Arizona Wildcats football training camp preview, Part II: Defense

Leading up to Arizona’s fall training camp, which begins on 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. Up next: Defense.

Defensive line

Key returners: Defensive lineman Ta’ita’i Uiagelelei, defensive tackle Isaiah Johnson, defensive end Dominic Lolesio, defensive end Sterling Lane II, defensive lineman Tristan Davis

Key departures: Defensive end Taylor Upshaw, nose tackle Bill Norton, defensive tackle Tyler Manoa, defensive end Isaiah Ward, defensive end Russell Davis II, defensive tackle Jacob Kongaika, defensive tackle Sio Nofoagatoto’a, defensive tackle Tiaoalii Savea, defensive end Orin Patu

Key additions: Defensive end Tre Smith (San Jose State), defensive tackle Kevon Darton (Syracuse), defensive end Stanley Ta’ufo’ou (USC), defensive tackle Chubba Ma’ae (UC Davis), defensive end Lance Keneley (Stanford), defensive lineman Jarra Anderson (Memphis), defensive end Chase Kennedy (Utah), Cyrus Durham (San Mateo College)

The numbers game: 9 (scholarship defensive linemen the Wildcats are replacing), 6.5 (sacks by Smith at San Jose State, where he was an All-Mountain West selection), 18 (combined years of college football experience between Darton, Ta’ufo’ou, Ma’ae and Keneley), 8 (defensive linemen added in the 2024 recruiting class), 21 (game appearances for Uiagalelei in the last two seasons).

The rundown: It’s déjà vu for Arizona’s defensive line. For the second straight year, the Wildcats will have a plethora of new faces on the defensive line, along with a few potential rising returners. The overhaul on the defensive line in the transfer portal last season led to Arizona rising from 125th nationally in total defense to No. 50. Arizona went from having one of the worst rushing defenses in college football to 27th, surrendering an average of 118.2 rushing yards, a hefty drop-off from 209 yards in 2022.

The improvements on the defensive line had a trickle-down effect in Arizona’s defense. Linebacker Jacob Manu conceded Arizona’s defensive linemen “were the reason I led the Pac-12 in tackles,” because they occupied blockers and consumed space, allowing linebackers and defensive backs to make plays at — or behind — the line of scrimmage.

Between players turning pro or transferring, Arizona will have another influx of defensive linemen, once again, and enter the season with uncertainty on the defensive line. In the spring, Arizona installed a few of its new defensive linemen between Smith, Ma’ae and Durham, but the Wildcats will add transfers Darton, Ta’ufo’ou, Keneley, Anderson and Kennedy. Smith, Darton, Ta’ufo’ou, Ma’ae and Keneley are expected to have prominent roles in Arizona’s defensive line rotation.

The Wildcats also have a three-year veteran in the 6-4, 285-pound Uiagalelei, a versatile defensive end and three-technique defensive tackle. Uiagalelei had 35 tackles and 4.5 stops for loss as a rotational figure last season and is expected to start this season, whether it’s off the edge or an interior role. Johnson, a 6-1, 305-pound third-year defensive tackle, made his collegiate debut against Washington last season — and played meaningful snaps in a close bout with UW. Johnson ascended in the spring and could be prime for a breakout season.

Doubting Arizona’s defensive line this season is reasonable, considering there’s so much unknown, but that was the case last year. Ward shot up the UA depth chart and became a starter, while Norton was one of Arizona’s most valuable players despite being buried on the depth chart at Georgia prior to coming to Tucson. If Arizona’s defensive line could replicate what it did last season, with most of the secondary returning and potential All-Big 12 linebacker in Manu as the ringleader, the Wildcats could be a much better team than many expect.

Linebackers

Key returners: Junior Jacob Manu, redshirt junior Justin Flowe, sophomore Taye Brown, sophomore Kamuela Ka’aihue, sophomore Leviticus Su’a

Key departures: Daniel Heimuli, Martell Irby, Jeremy Mercier, Anthony Ward

Key additions: Freshmen Jabari Mann and Stacy Bey

The numbers game: 116 (tackles by Manu, who led the Pac-12), 44 (tackles by Flowe, which was fifth-most by a Wildcat last season), 13 (quarterback hurries for Manu in ‘23)

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The rundown: Did someone say déjà vu? One of the most intriguing positions battles in fall camp last season was “Mike” linebacker, and the Wildcats had four different starters at that spot alongside Manu, who led the Pac-12 in tackles for the first time since Scooby Wright’s iconic season in 2014. UA linebackers coach Danny Gonzales dubbed Manu “the best linebacker in the Big 12” in the spring.

