Five Guys: Arizona Wildcats offensive line starting to take shape

An important component of training camp, especially on the offensive line, is finding cohesion, both as a team and within the position group.

Arizona’s offensive line is figuring out its best five-man lineup without one of the most important links in redshirt sophomore left tackle Rhino Tapa’atoutai, who’s working his way back from a season-ending knee injury he suffered in October.

Arizona’s current left tackle is Texas Tech transfer Ty Buchanan, with Michigan transfer Tristan Bounds at right tackle. Both Buchanan and Bounds have played a combined 851 snaps at the Power 4 level, with Buchanan logging a lion’s share of those snaps (810).

“I think we’ve been improving every single day,” Buchanan said of Arizona’s offensive line. “We’ve been gelling together chemistry-wise a lot better, but there’s always stuff to work on and we still have a while in camp to get that put together.”

Buchanan and Bounds are valuable assets at tackle “because they come with a wealth of game experience,” said Arizona offensive line coach Josh Oglesby.

“There’s no substitution for in-game reps,” Oglesby said. “Practice is great and you can learn a lot from it, but once you’re actually in there and thrown into (a game), it’s just different. ... Once you’ve been in there, there aren’t many new things that pop up. It’s not your first time seeing this or seeing that. There’s easier recall for how to attack certain things when it comes to pressure patterns or twist games or things like that.”

With Buchanan and Bounds at tackle, Arizona’s guards have been Michael Wooten and Alexander Doost, along with Hawaii transfer Ka’ena Decambra at center. Defensive tackle-converted-offensive lineman Chubba Ma’ae has also been in the mix at left guard.

Wooten played tackle for the Wildcats last season, but struggled in pass protection and received a 43.6 offensive grade on Pro Football Focus.

Oglesby said “the space” is the biggest adjustment for Wooten transitioning from tackle to guard.

“There’s a lot less space inside,” said Arizona’s offensive line coach. “We’ve talked a lot about tightening his footwork up. On the inside, you just don’t have the room to operate that you do as a tackle. But in the same vein, it could also be a positive thing, because the guy you’re going up against doesn’t have much space to operate either.

“Moving Mike inside has been great for him and great for his confidence. He’s been playing big-time football in there and has made a lot of big plays this fall on the inside. It’s been like a resurrection for him.”

When Tapa’atoutai returns, does he slide in at tackle? Left guard?

“I see him as an offensive tackle,” Oglesby said. “But the beauty of Rhino is that he can play both. I don’t believe in guys losing their spots due to injury, especially with my background (with injuries) and how everything went for me.

“With that being said, if the guy that’s in is playing great, we’ll roll with the hot hand. I fully envision Rhino being back full strength sooner rather than later, and he’s going to have every opportunity to step right back into the role that he played for our team in the past.”

Whether it’s tackle or guard, “I’ll play wherever the coach puts me,” Tapa’atoutai said at Big 12 Media Days in July.

“His versatility is that he can play both tackle, as well as guard when we need him to,” Doost said. “He’s that reliable.”

After Arizona’s eighth training camp practice on Friday, just over three weeks away from the season opener against Hawaii on Aug. 30, Oglesby was direct and said he’s “going to play the best five however that shakes out.”

He added: “I tell the guys all the time, you don’t want to pigeonhole and say, ‘I’m only the left guard or I’m only the right tackle,’ because at the end of the day, the best five are going to play — the best five that give us the best chance to win. ... The more you can do, the more value you have for the team.”

Even though Tapa’atoutai isn’t available, his presence still remains with Arizona’s offensive line.

“He hasn’t been able to work out with us and somehow he’s able to bring out his voice and make sure that we’re doing the right thing and push us to go further, which is absolutely insane to me,” Doost said. “He does a great job at it.”

Doost makes ‘huge strides’

Doost isn’t the loudest voice in Arizona’s offensive line room — that title belongs to Tapa’atoutai — but the redshirt sophomore from Phoenix is among the leaders on Arizona’s offensive line.

