Mantra. Slogan. Motto. However you want to describe it, every college football program has one.
Throughout recent history at Arizona, several memorable catchwords have graced the UA football program, like “OKGs” (our kinda guys) or “Hard edge” during the Rich Rodriguez era. Or “Back the A” and “It’s about us” under Kevin Sumlin.
Former Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch took his “It’s personal” and changed it to “Make it personal” and “Winning is personal.” Maybe if Fisch was still the Arizona head coach and followed the blueprint of the titles for the Fast and Furious movie franchise, this year’s mantra would be, “It’s personal, ya’ll,” with the program’s first year in the Big 12, which officially onboards the UA on Friday; in Fisch’s year 5, how about: “No, seriously, it’s personal.”
New Arizona boss Brent Brennan only needed one word for his “buzzword, our battlecry,” as he calls it: “redline.” Arizona’s redline motto is “how we’re going to define a couple parts of our program: our effort, our execution and our accountability,” Brennan said.
Arizona wide receiver Malachi Riley (10) runs with the ball during fall practice Wednesday at the Dick Tomey Practice Fields on the UA campus.
“It’s really, really simple,” the Wildcats’ head coach said. “One word, all of our players know what it means or they’re in the process of learning what it means and what it looks like. I like to make things like that as simple as I can.
“Our team rules, our buzzwords, our motto, I like to keep them simple and very simple to say and very simple to understand.”
Arizona is reminded of redline every day at training camp. The mantra is emblazoned on the wall of the Dick Tomey Practice Fields adjacent to Sixth Street, with a “the standard for everything we do” caption underneath. The wall also has “effort,” two red “100” emojis — or as Arizona safety Dalton Johnson said, “Hunnit, hunnit” — along with “execution,” “prove it,” “accountability” and “own it, fix it.” Just below Tomey’s mural at Arizona’s outdoor practice space is his motto, which he inherited from former Michigan coach Bo Schembechler: “The team, the team, the team.”
Redline is “how we’re going to play as a team,” said Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita.
“We’re going to give 100 miles per hour 100% of the time and we’re going to be accountable and execute,” he said. “That’s the mentality Coach Brennan has given this team. It’s how we want to be defined.”
Added Johnson: “We’re going to hold each other accountable and get after it every time.”
Redline “means 100% every play to Arizona senior running back Quali Conley, a San Jose State transfer.
“Leave it all on the field no matter what,” Conley said. “At the end of the day, every play, you get 1% better. I feel like coach Brennan and (running backs coach Alonzo Carter) nail it every day, because you can’t just loaf on the field in a road game, because then something bad will happen. Give it your all and 100% every play.”
Unlike Conley, New Mexico transfer running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt, a highly-touted portal prospect wasn’t with the Wildcats in the spring and recently enrolled over the summer; but he has absorbed and appreciated the redline idea since coming to the UA after scoring 17 touchdowns last season at UNM.
“Any time you’re between those lines, it’s 100% and having each other’s back,” Croskey-Merritt said. “Just making sure we’re giving it our all each and every play to get better.”
If the Wildcats redline their potential this upcoming season, with the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff, it’s conceivable the Wildcats could be in for a repeat of the 10-3 season last year — or better.
Saguaro Scottsdale's Mason Bray (14) scrambles while being pursued by Salpointe's Elijah Rushing (9) late in the first half of the teams' Arizona 6A state playoff game at Salpointe Catholic High School on Nov. 24, 2023.
‘Crash’ Jr. joins Wildcats
Among the contingent of newcomer quarterbacks for Arizona this offseason is walk-on freshman Mason Bray, son of late Arizona standout Heath Bray. The older Bray died in March after suffering a heart attack. He was 54 years old.
Bray, a Gastonia, North Carolina, native, was a defensive back, quarterback and special teams captain for Arizona under UA coaching icon Dick Tomey from 1988-92 and helped build up the Desert Swarm defense that had defensive linemen Rob Waldrop and Tedy Bruschi, two College Football Hall of Famers.
Bray, nicknamed “Crash,” was a part of an Arizona team that took down top-ranked Washington in Tucson in 1992, snapping the Huskies’ 22-game winning streak. Arizona’s win over UW in ’92 is the last time the Wildcats have beaten a No. 1-ranked team. Bray also played linebacker and quarterback for the Wildcats. Before Arizona beat Washington, Bray quarterbacked the Wildcats against the No. 1-ranked Miami Hurricanes on the road and nearly won earlier in 1992, falling to Miami 8-7 at the Orange Bowl.
Mason Bray, who recently graduated from Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, threw for 2,897 yards, 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Bray quarterbacked the Sabercats to a Class 6A state championship in December.
The addition of Bray brings Arizona total quarterback count at six. Bray joins Fifita, redshirt freshman Brayden Dorman, San Jose State transfer Anthony Garcia, Northern Arizona transfer Adam Damante and walk-on Cole Tannenbaum in Arizona’s quarterbacks room.
UA safety Heath Bray celebrates a stop during Arizona Wildcats at USC in Los Angeles on Oct. 20, 1990. Arizona won, 21-17.
Extra points
- Arizona star receiver Tetairoa McMillan continued his left leg rehab on the sidelines with strength and conditioning coach Cullen Carroll. McMillan did a series of drills, including 100-yard half-sprints. There’s no timetable for McMillan’s return.
- For the second straight practice, redshirt freshman Rhino Tapa’atoutai started at left tackle on Thursday following the departure of sophomore Raymond Pulido, who is “unavailable this season,” Brennan said on Wednesday. The 6-5, 310-pound Tapa’atoutai, a West Valley City, Utah, native, was Pulido’s replacement in the spring when he went down with a leg injury. Tapa’atoutai started alongside left guard and Northwestern transfer Alexander Doost, center Josh Baker, right guard Leif Magnuson and right tackle Jonah Savaiinaea. Starting left guard Wendell Moe dressed out, but didn’t participate in team periods.
- Johnson, who was second on the team in tackles (86) last season, said he added roughly 10 pounds to his 5-11 frame and is playing at just over 200 pounds. Said Johnson: “It’s not all just heavy weight. I’ve put on good, lean muscle mass. One of my goals this offseason was to put on weight, being a boundary safety. It felt good, it felt like I was moving good.”
- Arizona’s starting defensive line for both days has been former San Jose State edge rusher Tre Smith, UC Davis nose tackle transfer Chubba Ma’ae, redshirt sophomore Isaiah Johnson and junior Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei.
- After missing Wednesday’s practice, Arizona “Star” defensive back Treydan Stukes returned to the starting lineup and intercepted Fifita during a 7-on-7 period.
- Former Arizona kicker Lucas Havrisik attended the first two days of UA training camp and was spotted coaching backup kicker Cash Peterman on the sidelines. Havrisik is currently a free agent after playing for the Los Angeles Rams last season. Havrisik recently flew to Detroit for a workout with the Lions after Michael Badgley went down with injury, but wasn’t signed.
