Arizona's defense plans to add 'a twist or two up front' under DC Duane Akina

Big-bodied defensive linemen played an essential role in Arizona’s defense evolving from one of the worst units in the country to one of the best in a one-year span.

The nearly 1,000 total pounds — or one saltwater crocodile, according to former UA head coach Jedd Fisch — of body mass added to the front line helped Arizona’s defense go from surrendering over 209 rushing yards per game in 2022 to 118.2, which ranked 27th in college football in 2023.

Arizona rose from 125th in total defense to No. 50 — 36.5 points per game to just 21.1 — between the 2022 and ’23 seasons under former defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen, who’s now a co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Texas. Arizona punctuated its defensive improvements in 2023 with a six-takeaway performance against Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl.

Despite a new regime under head coach Brent Brennan, the 4-2-5 scheme of Arizona’s defense remains intact under new defensive coordinator Duane Akina, who was an assistant defensive backs coach at the UA last season and periodically coached at Arizona since his first stint under the late Dick Tomey that started in 1987.

However, the Wildcats lost depth and experience on the defensive line, including eight players that were a part of the rotation such as defensive tackles Tyler Manoa, Tiaoalii Savea, Sio Nofoagatoto’a and Jacob Kongaika, in addition to edge rushers Taylor Upshaw, who led the team in sacks, Orin Patu and promising up-and-coming pass-rushers in Isaiah Ward and Russell Davis II, who both transferred to Washington.

The fluid rotation and depth on the defensive line, with gap-filling interior linemen that occupied blockers, allowed the stars of Arizona’s defense — like All-Pac-12 linebacker Jacob Manu, safety Dalton Johnson and nickel back Treydan Stukes — to make impactful plays.

The only returning starter on Arizona’s defensive line is Bill Norton, the 6-6, 325-pound nose tackle from Memphis, who transferred from Georgia to the UA last spring. Although the Wildcats “lost a lot of major pieces,” Akina is “really optimistic” about Arizona’s defensive line this spring.

The quick-fix method for Arizona’s defensive line is to double-down on the transfer portal and lure experienced and larger linemen to Tucson, but Akina said defensive tackles Chubba Ma’ae, a 6-2, 347-pound senior transfer from UC Davis, redshirt sophomore Isaiah Johnson and redshirt junior Keanu Mailoto have been “pleasant surprises for us.”

“When a new staff comes in, there are some players who are viewed not as positive as some,” Akina said. “It’s a fresh beginning, it’s a fresh start, so they’ve been excellent.”

The Wildcats are also using junior Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei, San Jose State transfer and former All-Mountain West selection Tre Smith, sophomore Dominic Lolesio, redshirt sophomore Sterling Lane II and redshirt freshman Julian Savaiinaea, the younger brother of Arizona star offensive lineman Jonah Savaiinaea, at defensive end. Arizona will add Syracuse transfer Kevon Darton at defensive tackle in the summer.

Amongst the returning defensive linemen, they played a combined 462 defensive snaps last season — 367 of them from Uiagalelei.

While Arizona plans to be “a little more aggressive with the front,” the leaders of the defense are in the “back seven” between the linebackers and five defensive backs in Manu, Johnson, Stukes, Alamo Bowl Defensive MVP Gunner Maldonado and cornerback Tacario Davis.

Linebackers and defensive backs were “the guts of us when I was at Texas and Stanford,” Akina said.

A tweaked identity, in comparison to last year, will result in the Wildcats “canceling gaps a little differently,” according to Akina.

“Be more vertical, get up field. I’m wired a little more aggressive. Let’s just say we’re playing the run on the way to the quarterback rather than sitting on the line of scrimmage, so that’s a little bit of a change,” Akina said. “We added a twist or two up front. ... The secondary stuff is going to be consistent.”

Akina, who has coached four Jim Thorpe Award winners, “played a huge role” in developing Arizona’s secondary. Maldonado and Johnson steadily improved throughout the season, while Stukes displayed innate ability to tackle and defend receivers. Stukes has “hidden value,” said Akina, because he can play “all eight positions” in Arizona’s secondary and excel in defensive back-heavy nickel, quarter, dollar or dime packages, or the positions in a base defense such as both cornerback and safety positions.

“The growth we had, it was no secret,” Stukes said. “We dedicate a lot of that to the way Coach Akina coaches, what he demands from us every day in practice.”

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Akina became a defensive mastermind through his days as a quarterback, when he studied the ins and outs of offenses. The 67-year-old Akina was a backup quarterback at Washington behind Warren Moon, a longtime CFL and NFL star.

“It takes some of the sting out when the guy who beats you out is a first-ballot Hall of Famer. ... Good guy, great player, learned a lot,” said Akina.

Akina teaches “a lot of offensive theory” to Arizona’s defensive backs. When the subject is switched to defense, Akina’s students — err, players — learn every position on the field. No labels.

“You get your degree (at the UA), then you cross the street and get your degree in defensive back play or football. ... Now they’re understanding how defenses are built,” Akina said. “Don’t just learn your position, learn the structure of how the defense is built, what they’re doing and why. ... We’re blessed that we have incredible IQ — not good IQ — on the back end.“

Now that most of Arizona’s improved secondary is back, “they’re our leaders,” said Manu.

“They’re a big part of our defense,” said the Arizona linebacker. “Coach Akina always talks about it, our back seven is legit and our front (six) is legit also. But having those guys come back is big for our team.”

To help out the front six, the Wildcats hired linebackers coach and former New Mexico head coach Danny Gonzales, who is the “blitz guru,” Manu said.

“He knows what he’s doing up front. I love blitzing, so it’s good for me,” Manu said.

The “Mike” linebacker position alongside Manu, for the second straight season, is up for grabs, but Manu “will learn both positions, because I never like to be tied to a depth chart,” said Akina.

Second-year linebackers Kamuela Ka’aihue, who started the Utah game last season, former Chandler Hamilton High School star Taye Brown and Leviticus Su’a, along with redshirt junior Justin Flowe, a former five-star recruit who transferred from Oregon last season, are among the linebackers fighting for a starting role.

“It’s definitely competitive, but at the same time we like watching each other on the field. ... We’re working against each other, but we’re also getting each other better every day,” Ka’aihue said.

While Arizona pieces together its defense this spring, one message, which dates back Akina’s first stint at the UA, remains constant: swarm, whether defensive linemen or defensive backs are leading the charge.

“Still have that same effort to the ball,” Ka’aihue said. “Find the ball.”

Extra points

Akina said Tacario Davis “has a chance to be a dominant player, because he’s got what I can’t coach.” Said Akina: “He’s got length and speed. My job is to have him get to his potential. ... If I have a chance to coach a great player and he doesn’t become a great player, that’s on me.”

Arizona will have the same Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday practice schedule this week, with Tuesday’s and Thursday’s practices beginning at 3:40 p.m., and Saturday’s practice starting at 10:15 a.m. All practices are open to the public.

Two ex-Wildcats are on rosters in the United Football League, which kicked off its season over the weekend. Linebacker Scooby Wright and cornerback Lorenzo Burns are back with the Birmingham Stallions, which won the USFL championship before the league merged with the XFL.