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The 6-7, 330-pound Doost — whose last name is Arabic for “friend” — started nine games for the Wildcats at right guard last season and became a Pro Football Focus Freshman All-American.

Doost’s first-ever collegiate start was Arizona’s upset win over 10th-ranked Utah last season. Naturally, Doost “was super stressed out” for his first start, but fortunately for the then-redshirt freshman, he was positioned between longtime starting center Josh Baker and Miami Dolphins rookie Jonah Savaiinaea.

“They were right there next to me and said, ‘We’re going to do a great job and we’re going to do whatever we can to help you,’” Doost said. “That has helped me more now because I feel like I’m able to help my guys whenever I can, like (Decambra and Bounds). I’m able to give them the support that they need.”

Going into his second season as a starter, “the big thing for Doost — and really the group as a whole — is consistency,” Oglesby said. So far in training camp, “he has really started to blossom,” said Oglesby.

“Alex has made huge strides,” said Arizona’s offensive line coach. “From where he started the season last year to where he stands today, it’s night and day. His comfortability with the position, with the verbiage of the offense, it’s night and day.

“He’s starting to take a leadership role in the room, because when you look at it, as far as snaps for the Wildcats, there’s no one in the room that beats him right now. ... It’s fun to see him confident because the game has slowed down for him. ... Everything has slowed down for him, which has allowed him to play faster and has allowed him to see the defense better. ... I’m really excited about where he is and where he is headed.”

Rising freshmen

Excluding additions from the transfer portal, Arizona has five newcomer offensive linemen from the high school and junior college levels.

Buchanan is “excited about” Louis Akpa, a 6-6, 280-pound freshman from San Francisco, who has been working with Arizona’s second unit at left tackle.

Doost said Javian Goo, a 6-4, 277-pound freshman guard from Hawaii, has been “a guy that’s ready to learn as much as he can and he takes coaching super well.”

The first day of training camp “was rough for (Akpa),” but he’s “a great example how much reps matter in our world as far as offensive line goes,” Oglesby said.

“You see him out there today and he’s going up against sixth-year seniors, making plays and holding his own out there at times,” said Oglesby. “These reps are invaluable for Louis and it’s going to speed up his growth exponentially, having to play against the guys that he’s playing against every day in fall camp and seeing the speed of the game and feeling what it’s like to play that position at this level.”

Loop shines in NFL preseason debut

The first week of the league-wide NFL preseason schedule kicked off on Thursday, and Baltimore Ravens rookie former UA kicker Tyler Loop was 1 for 2 in field goals and made all three of his PATs in Baltimore’s 24-16 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

Loop missed a 46-yard attempt, but made a 52-yarder in the fourth quarter.

“I thought Tyler did a nice job,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh told reporters after the game. “He stubbed his toe on the ground on that one (miss) and it made the ball move left. He was perfect other than that. But to see him bounce back on the next kick, especially after getting get pushed back into a longer field goal, I thought was a big step-up for him.”

Extra points

– Georgia Tech transfer offensive lineman Jordan Brown suffered an upper-body injury in the spring and is expected to miss a majority of the regular season, but is “attacking his rehab” and “ahead of schedule,” Oglesby said. Brown has participated in individual drills this week. Said Oglesby: “He’s taking no days off and he’s excited to get back. He’s in my office all the time trying to keep the mental side of the game sharp. ... But with that, we’ll be smart.”

– Doost said senior defensive end Tre Smith, redshirt sophomore Julian Savaiinaea and freshman defensive tackle Mays Pese have been standout defensive linemen in training camp. Pese has “been doing super well (and) I was surprised going up against him,” Doost said.

– UA men’s basketball players and head coach Tommy Lloyd attended practice at Davis Sports Center on Friday.

– Arizona is returning the “Cat Cruiser” ride-share program for fans to take a charter bus from Phoenix to Tucson for home games at Arizona Stadium this season. Single-game prices are just under $34, and season passes are just under $226. Reservations can be made at ArizonaWildcats.com/CatCruiser.

Photos: Arizona football fall training camp, practice 7