Mr. Redline: 'Super consistent' Tre Smith sets the standard for Arizona's defensive line

In less than a year, Tre Smith has earned the nickname "Mr. Redline." 

Arizona sophomore defensive lineman Mays Pese revealed the nickname following the Wildcats' third spring football practice. 

Smith said "a decent amount" of his UA teammates refer to him as "Mr. Redline."  

"I'm always working to be better with 'Redline,'" Smith said. 

For those late to the party, "Redline" is Arizona's mantra and rally cry. It requires effort, execution and accountability — and "hundred-hundred," meaning 100% effort 100% of the time. If you play bingo during an Arizona football press conference, Arizona head coach Brent Brennan, his staff, and the UA players will likely mention it. 

When Brennan was the head coach at San Jose State, with Smith as one of his starting defensive ends, the mantra was "Blueline."

After Smith followed Brennan from SJSU to Arizona in 2024, they both started following the "Redline" mindset, but Smith said the Wildcats' 9-4 season in 2025 "set the true standard for 'Redline,'" and Smith was the gold standard.  

"He's the man," Pese said of Smith. "I've learned a lot from Tre last year. It's just the way he is. He's super consistent. Every little thing he does, he does it with his full potential. He's super detailed in everything he does. That helps me upgrade my game and develop as a football player." 

Smith gets to live the "Redline" lifestyle for one more season, which he wasn't expecting at this point last season. But due to a season-ending rotator cuff injury in the early stages of the season, Smith redshirted and preserved an additional year for his sixth season of playing college football. 

After Smith graduated from Red Mountain High School in Mesa, he signed with San Jose State in 2020 and played four seasons for the Spartans before transferring to UA two years ago. Smith recorded 60 tackles, 4.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss as a starter at Arizona before his injury, which he suffered in the Big 12 home opener against Oklahoma State in October. 

"It's not what I expected it to be, but in the present moment, it's an absolute blessing," Smith said. 

Smith is in a similar situation as former Arizona defensive back Treydan Stukes, who's potentially a Day 2 selection for the NFL Draft this year. Stukes was expected to finish his Arizona career in 2024, but a season-ending knee injury got him a sixth year of eligibility, and he returned to the Wildcats in 2025.

A healthy Stukes became a first-team All-Big 12 selection and a third-team Associated Press All-American last season. The 6-5, 262-pound Smith, who has NFL aspirations, could have similar results, especially working with renowned defensive line coach Joe Salave'a for another season, working on "the minute details of every little thing, whether it's run, pass rush, first step, fully executing a move, just details," Smith said. 

Following Smith's surgery in October, Arizona defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales said, "If we can get Tre Smith healthy, with a full year and a half of development under Coach Joe, I'm super excited for what that can do for our front next year."

The road to recovery for Smith wasn't an easy one, but he was mentally battle-tested from past injuries, including his Achilles tendon.

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"It could always be a lot worse, but it's not for the weak-minded," Smith said. "I've had multiple injuries, a lot of adversity, as we all do. But it has definitely formed into who I am today, without a doubt." 

Added Smith: "It's not exactly the same (as an Achilles), but it's monotonous. You gotta do it every day and you don't feel like doing it all the time, but it's either I do that or I don't get to play and chase my dreams."

Smith will lead an Arizona defensive line group that returns multiple rotational players despite losing starting defensive tackles Deshawn McKnight and Tiaoalii Savea. 

Smith, Pese, senior defensive tackle Leroy Palu and redshirt juniors Dominic Lolesio and Julian Savaiinaea have a combined 3,298 defensive snaps in their careers, with Smith owning roughly half of those snaps (1,610). Arizona returns nine defensive linemen from last season's team, including the aforementioned nucleus. 

"It's great to have everybody back and not have to learn every single piece of our defense," Pese said. "Having vets back will help us move this team forward faster." 

Last season "helped us build the standard for what we do, which is 'Redline,'" Smith said.

"Now it's just building on top of that," he added. "Everyone that has come in has been working hard so far. ... Nobody has egos in our room. We all work together well. We all want to be the best, but we're going to help each other get there. We're not going to (put) down each other get there. We all have a great mindset in terms of attacking the work and it'll just grow from there."

At this time last year, Smith was fully expecting to be preparing for the NFL Draft, but he looks at another year to develop at Arizona as a blessing in disguise, "without a doubt."

"It's God's timing," Smith said. "I truly believe that. I know I'm here for a reason, because I'm here."

Extra points

— Pese, on ascending into Arizona's defense as a true freshman: "I was just believing in the work. When you have nothing and you need to prove a lot, the motor never goes down. You just keep going up and when you work, there's no limit. Sky's the limit. That's how I felt and how I was able to prove myself and get on the field."  

— Smith, on Palu's development since transferring from Cerritos College (California) a year ago: "He came in and was consistent every single day. He played his role and played his part until he is where he is right now." 

— Smith, on 6-6, 382-pound defensive tackle Zac Siulepa: "This is a big guy — and he's pretty agile. He's hitting 17 miles per hour at his size. It's insane. It's impressive." 

— Pese, on Salave'a's mentorship: "Him helping me develop every detail to upgrade my game has helped me as a player. Not just that, outside of this building, he's been a father figure. Not just me, but our whole D-Line and the rest of the defense." 

— Pese, on freshman defensive tackles Keytrin Harris, Manoah Faupusa and defensive end Prince Williams, who Smith called "relentless": "I think all those guys came in with a hungry motor. They're willing to work. They put aside the hype they had in high school and are willing to work every day and get this thing going."