Leading up to Arizona’s fall training camp, which begins Wednesday, the Star is taking a look into how the Wildcats are shaping up entering the program’s inaugural season in the Big 12 under first-year head coach Brent Brennan. Last up: special teams.
Kickers
Key returners: Tyler Loop, Cash Peterman
Key departures: None
Key additions: Michael Salgado-Medina (freshman)
Arizona kicker Tyler Loop, front right, is congratulated after kicking the winning field goal by tight end Tanner McLachlan, back right, as tight end Tyler Powell (87) also celebrates as the Wildcats defeated Colorado in Boulder, Colorado, last November.
The numbers game: 92.3 (Loop’s kickoff grade for the 2023 season, per Pro Football Focus), 87.4 (Loop’s field-goal grade in ’23 on PFF), 9 (consecutive games Loop has made a field goal), 250 (points scored by Loop in three seasons), 686 (days between Loop’s previous missed field goal and the season opener against New Mexico), 49 (career field goals made by Loop), 124 (career touchbacks for Salgado-Medina at Mission Viejo High School in California)
The rundown: In the last two years, Loop has emerged as one of the most efficient kickers in Arizona — and college football — history. Entering this season, Loop has made 21 consecutive field goals, an Arizona record, dating back to 2022; he was a perfect 12 for 12 last season. Loop is the only kicker in Arizona history to finish a season with a 100% field-goal rate with a minimum of 10 kicks. The senior from Lucas, Texas, currently sits 12th in college football history with an 86% field-goal rate. If Loop maintains this rate, he’ll pass Jason Bondzio (83.3%) for the UA career record. Bondzio is the only player in Arizona history to end his career with a career field-goal rate (with a minimum of 30 attempts) higher than 80%.
Last season was a career year for Loop, who made 19 of 24 field goals and influenced several games in Arizona’s 10-3 season. Loop made three field goals and three PATs in Arizona’s 38-24 win over Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl; his three field goals is tied for a bowl record by a Wildcat. Loop extended his range by making his first-ever 50-yard field goal in Arizona’s 27-24 win over Oregon State. Loop made 2 of 4 field goals from at least 50 yards out.
Loop also made a 52-yard goal in Arizona’s 34-31 win over Colorado — the game Loop won for the Wildcats with a 24-yard field goal as time expired, the team’s first walk-off field goal since Casey Skowron against Washington in 2014. Loop was named Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance at Colorado. In Loop’s 84 kickoff attempts in 2023, 73 of them were touchbacks.
It’s unlikely Loop, a preseason All-Big 12 selection, will catch up to Zendejas’ career record of 79 career field goals, but another productive season should place him among the greatest to ever kick at the UA.
“My opportunity (is) to help Tyler Loop get what he wants and that’s to get to the NFL,” Arizona special teams coordinator Danny Gonzales said. “I think we have a good rapport, but the credit goes 100% to Tyler for being put in this position.”
Arizona kicker Tyler Loop (33) punts the ball during a spring football practice.
Punters
Key returners: Loop, Peterman, Jordan Forbes
Key departures: Kyle Ostendorp
Key additions: Salgado-Medina
The numbers game: 37 (consecutive games Ostendorp started at punter between 2021-23), 6,446 (combined yards punted by Ostendorp from 2019-23), 370,000 (followers Peterman has on Instagram)
The rundown: For the first time in four years, the Wildcats will have a new starting punter, with Ostendorp, who’s now working for NASA in Houston, graduating. The Wildcats had a three-man competition at punter in the spring between Loop, Peterman, who’s a backup kicker, and Forbes, but Gonzales said, “I don’t know if I have a number-one guy coming out yet.”
After a shaky freshman campaign by Ostendorp in 2019, Loop started at punter during the 2020 season and averaged 43 yards per punt with 24 attempts, before Ostendorp took over as starter and became Arizona’s only All-Pac-12 selection in ‘21.
Loop could become the first UA player to be the Wildcats’ primary kicker and punter since longtime NFL player Nick Folk in 2006. Another option at punter could be Peterman, albeit he didn’t punt at BYU prior to transferring to the UA. At Mission Viejo, Salgado-Medina averaged 37.2 yards per punt, but had a 61-yarder. Salgado-Medina, the potential successor to Loop after this season, placed 31 punts inside the opponents’ 20-yard line.
Arizona DB Jai-Ayviauynn Celestine gestures to a teammate as the backs take reps during the Wildcats work out at Arizona Stadium in their spring practice session on April 2.
Returners
Key returners: Running back Rayshon “Speedy” Luke, wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, cornerback Jai-Ayviauynn Celestine, wide receiver Malachi Riley, defensive back Treydan Stukes
Key departures: Wide receiver Jacob Cowing, running back Michael Wiley, wide receiver Kevin Green Jr.
Key additions: Wide receiver Reymello Murphy, wide receiver Jeremiah Patterson, running back Kedrick Reescano
The numbers game: 6 (years since Arizona returned a kickoff for a touchdown), 7 (years since Arizona returned a punt for a touchdown)
The rundown: Returning punts and kicks, and establishing solid field position, is essential. Just ask Cowing, who, despite having 11 returns for 65 yards, had a key role in Arizona beating Oregon State last season, with two of his punt returns setting up the Wildcats inside OSU territory for a pair of touchdowns by Wiley in the fourth quarter.
In the spring, Green and Celestine were among Arizona’s top returners, followed by McMillan, Riley and Luke, among others. With Green transferring to Washington in the spring, Celestine could find his niche with the Wildcats as a returner and “dollar” package defensive back, if he doesn’t win the vacant cornerback position.
Arizona Justin Holloway is shown during a 2020 game when he played for Ohio.
Long snappers
Key returners: None
Key departures: Seth MacKellar, Kameron Hawkins
Key additions: Justin Holloway (Ohio), Trey Naughton (Western Kentucky)
The numbers game: 41 (starts by MacKellar over five years), 2 (points Holloway has scored at Arizona Stadium)
The rundown: MacKellar, a Kevin Sumlin-era recruit, stamped his UA career with a bowl win. His replacement will be Holloway, with Naughton, a Tucson native and former Salpointe Catholic standout, as the backup.
Holloway has been playing college football since the 2018 season — all of his seasons were at Ohio. Holloway has played in 27 games for Ohio over the last two seasons, and caught a pass for a 2-point conversion on a fake PAT during the 2022 Arizona Bowl at Arizona Stadium; the Bobcats beat Wyoming in overtime.
