Jack Luttrell's relationship with Arizona DC Duane Akina brought DB to Tucson

When Arizona defensive coordinator Duane Akina first started his college coaching journey at Hawaii under former UA head coach Dick Tomey, he was taught a valuable lesson in recruiting players.

It’s a lesson that he still stands by when he tries to get players to Arizona.

“I asked him, ‘Coach, how do you do this recruiting thing?’ Just recruit everybody like you would want them to recruit (my then-3-month-old son) Kainoa. ... I’ve held that my whole career,” Akina said. “Recruit them like that’s your son, and it all works out. You’re not going to get everybody.

“Those guys who create conflict at the end, I don’t think that works. You wish them luck and sometimes you get a call-back in a couple of years.”

Akina’s recruiting philosophy was a driving force in the Wildcats landing redshirt freshman safety Jack Luttrell in the transfer portal.

The 6-foot, 180-pound Luttrell signed with the Tennessee Volunteers over Texas A&M, Colorado, Arkansas and Notre Dame, among others, as a three-star prospect from Moultrie, Georgia, in 2023.

As a standout at Colquitt County High School, the two-way Luttrell had 211 tackles, five interceptions and eight pass breakups, along with 850 receiving yards, 495 rushing yards and 247 passing yards, in addition to 1,061 kickoff return yards and 280 punt return yards.

Akina said Stanford “recruited Georgia quite heavy,” and the Peach State was the Cardinal’s “number two feeding state next to California.” When recruiting to a prestigious academic institution like Stanford, “you always have to look at the grades before, and he was a good student,” Akina said of Luttrell.

“Then I looked at his tape and saw that he was a good football player,” he added.

Except there was one hurdle for Akina, the former defensive backs coach at Stanford: Tennessee was Luttrell’s favorite team growing up, “so he was already locked in there.”

“Wished him luck, like you always do,” Akina said. “Once he felt like that wasn’t the place, we were able to get connected again and it all worked out for us.”

Luttrell didn’t appear in any games during his lone season in Knoxville and hoped for greener pastures in the transfer portal at the end of 2023. 

“As soon as I got into the portal, it was that same good connection, when he contacted me,” Luttrell said of Akina.

Luttrell transferred to Arizona prior to former head coach Jedd Fisch leaving for Washington, but he decided to stay with the Wildcats because his connection with Akina “is stronger than the connection I looked for anywhere else.”

Luttrell said the last year in Tucson has “been super-fun.”

“I love the people out here. Everybody has been super-nice,” he said. “The team was welcoming when I first got out here, so that was good.”

Learning from a renowned defensive backs coach like Akina is “a different style of coaching” for Luttrell.

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“Some days he’s harder than others,” Luttrell said. “I love him. It’s good coaching.”

With four starters in Arizona’s defensive secondary returning, with the only vacant spot at cornerback, Luttrell was expected to play behind veterans Gunner Maldonado, Treydan Stukes and Dalton Johnson, but the first two suffered season-ending leg injuries, which enlarged Luttrell’s role in the UA defense. Arizona star cornerback Tacario Davis said the injuries piling up “is weird, but it’s football.”

“It’s part of the game. It’s about the next-guy-up mentality,” Davis said. “That’s really what it is.”

Added Luttrell: “You never want to lose a player, especially the great players that we have,” Luttrell said. “But when the shot is there, I’m going to take it and train for it, too.”

At free safety and nickel back, Luttrell started the last two games and has 16 tackles, two interceptions and a forced fumble this season. With Maldonado and linebacker Jacob Manu, who also suffered a leg injury, out for the season, Luttrell is now the designated Wildcat with the coach-to-player helmet communication. Luttrell said, “It feels cool when I get the headset in my helmet. It’s like playing video games with a headset on, so that’s been fun.”

Even though Maldonado and Stukes are unavailable to play, they’ve had a hand in coaching Luttrell.

“They taught me about pretty much everything,” Luttrell said. “Anything I — coming out of high school — didn’t see coming out of Tennessee, those older guys have been great, telling me exactly what needs to happen. ... They’re great guys. They lead, whether they play or not.”

Luttrell, who is expecting around 15 family members and friends in Orlando on Saturday, is still earning his stripes as a defensive back. Luttrell has played 156 defensive snaps as a college football player. His mentors, Stukes and Maldonado, have combined for 3,973 snaps.

“Like all young players, he’s learning,” Akina said. “This game isn’t add water, instant player. And we understand that it’s a result-based game and profession. From a coaching standpoint, it’s still about the process, about developing players. That’s where we’re at with some of the young men who had to come in and fill some of the shoes.”

Wildcats add NorCal O-Lineman

Three-star Northern California offensive lineman Louis Akpa verbally committed to the Arizona Wildcats’ 2025 recruiting class on Wednesday.

Akpa committed to the Wildcats over Boise State, Oregon State, BYU, Cal, Minnesota, Iowa State and San Diego State, among others.

The 6-6, 250-pound Akpa is a senior at Juniperro Serra High School in San Mateo, California. He’s rated by 247Sports.com as the 73rd-best offensive tackle in 2025. Akpa joins Javian Goo (Hawaii), Sione Tohi (Southern California) and Losipini Tupou (San Francisco) as offensive linemen in the UA’s 2025 class.

Arizona’s 21-player 2025 recruiting class currently ranks 39th nationally and fifth in the Big 12, per 247Sports — fourth on Rivals.com.

The early signing period begins on Dec. 4.

Extra points

• Arizona cornerback Tacario Davis, who was recently named a Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist, wasn’t targeted against West Virginia. Davis said, “It’s a good thing overall. But in the moment, it was boring, if you ask me. I should take it as a good thing, not getting targeted or getting (passes thrown) at.”
• Akina said Davis not getting targeted last week and shutting down one side of the field is “a sign of respect.” Added Akina: “Utah targeted him quite a bit and he won that fight. ... He has worked really hard at developing his craft, the little things, the fundamentals.”
• Davis, on his health after missing time against BYU and Colorado with a groin injury: “Right now, I’m good. Yeah, I’m good. One-hundred percent.”