading the Sooners to the fifth-best offense in college football, averaging 502.4 yards per game.

Former five-star recruit Jackson Arnold, the top-rated prospect from Texas (per 247Sports.com) in 2023, will start at quarterback for Oklahoma. 

On the offensive line, Oklahoma will be without starting right tackle Tyler Guyton and center Andrew Raym, whom are both prepping for the NFL Draft, and left guard Savion Byrd, who transferred to SMU.

The orchestrator of Oklahoma's high-powered offense, offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby, became Mississippi State's head coach and will be replaced by co-offensive coordinators Seth Littrell, a former Mike Stoops-era offensive coordinator at Arizona, and tight ends coach Joe Jon Finley. Littrell, a former head coach at North Texas, was Arizona's offensive coordinator in the 2010 Alamo Bowl. 

When Carroll and Arizona defensive coordinator were asked about Oklahoma losing depth and the switch-up on the coaching staff for the Alamo Bowl, Carroll said, "They're not losing a lot of guys" on a 4-3 defense that is 77th in college football in total defense. 

"They have a really good defense," Carroll said. "Johnny?"

Nansen isn't overthinking the newness of Oklahoma on offense. The Sooners are still returning their top five receivers, including Drake Stoops, son of OU coaching legend Bob Stoops, along with top rusher Gavin Sawchuk, who is averaging 5.8 yards per carry. 

"We're going to practice what we saw on film. I don't think they're going to install a brand new offense in three weeks," Nansen said. "They still have great players. It's Oklahoma, so we just have to be prepared for what their personnel is and the people they got there. They got great skill guys and the young quarterback is pretty good.

"We gotta be ready for it. They're going to have some twists with the new offensive coordinator, but we'll be ready for it." 

Extra points

• Arizona's first practice in San Antonio on Sunday was held at Trinity University. 
• ESPN's broadcast team for the Alamo Bowl will consist of play-by-play announcer Tom Hart, analyst Jordan Rogers and sideline reporter Cole Cubelic.
• The Wildcats also volunteered at San Antonio Food Bank on Saturday leading up to Christmas. The team helped package 960 boxes of food items, which contained 21,504 meals. Arizona also visited SeaWorld as a team on Monday. Several players participated in the Steel Eel ride, a hypercoaster that features a vertical drop of 15 stories.