Arizona OL Jonah Savaiinaea to play in Senior Bowl before NFL Draft

Although former Arizona offensive lineman Jonah Savaiinaea is a junior, the Wildcats offensive lineman will participate in the Reese’s Senior Bowl next month, the game announced on social media Tuesday morning.

The Senior Bowl is an all-star showcase in Mobile, Alabama, that features the top college football prospects who are striving to improve their NFL Draft stock.

Last season, former UA offensive tackle Jordan Morgan, running back Michael Wiley and wide receiver Jacob Cowing became the first Wildcats to play in the Senior Bowl since 2012. Tight end Tanner McLachlan committed to the Senior Bowl, but couldn’t participate due to injury.

The 6-5, 336-pound Savaiinaea is projected by ESPN to land at No. 20 overall in the first round with the Houston Texans. ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid said Savaiinaea is “a stoutly built blocker who plays with a sturdy base and has powerful hands. He allowed only one sack this season and can play tackle and guard, though he projects best inside in the NFL.”

Reid projects former UA wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan as the first Wildcat taken at ninth overall by the New Orleans Saints. The Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars own the top five picks in the NFL Draft.

Arizona could have two first-round picks in the same draft since linebacker Chris Singleton (New England Patriots) and defensive end Anthony Smith (Oakland Raiders) in 1990. After Morgan was selected 25th overall by the Green Bay Packers last year, the Wildcats could have first-round offensive linemen in back-to-back drafts.

Savaiinaea, a Tafuna, American Samoa, native, switched positions thrice since becoming a Wildcat, after signing with Arizona’s stacked 2022 recruiting class following a standout career at St. Louis High School in Honolulu.

In three seasons at Arizona, Savaiinaea played 2,418 snaps — including 1,057 at right tackle, 985 at right guard and 345 at left tackle, according to Pro Football Focus. Savaiinaea allowed eight sacks and five quarterback hits in three seasons, per PFF.

Savaiinaea took over at left tackle in 2024 once redshirt freshman Rhino Tapa’atoutai suffered a season-ending leg injury, but missed the season finale against Arizona State due to a leg injury he suffered against TCU.

“That speaks to what kind of teammate he is (and) how much he cares about Arizona football,” Arizona head coach Brent Brennan said in November. “His willingness to move from right tackle to left tackle, then back to right and back to left. That speaks so much about how much he cares about his team, how much he cares about his teammates and how much he cares about the U of A.”

Added Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita: “He’s so special. That’s been the case since he got on campus. He started as a true freshman at guard, moved to right tackle last year and then obviously moved to left tackle when Rhino went down. His versatility, his swagger, his confidence — he’s never afraid to do what he needs to do for the team.

“Him being an offensive lineman, he doesn’t get as much attention as he should, but at the end of the day, he’s a first-round draft pick. That’s been that way since he arrived campus. It’s a blessing having him protect us.”

The Senior Bowl kicks off at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Alabama, on Feb. 1 at 12:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on NFL Network. The NFL Draft is from April 24-26 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

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Doost named Freshman All-American

Arizona redshirt freshman offensive lineman Alexander Doost was named a Freshman All-American by The Athletic.

The 6-7, 332-pound Phoenix native and former Northwestern transfer started the final nine games of the 2024 season at right guard. Doost also played 122 snaps at left guard in his first season at Arizona; he logged 634 offensive snaps this season, according to PFF. Doost received a 74.8 pass-blocking grade on PFF this season.

Doost and Tapa’atoutai are the only two returning starters on Arizona’s offensive line in 2025. Arizona currently has nine scholarship newcomers on the offensive line.

Arizona signed five offensive linemen in its 2025 recruiting class: Northern California tackle Louis Akpa, Hawaii guard Javian Goo, Los Angeles-area guard Sione Tohi, Bay Area guard Losipini Tupou and in-state tackle Jaxon Griffin.

Arizona signed four offensive linemen in the transfer portal: tackle Tristan Bounds (Michigan), tackle Ty Buchanan (Texas Tech) and tackle-guard hybrids in Ka’ena Decambra (Hawaii) and Jordan Brown (Georgia Tech).

Raiders fire ex-Wildcat Pierce

After just one season as the full-time head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, Antonio Pierce was fired, the team announced on Tuesday.

“We appreciate Antonio’s leadership, first as an interim head coach and this past season as the head coach,” the Raiders said in a released statement. “Antonio grew up a Raiders fan and his silver and black roots run deep. We are grateful for his ability to reignite what it means to be a Raider throughout the entire organization. We wish nothing but the best for Antonio and his family in the future.”

The 46-year-old Pierce, a former UA and Super Bowl-winning linebacker with the New York Giants, was a linebackers coach for the Raiders under former head coach Josh McDaniels in 2022 and ‘23 and was promoted to interim head coach midway through last season, when McDaniels was fired.

Pierce was officially named the Raiders’ 23rd head coach in franchise history last January. Las Vegas went 4-13 and finished last in the AFC West in Pierce’s lone season at the helm.

Before his stint with the Raiders, Pierce was the associate head coach and defensive coordinator at Arizona State under head coach Herm Edwards. An NCAA investigation that revealed multiple recruiting violations. After Pierce’s resignation at ASU, he received an eight-year show-cause penalty by the NCAA. If an NCAA program hires Pierce before 2032, he’ll have to serve a one-year suspension.