Arizona left tackle Jonah Savaiinaea’s status for potentially his last game in Tucson, when the Wildcats face rival Arizona State on Saturday, is still up in the air.
During his news conference on Monday, Arizona head coach Brent Brennan said he’s “not sure if (Savaiinaea will) be able to play” on Saturday for the season finale.
Savaiinaea limped off the field in the fourth quarter of Arizona’s 49-28 loss to TCU on Saturday. Brennan said if Savaiinaea doesn’t play on Saturday, redshirt sophomore Michael Wooten will start in his place.
Arizona offensive lineman Jonah Savaiinaea (71) hoists the cup after the Wildcats won the 97th Territorial Cup with a 59-23 road win over rival ASU on Nov. 25, 2023, in Tempe.
Losing Savaiinaea would be a significant blow to Arizona’s embattled offensive line that has used six different starting lineups this season due to injuries.
In the spring, the only vacant spot on Arizona’s offensive line was left tackle, after multi-year starter Jordan Morgan graduated and was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the NFL Draft. However, the Wildcats were optimistic about Morgan’s successor in former four-star recruit Raymond Pulido, who flipped from Alabama to Arizona last year. The 6-6, 335-pound Pulido started at right guard as a true freshman, then played left tackle in the Alamo Bowl for Morgan, who opted out to prepare for the draft.
Pulido was expected to start but stepped away from the team in the summer for personal reasons. Leif Magnuson, who started five games at right guard last season for the injured Pulido, is out for the season with concussions.
Pulido’s replacement, redshirt freshman Rhino Tapa’atoutai, suffered a season-ending leg injury halfway through the season, which moved Savaiinaea over from right tackle to left tackle. Savaiinaea’s replacements at right tackle have been Wooten and most recently Joey Capra, a graduate senior who signed with Arizona to play either guard or center.
Arizona’s offensive line was a stable group less than a year ago, but injuries and unavailable players have hindered the Wildcats this season.
Savaiinaea, a potential first-round draft pick, hasn’t missed a game in his three-year Arizona career. In 1,544 pass-blocking snaps at right tackle, left tackle and right guard, Savaiinaea has only allowed eight sacks in three seasons, according to Pro Football Focus; on average, he has allowed a sack every 193 pass attempts.
Without Savaiinaea, facing a hungry Arizona State team that’s ranked No. 14 and just two wins away from the College Football Playoff could spell trouble for the Wildcats.
Arizona defensive back Emmanuel Karnley, left, breaks up the pass thrown to Utah wide receiver Dorian Singer, right, during Arizona’s upset win over the Utes Sept. 28, 2024, in Salt Lake City.
Karnley suspended for spitting ejection
Arizona redshirt freshman cornerback Emmanuel Karnley will be suspended for Saturday, Brennan said on Monday.
Karnley was ejected in the fourth quarter on Saturday for spitting on a TCU player. Per NCAA rules, Karnley would’ve been suspended for the first half of the Territorial Cup game since the ejection was in the second half.
Arizona suspended Karnley internally for the entire game against ASU “for the reasons you guys saw.”
“We’ve had that discussion and I expect him to handle it great,” Brennan said. “He’s going bust his tail in practice, he’s going to be on the scout team, he’s going to be a great teammate and I’m to see how he handles this.”
Arizona punter Michael Salgado-Medina (19) takes a snap as the special teams unit runs a few plays during the team’s preseason practice session at Arizona Stadium on Aug. 17, 2024.
Freshman growing pains
On freshman punter Michael Salgado-Medina’s first punt attempt against TCU, the Horned Frogs were flagged for “running into the kicker” instead of roughing the punter, which would’ve given the Wildcats a first down instead of a 5-yard penalty.
After landing awkwardly, Salgado-Medina jogged gingerly to the sideline. After his first punt, Salgado-Medina struggled with his kicks, averaging 35.8 yards per attempt. Also a holder for Arizona’s field goal unit, Salgado-Medina has contributed to the Wildcats missing two PATs and a field goal in three straight games.
Salgado-Medina is averaging 43.2 yards per punt this season, which currently ranks ninth in the Big 12.
“Just because you’re a punter or a holder, he’s still a freshman,” Brennan said of Salgado-Medina. “It’s just like playing any other freshman, there’s going to be some moments out there where it is challenging and where it is hard. To his credit, I think he’s performed at a high level (for) most of the season. He mis-hit some kicks on Saturday, but the way he works, how much he cares, he’s an awesome young man.
“He’s going to be a big-time football player for us. I’m confident he’ll bust his tail this week and get right with what he needs to get right, and we’ll move forward on Saturday.”
Arizona head coach Brent Brennan, right, yells during the first half against TCU Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024.
Cats lose Texas receiver to Florida
Three-star wide receiver Muizz Tounkara flipped his verbal commitment from Arizona to Florida on Monday. Tounkara recently took an official visit to Florida and was in attendance for the Gators’ upset win over ninth-ranked Ole Miss.
The 6-3, 195-pound Tounkara, a Houston-area native, was committed to Arizona since June and became one of several Texas prospects in the Wildcats’ 2025 recruiting class. He’s rated by 247Sports.com as the 92nd-best wide receiver in the ‘25 recruiting cycle.
Tounkara became the third player to decommit in Arizona’s 2025 recruiting class this month, joining four-star Dallas-area receiver Terry Shelton and three-star Los Angeles-area cornerback Josh Tuchek; both Shelton (TCU) and Tuchek (UNLV) also flipped to other schools.
Arizona’s 19-player class is ranked ninth in the Big 12, per 247Sports.com. Despite multiple players jumping ship a little over a week before the early signing period on Dec. 4, “we’re recruiting our tails off every day,” Brennan said.
“There’s not a day that goes by where we’re not actively on the phone, FaceTime, text, staying in contact with those guys every way we can,” Brennan said. “Recruiting is about people and sometimes they choose people.”
Brennan said recruiting is now “a world where you can get outbid” for prospects with NIL opportunities and revenue sharing, “and that’s the reality of our new world.”
“Every school is going to have a certain amount of resources to spend on their team,” Brennan said. “There’s a fine line between acquisition and retention, acquiring new talent and retaining the good players in your program.
“It’s a real delicate dance that everyone is trying to figure out right now. But I’m optimistic about the future here. ... A lot of these players that we’re recruiting are going to be the foundation of what we’re building here.”
Extra points
• Brennan said Arizona's motivation for Saturday isn't to play spoiler and prevent the Sun Devils from playing for a Big 12 championship: "I think it's more about the fact that we're playing ASU and what this game means to everyone here, what the game means to everyone in the state and what a big game this is in college football."
• Brennan, on ASU's 9-2 season: "I think they've done a great job. I respect it. When I look at that, I think they did a great job evaluating and hitting in the transfer portal, and then they've done a good job of building culture. You can see the confidence that team is playing with right now."
• The Biletnikoff Award finalists will be announced Tuesday morning. Arizona star wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan is expected to be among the finalists. McMillan has the third-most receiving yards (1,251) in college football this season. McMillan recently became Arizona's all-time leader in receiving yards (3,355), passing UA legend and current wide receivers coach Bobby Wade.
