Arizona football releases depth chart for NAU game; DT Tia Savea suspended for first half

Two days ahead of Arizona’s season opener against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks, the Wildcats released their highly-anticipated depth chart on Thursday with one pertinent error.

Tiaoalii Savea, a junior defensive tackle now in his second season at the UA since transferring from UCLA over a year ago, is listed as a starter ahead of fellow ex-Bruin Tyler Manoa, and is penciled in to start alongside Georgia transfer defensive tackle Bill Norton, Michigan transfer defensive end Taylor Upshaw and redshirt freshman edge rusher Isaiah Ward.

However, Savea won’t actually start Arizona’s season-opening matchup with its in-state counterpart on Saturday. That’s because he’ll be suspended for the first half, due to his second-half ejection from the Wildcats’ Territorial Cup victory over Arizona State last season. The Pac-12 confirmed Savea’s suspension to the Star on Thursday.

Former UA guard Josh Donovan and cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace (now at USC), along with ASU’s Elijhah Badger and Will Shaffer, were ejected as well. Badger and Shaffer will be suspended for the first half of the Sun Devils’ season opener against Southern Utah.

In a statement sent to the Star, the Pac-12 said, “All four student-athletes with remaining eligibility involved in the Arizona State at Arizona altercation near the conclusion of the final game of the 2022 season will serve their first half suspensions in Week One of 2023, per NCAA rules.”

Despite playing in the first half of USC’s win over San Jose State last week in what is often referred to as “Week Zero,” Roland-Wallace will miss the first half of the Trojans’ home matchup with Nevada on Saturday.

Other notable depth chart decisions for Arizona include the highly-competitive battle for “boundary” safety and free safety spots boiling down to junior Gunner Maldonado and redshirt sophomore Dalton Johnson.

Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch said Maldonado and Johnson showed “consistency throughout the camp,” but noted Isaiah Taylor, who had the game-sealing interception against ASU, as someone who was close to landing one of the starting spots.

“Every day, those guys were fighting and rotating and doing everything they possible can to get that spot,” Fisch said. “You’re going to see them all play.”

Fisch added that true freshman Genesis Smith, who wasn’t listed on Arizona’s two-deep depth chart this week, is “certainly an ‘or,’” at safety, meaning he will be included in a potential rotation this season.

“Genesis is young and I know he’s not necessarily listed right now,” Fisch said. “I think the safety position is in a good spot right now.”

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The Wildcats’ secondary will start sophomore cornerback Ephesians Prysock, sixth-year graduate transfer cornerback Dylan Wyatt and nickel back Treydan Stukes. At linebacker, former Washington Husky Daniel Heimuli will start at “Mike” ahead of Oregon transfer Justin Flowe, with sophomore Jacob Manu at “Will” linebacker.

Arizona returns most of its starters on offense from a year ago, but will install Colorado transfer Montana Lemonious-Craig at “Z” receiver, previously held by Dorian Singer, and freshman right guard Raymond Pulido.

Although Arizona announced its first starting lineups, some players who held significant roles with the Wildcats — or elsewhere — last season are currently in reserve roles.

“I would think that you would have to be unaware as a player to not know where you are on the depth chart by this point in time,” Fisch said.

There’s a path for some of those players scratching to be a part of the rotation. For an example, Manu and starting left guard Wendell Moe, whom both became scout-team superstars during practice.

“Those two guys started on scout team and they wound up starting games for us and being crucial elements to our team, and they can be that story,” said Arizona offensive coordinator Brennan Carroll. “Jacob Manu came in undersized, just a part of the program, then he wound up being a star for us last year. Wendell has gone from a guy no one recruited or no one heard of, then went to the scout team.

“That’s the goal, is go down there, work your craft, work your technique,” Carroll said.

Fisch said he doesn’t “think our team would be surprised at all on the depth chart. What it looks like, I would be shocked if anyone came and knocked on my door about that.”

He added: “The key is this: the depth chart is for this game and this game only. Depending on how people play will determine if the depth chart moves at certain positions, and that’s just the starting point.”

Later added Fisch: “There’s always going to be constant competition. There’s always going to be disappointment. Everybody wants to be the starter, everybody wants to be the guy, everybody wants to be the person who goes out there first, let’s call it. ... I’ve challenged them that competition is the central theme of our program.

Extra points

NAU also released its depth chart on Thursday, and the Lumberjacks named Casa Grande native Angel Flores and Cal transfer and Gilbert product Kai Millner as co-starters at quarterback. Tucson native and former Cholla High School star Daniel Robledo, a 6-3, 280-pounder who transferred to NAU from Missouri, will start at defensive end on Saturday. Senior running back Draycen Hall and outside linebacker Jeff Widener, who started at quarterback for the Lumberjacks in their win over Arizona in 2021, are also starters for Saturday.

Former Arizona quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles was named an honorary captain for Saturday. Foles, who is Arizona’s all-time passing yards and touchdowns leader, starred under former head coach Mike Stoops and led the Wildcats to Holiday Bowl and Alamo Bowl appearances. Foles will accompany “Desert Swarm” defensive tackle and College Football Hall of Famer Rob Waldrop as honorary captains on Saturday.