But who will complement Manu in Arizona’s 4-2-5 defense orchestrated by Duane Akina, a savvy coaching veteran and longtime defensive assistant? Brown, Flowe, Ka’aihue and Su’a will be the list of players vying to start in Arizona’s defense. The 6-2, 230-pound Brown, a sophomore from Chandler who was a special teams contributor last season, was consistently in Arizona’s starting lineup in the spring, but Flowe and Ka’aihue were mixed in as well.

If anything is changing with Arizona’s linebackers this season, it’s the amount of blitzing. The Wildcats deployed blitz packages for linebackers this spring, and Gonzales was proactive in teaching blitz tactics to the linebackers. Blitzing could be an effective way to get Flowe more snaps in his second season at Arizona. The former highly-touted recruit struggled in pass coverage last season, but starred against run-heavy opponents. Flowe often disrupted plays and had tackles for loss as a blitzer in the spring. Even if Flowe isn’t starting, a role similar to Micah Parsons with the Dallas Cowboys could be the answer to Flowe having a more consistent role with the UA defense.

Defensive backs

Key returners: Cornerback Tacario Davis, free safety Gunner Maldonado, strong safety Dalton Johnson, nickel back or “Star” Treydan Stukes, safety and “Star” Genesis Smith

Key departures: Irby, cornerback Ephesians Prysock, safety DJ Warnell, cornerback Dylan Wyatt, cornerback Charles Yates, safety Isaiah Taylor

Key additions: Cornerback Marquis Groves-Killebrew (Louisville), cornerback Demetrius Freeney (Miami), safety Jack Luttrell (Tennessee),

The numbers game: 16 (pass breakups by Davis, which led the Pac-12), 84.2 (Davis’ Pro Football Focus defensive grade for last season), 167 (combined tackles for Maldonado and Johnson last season)

The rundown: The core of Arizona’s defense is in the secondary, with the Wildcats returning four starters, including preseason All-Big 12 selection in Davis, which is fitting with Akina, who has coached four Jim Thorpe Award winners, as the defensive play-caller.

Maldonado, the Defensive MVP of Arizona’s win at the Alamo Bowl after returning a fumble recovery 87 yards for a touchdown to spark the come-from-behind win over Oklahoma, is arguably the Wildcats’ most improved defensive player. His missed-tackle percentage improved from 24.2% to 11.2% last season.

Stukes, Maldonado and Johnson, who was second on the team with 86 tackles last season, were uber-productive on the back end and making open-field tackles for the Wildcats. Davis, a 6-4, 195-pound lanky ballhawk, had a breakout season in 2023 and could become the first UA defensive back selected in the first round of the NFL Draft since Antoine Cason in 2008, after Davis removed his name from the transfer portal.

Davis, Maldonado, Johnson and Stukes are sure-fire starters, but the Wildcats will need to replace Prysock, who transferred to Washington, at cornerback. Groves-Killebrew, a spring transfer portal addition from Louisville, and Freeney, a Miami transfer, are expected to compete with redshirt freshman Emmanuel Karnley and Jai-Ayviauynn Celestine for the vacant cornerback spot.

Another option: Akina has ripped off the labels from Arizona’s secondary. Everyone is a defensive back, and the best five players will start. Smith, a 6-2, 200-pound sophomore from Chandler, emerged as a promising defensive back in Arizona’s “dollar” package defense that uses seven defensive backs.

If Akina wants the five best defensive backs on the field, Smith, who recorded his first interception in the Alamo Bowl, could step into Stukes’ “Star” role as a do-everything defender and potentially move Stukes back to cornerback, where he played in 2020 and ‘21.

Although Manu is the quarterback of Arizona’s defense, the defensive backs will likely be the heart and soul of this unit again.