Arizona defensive tackles Tia Savea, Deshawn McKnight 'starting to gel'

Arizona’s defensive coaches are optimistic about the Wildcats’ defensive line rotation between the multiple returners and the plethora of players added via the transfer portal and junior college level.

UA defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales said the Wildcats “got some guys that can do some things up front,” but “if you’re not good up front, it doesn’t matter what you have behind you.”

That’s why Arizona hired first-year defensive line coach and associate head coach Joe Salave’a — a “Desert Swarm” defensive lineman and renowned defensive line coach at Washington State, Oregon and Miami — to “continue to push that room, so we can have a little bit of margin to compete at the level that we need to.”

“Our identity is going to be forged by the guys in that room,” Salave’a said. “Physicality, effort and finishing are going to be a critical piece of that. There’s gotta be a noticeable change in our film when we look at it to see if we’re going 100 miles per hour, 100% of the time. ... The blessing of it all is we’re in spring ball and not game-planning. It’s all about creating opportunities.”

In the spring, “everybody gets a clean slate” on Arizona’s defensive line and the Wildcats don’t have a depth chart, “we have an organizational chart, and those guys all have equal opportunities to make a name for themselves and campaign for themselves on film,” Salave’a said. The ideal number of defensive linemen rotated in a game is anywhere from seven to nine players, said Salave’a and Gonzales.

“We’re trying to work that constantly and create those matchups to elevate the competition,” Salave’a said. “The young men in that room, I can’t speak enough about them showing up to this point with the joy and excitement to be coached. ... My job is to make sure we’re equipping these young men with the tools and the resources, so they can compete at the premium level that’s going to take Arizona to get back to where it needs to be.”

After losing seven defensive linemen to graduation or the transfer portal, the Wildcats added five defensive linemen in the transfer portal this spring, with several more high school and junior college prospects joining in the summer.

One of the additions is a familiar face in Tiaoalii Savea, a 6-4, 310-pound defensive tackle transfer from Texas, who played two seasons for the Wildcats in 2022-23.

Savea consistently sustained injuries, but when he was healthy, he impacted the UA interior defensive line with 36 tackles, 7.5 stops for loss, a pass breakup and a fumble recovery — the takeaway was in the fourth quarter of the 2022 Territorial Cup win over Arizona State. Savea also blocked a field goal in Arizona’s upset win over UCLA in 2022. In two seasons, Savea appeared in 19 games and made two starts for the Wildcats.

Salave’a had “a little bit of history” with Savea and recruited him to Oregon, but the Las Vegas defensive tackle signed with UCLA to play under Bruins defensive line coach Johnny Nansen, who became Arizona’s defensive coordinator in ‘22 and ‘23. After Nansen joined Texas’ staff last year, Savea played in four games for the Longhorns and redshirted to preserve his final year of eligibility.

“I was really excited when I got in the building and was told that Tia decided to come back this way here,” Salave’a said. “The thing Tia is trying to work through is understanding how we do things here. ... Tia is just worried about him and how he can improve himself. If Tia — like I know what we can become — continues on that trend, it’s going to elevate everybody else in the room, because he’s a big man that can move, he’s athletic, but he’s heavy-handed.”

Arizona held its first fully-padded practice of the spring on Tuesday, and Savea “did good things in the live periods,” Salave’a said. The “very disruptive” Savea had a tackle for loss and sacked backup quarterback Braedyn Locke during a team period on Thursday.

“That’s encouraging,” Salave’a said of Savea. “We’re going to go to the drawing board and see how we can build from that. ... The expectations for that young man is obviously high.”

Redshirt sophomore defensive end Dominic Lolesio, who could potentially start alongside Savea this season, said the defensive tackle is “a great player and he’s a leader on the D-Line.”

“He’s soft-spoken and doesn’t really say too much,” said Lolesio, who was teammates with Savea on the Arizona team that won the Alamo Bowl in 2023. “His actions speak louder than his words. ... It’s good to have a solid leader on this D-Line that continues to work.”

