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. The quarterbacks room, led by record-setting veteran Noah Fifita, kicked off the preview, followed by running backs and wide receivers and tight ends.
Arizona's offensive line will conclude the offensive portion of our series.
Position coach: Josh Oglesby
Key departures: Left tackle Ty Buchanan, left guard Chubba Maae, center Ka'ena Decambra, guard Michael Wooten, guard Jordan Brown
Key returners: right tackle Tristan Bounds (R-Sr.), right guard Alexander Doost (R-Jr.), tackle Rhino Tapa'atoutai (R-Jr.), tackle Matthew Lado (R-So.), guard Javian Goo (R-Fr.), tackle Louis Akpa (R-Fr.), center Grayson Stovall (R-Sr.), guard Sione Tohi (R-Fr.), guard Isaac Perez (Sr.), tackle Jaxon Griffin (R-Fr.), guard Keona Peat (R-Jr.)
Newcomers: center Zachary Henning (R-Jr.), tackle Nathan Hale (R-Jr.), Khalil Sanogo (Fr.), tackle Jake Griffin (R-Jr.)
Arizona offensive lineman Rhino Tapa'atoutai (59) in the second half against Kansas State, Sept 12, 2025, in Tucson.
The rundown: Arizona won't have a complete makeover on the offensive line with the return of right-side starters in Doost and Bounds, who was granted a sixth season of eligibility by the NCAA.
The 6-8, 306-pound Bounds signed with Michigan in 2021 and has played 669 offensive snaps in his collegiate career — 628 of them at Arizona. Bounds, who was a part of Michigan's national championship-winning squad in 2023, transferred to UA after having a reserve role for four seasons.
Bounds evolved into one of the Wildcats' top offensive linemen and started eight games at right tackle this past season, allowing three sacks in 372 pass-blocking snaps.
Bounds suffered a season-ending leg injury in Arizona's upset win over No. 25 Cincinnati in November and missed the final three games, including the Wildcats' loss to SMU in the Holiday Bowl. Bounds was replaced by Lado. Bounds is expected to be limited in the spring due to his injury rehab, with Lado, Tapa'atoutai and others filling in.
Doost has played just over 1,500 snaps at right guard in his two-year career with the Wildcats.
For the second straight season, the Wildcats are replacing their center. The new starter will succeed productive centers in Josh Baker and Decambra, who moved to center after playing tackle and guard at Hawaii.
Arizona likely found its successor at center in Washington center transfer Zachary Henning. The 6-4, 299-pound Centennial, Colorado native signed with Washington as a three-star prospect in 2023 and played three seasons for the Huskies — one under former head coach Kalen DeBoer and the last two under former UA head coach Jedd Fisch.
Washington offensive lineman Zachary Henning (58) during practice, Aug. 2, 2023, in Seattle.
Henning appeared in 13 games in 2024, but primarily played special teams for the Huskies in his second year. Henning played in 13 games this past season and recorded 333 offensive snaps. Henning took over starting duties in November after starter Landen Hatchett broke his hand. Hatchett is returning to Washington this upcoming season.
The left side of Arizona's offensive line will be among the most competitive battles in the spring and fall training camp.
Tapa'atoutai, who started six games at left tackle in 2024 before suffering a season-ending knee injury, struggled and was prone to committing holding penalties in his return from injury. The exuberant and uber-confident Tapa'atoutai has earned respect from his teammates and coaches; he's among the several vocal leaders of the team.
Arizona's coaches have expressed optimism for the second-year tandem of Akpa and Goo. Akpa is a 6-6, 299-pound tackle from San Francisco, and Goo is a 6-4, 291-pound guard from Kapolei, Hawaii. Both Akpa and Goo earned second-team reps in fall training camp last year.
Other options at tackle include former San Jose State tackle Nate Hale and BYU tackle Jake Griffin, who is the older brother of Arizona redshirt freshman offensive tackle Jaxon Griffin. The older Griffin played 25 snaps at right tackle at BYU in 2025.
Hale, who was recruited to San Jose State by Brennan and Oglesby, played 670 snaps at right tackle after signing with SJSU in 2023.
Arizona also signed two four-star offensive tackles in its 2026 recruiting class: El Paso native Justin Morales and Phoenix-area product Malachi Joyner, but they're expected to join the team in the summer. Sanogo, the 6-4, 328-pound Dallas-area native, is the only early enrollee on the offensive line this year.
University of Arizona offensive lineman Alexander Doost, left, backs up Grayson Stovall on a rush-block drill during their preseason workout, Aug. 1, 2025, in Tucson.
With American Samoa two-way lineman Kaisi Lafitaga becoming a defensive lineman to start his Arizona career, the Wildcats have 19 offensive linemen for the 2026 season.
Protection is imperative for Arizona. Fifita is entering his last season quarterbacking Arizona, and the Wildcats didn't necessarily offer a ringing endorsement for the future with 16 quarterback pressures against SMU in the Holiday Bowl — many of which could've been sacks, if Fifita wasn't able to evade defenders and scramble.
The Wildcats will have the next several months to figure out the five-man lineup on the offensive line — a pertinent piece to the offense.
