Amid March Madness, the Arizona football program kicks off its preparation for the 2026 season and the third season under head coach Brent Brennan.
The Wildcats kick off their spring practice schedule on Tuesday, March 24, and will cap their month-long practice period with the program's spring showcase on Saturday, April 25, at Casino Del Sol Stadium.
Leading up to spring ball, the Star is providing a position-by-position preview. After previewing the offense the last few days, we're transitioning over to defense. Up first: defensive line.
Position coach: Joe Salave'a
Key departures: Defensive tackle Deshawn McKnight, defensive tackle Tiaoalii Savea, defensive end Malachi Bailey, defensive end Eduwa Okundaye, defensive end Chancellor Owens, defensive tackle Jarra Anderson
Key returners: Defensive end Tre Smith (R-Sr.), defensive tackle Mays Pese (So.), defensive tackle Leroy Palu (So.), defensive end Dominic Lolesio (R-Jr.), defensive tackle Julian Savaiinaea (R-Jr.), defensive tackle Zac Siulepa (R-Jr.), defensive tackle Ezra Funa (R-Jr.)
Newcomers: Defensive end Victory Johnson (R-Jr.), defensive end Prince Williams (Fr.), defensive tackle Keytrin Harris (Fr.), defensive tackle Kaisi Lafitaga (Fr.), defensive tackle Manoah Faupusa (Fr.)
The rundown: In Arizona's first season under Salave'a, the Wildcats were 13th in the Big 12 in sacks (21), but they ranked in the top half of the conference in rushing defense.
Arizona's top performers on the defensive line in 2025 were Savea, McKnight, Palu and Pese, who received All-Big 12 Freshman Team honorable mention. Before Arizona's loss to SMU in the Holiday Bowl, UA defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales said, "there's no roof" with the second-year Pese.
Arizona defensive lineman Mays Pese, left, and defensive back Ayden Garnes get to exult after holding Baylor on a drive during the fourth quarter of their Big 12 game, Nov. 22, at Casino Del Sol Stadium.
"He's super strong, he's athletic, he can stand up, he can play off the ball, he's violent for a true freshman, and he was able to knock around fourth- and fifth-year players," Gonzales said. "And then his personality, he's so fun to be around.
"Mays Pese is a name that the city of Tucson needs to learn now and they're going to remember forever, because he's going to be a fantastic player."
The aforementioned quartet of Pese, Palu, McKnight and Savea combined for 108 tackles and 3.5 sacks. McKnight had the 11th-most stops (17) by a defensive lineman in the Big 12.
Despite having just four available defensive linemen for the Territorial Cup, Arizona held Arizona State to 100 rushing yards and 214 yards of total offense.
Gonzales said the Wildcats did "a phenomenal job in the transfer portal, reloading for Team 123 and addressing the needs."
Defensive back and linebacker were positions of priority for the Wildcats. Defensive line? Among the 11 defensive players Arizona added in the transfer portal, the only defensive lineman added was Cal Poly transfer edge rusher Victory Johnson, who signed with UA earlier this month.
Johnson said he "could succeed in this environment" at Arizona.
"It's not only a place I could succeed at, but I'll be happy going to work every day and being around the guys," Johnson said. "That strength staff and the nutrition program there, it's fantastic. It seems like everyone is bought in on the same vision that I have, which is get to the NFL. Before that, we gotta win some games for Tucson."
Arizona defensive linemen Mays Pese (99) and Julian Savaiinaea (41) and linebacker Max Harris celebrate after defeating Arizona State, Nov. 28, 2025, in Tempe.
The 6-4, 250-pound Johnson is a former three-star recruit from San Diego and started his career at Colorado in 2023 following a productive career at Cathedral Catholic. Johnson transferred to Cal Poly and logged 26 tackles, three sacks, two pass deflections and an interception this past season. Johnson was named a second-team All-Big Sky selection.
The Wildcats also added linebacker-edge rusher hybrid Cooper Blomstrom, a transfer from Georgetown. After losing linebacker Riley Wilson, the Wildcats are returning edge rusher-converted-linebacker Chase Kennedy for another season as a linebacker-defensive end in Gonzales' three- and four-linebacker lineups. Memphis transfer linebacker Everett Roussaw is expected to have a similar role this upcoming season.