Savea was unavailable to speak to local media this week due to an academic obligation.

Another potential starter at defensive tackle is UT Martin transfer Deshawn McKnight, who is 6-3, 299 pounds and “another big man that can really bend and turn the corner, very athletic and heavy-handed at the point of attack,” according to Salave’a. Savea and McKnight “are starting to gel a little bit,” Salave’a said. McKnight had a fourth-down stop in a team period on Thursday.

McKnight, the Sumter, South Carolina native, has been a journeyman his entire college football career. McKnight grew up in a single-parent household with two siblings and was primarily raised by his father, Travis McKnight, and grandmother. To get out of Sumter, a town with a population of around 42,000 people, McKnight’s vehicles were either sports or the military.

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“For me, back in the day, my mindset wasn’t going to the military,” he said. “It definitely was a challenge and a journey. As a kid, I didn’t want to get up and workout and do all of the things (my dad) wanted to do because it would help me maximize my potential and I didn’t see it then.”

McKnight was recruited out of high school as an outside linebacker, but he “was a defensive lineman at heart,” he said. McKnight started his career at Appalachian State and played two seasons for the Mountaineers before transferring to UT Martin for one season, then signing with the UA in 2025.

“When I was at Appalachian State, my mindset and my mentality isn’t what it is now,” he said. “I was able to make mistakes and grow on a personal level and got to learn more about myself to where I can put myself in position to thrive.”

McKnight has a “calmness about him being a veteran,” Salave’a said.

“Leads by action, not by words,” Salave’a said. “That’s the the exciting thing about Deshawn. ... He speaks with high regard for the younger players, because he’s been there. Now it’s his opportunity to compete and see if he can be a part of the rotation here, to elevate this room.”

McKnight said the focus for Arizona’s defensive line this spring is “buying and believing in the system” put in place by Salave’a, who said his objective is to “adjust and just tweak a little bit” of what Arizona’s defensive line did last season, whether it’s fixing “a mechanical flaw, stance (and) eye control.”

“Once we get that, I’m telling y’all this season is going to be completely different than what it was last season,” McKnight said.

Arizona’s defensive line is “far from where we need to be, but I also have a chip on my shoulder, because I heard a lot of noise that it can’t be done,” Salave’a said.

“Watch,” said Arizona’s defensive line coach. “Watch us work.”

Extra points

– Salave'a noted redshirt freshman edge rusher Eduwa Okundaye, junior college transfer defensive tackle Leroy Palu, Alcorn State transfer defensive end transfer Malachi Bailey, redshirt junior defensive tackle Isaiah Johnson and Lolesio as other standouts in practice. Said Salave'a: "In a short time, from the first practice to now, tremendous, tremendous improvement in those guys." 

– Lolesio said entering the transfer portal "never really crossed my mind" after the 2024 season. Added Lolesio: "All I was trying to do was focus on becoming a better young man, a better young player. I still have a lot of growing and developing to do."

– Arizona nose tackle Chubba Ma'ae remains sidelined with an injury, but has attended every practice this spring.

– Arizona practiced punting and swapped reps between sophomore Michael Salgado-Medina and walk-on Jordan Forbes, who unofficially had the longest hang time (4.61 seconds) on Thursday. Salgado-Medina's best hang time was 4.31 seconds. 

– Quarterback Cole Tannenbaum is no longer with the team. Tannenbaum was Arizona’s backup quarterback last season. Tannenbaum played the last three seasons at the UA. 

– Salave'a, on ex-Wildcat and coach Antonio Pierce as a keynote speaker at the UA coaching clinic on Friday: "AP has done some tremendous things in his career. ... He was a coach, he was a player, a team captain and it's exciting to see that he was gonna be here this weekend. AP has built himself up to have a career for himself."

– Arizona is hosting its second open practice of the spring on Saturday at Arizona Stadium at 11 a.m. Saturday's session will conclude the second week of spring practices for Arizona.