Even though Arizona lost Savea, McKnight and Bailey, the Wildcats return Smith, who went down with a season-ending shoulder injury, along with Palu, Pese, Lolesio, Savaiinaea, Siulepa and 6-7, 259-pound redshirt freshman Porter Patton.
Siulepa, a 6-6, 382-pound Gold Coast, Australia native, officially joined the Wildcats just before the 2025 season following a career at Garden City Community College (Kansas). The Arizona coaches tasked Siulepa to improve his conditioning and lose weight in the offseason. Despite being around 400 pounds in his first season at Arizona, Siulepa flashed mobility and the ability to occupy space at the line of scrimmage in the 20 defensive snaps he logged.
"For him to move like that at 400 pounds is crazy," Palu said of Siulepa in November. "That motivates me to run faster, because Zac runs fast for a big guy. I love being around him. He's funny — and he's a hard worker, too. He comes every day and wants to work. He's beside us every day and wants to learn."
Palu ascended into a mainstay role and started seven games at both nose tackle and defensive tackle.
Arizona defensive lineman Leroy Palu (95) brings down Hawaii quarterback Micah Alejado (12) in a collapsing pocket for a sack, Aug. 30, 2025, in Tucson.
"If you could get three or four Palus every year, then you're good, because it's all about trust, accountability and being reliable to be there for us," Salave'a said of Palu in November. "That's what Palu is for us."
The 6-4, 253-pound Lolesio is entering his fourth season at Arizona and is one of seven players remaining from the Wildcats' 2023 recruiting class, along with defensive back Gavin Hunter, linebackers Taye Brown and Leviticus, Su'a, offensive tackles Rhino Tapa'atoutai and Zarius Wells and Savaiinaea. Lolesio has played 587 defensive snaps in three seasons.
Smith, Palu, Pese, Lolesio and Savaiinaea have a combined 3,298 defensive snaps in their careers, with Smith owning roughly half of those snaps (1,610). Arizona also has junior college transfer and former Mater Dei (California) star in Funa, who was on Arizona's roster in 2025 but redshirted.
"We have some names that you probably haven't heard of yet, that we're really confident can come in and contribute," Gonzales said.
Perhaps the most significant returner is Smith, who was in his final season last year, but a season-ending shoulder injury in the first half of the season allowed the Phoenix-area native to redshirt and earn a sixth year of eligibility — a similar situation as former UA star defensive back Treydan Stukes, who suffered a season-ending knee injury four games into the '24 season and returned last season.
Smith graduated from Red Mountain High School in Mesa and signed with San Jose State in 2020 and played four seasons for the Spartans before transferring to UA in 2024. Smith recorded 60 tackles, 4.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss in two seasons at Arizona. The 6-5, 262-pound Smith gives the Wildcats an experienced and promising veteran edge rusher.
Defensive lineman Tre Smith can’t quite handle the diving catch as the d-unit runs a skill drill at UA football’s Spring Showcase on April 19, 2025.
Arizona's newcomers from the 2026 recruiting class include Hutchinson Community College transfer Kevin Moorer, who Brennan said "was very impressive, just getting into the backfield, getting after the quarterback, playing with a physicality and edge that we really like." Moorer will join the Wildcats in the summer.
The other additions on the recruiting trail: Williams, Harris and Faupusa, a 6-foot, 381-pound defensive tackle who was teammates with UA freshman linebacker Dash Fifita (quarterback Noah Fifita's younger brother) at Santa Margarita Catholic in Southern California.
The 6-3, 264-pound Williams was named the MaxPreps.com Nevada Player of the Year in 2025 after leading Bishop Gorman High School to its fifth straight state championship. Williams had 265 tackles and 34 sacks in his four-year career with the Gaels. The 6-6, 318-pound Harris finished his prep career at AZ Compass Prep in Chandler after moving from Harbor City, California.
Brennan said Williams and Harris "are big-time players." Both Williams and Harris have the potential to follow a similar path as Pese, who moved into the defensive line rotation as a true freshman and set up a promising career in Tucson.
Between the returners and newcomers on Arizona's defensive line, "there's a lot of pieces there that we feel really good about," said Brennan.
