Arizona will begin its second preseason training camp under coach Brent Brennan on Wednesday, a month of workouts and practices to get the Wildcats prepared for the 2025 season that opens Aug. 30 against Hawaii
To get you primed for camp, we’re breaking down each position group on the roster. Today we wrap things up by focusing on special teams.
Players on roster: 6
Projected starters: LS Avery Salerno (Sr.), P Michael Salgado-Medina (So.), K Ian Wagner (R-Sr.)
Arizona has the unenviable task of trying to replace arguably the best kicker in school history, Tyler Loop, who as a rookie is already impressing for the Baltimore Ravens in training camp. Salgado-Medina, who will be the punter after holding down that position most of 2024 as a true freshman, could end up handling that job as well.
But the Wildcats went to the portal for a kicker and added Wagner, a Southern Arizona native (from Sierra Vista) who at Illinois State in 2024 was 11 of 15 on field goals (three of the misses were blocks) and 44 of 48 on extra points. He has a long of 47 yards.
Salgado-Medina averaged 43.3 yards on 39 punts last season, while Salerno had more than 100 snaps in 2024 at Jackson State and gets first crack at the long snapping job
Top backups: LS Broden Molen (Fr.), K/P Tyler Prasuhn (Fr.)
Molen, from Montana, participated in the Navy All-American Bowl and gives Arizona depth at a very specialized position. Prasuhn is the son of former UA kicker Jon Prasuhn, who played for the Wildcats in the mid-1990s.
Another specialist, Australian punter Isaac Lovison, was signed during the offseason and is expected to join the team in time for training camp.
Newcomer most likely to make instant impact: Wagner
If Wagner can take at least some of the kicking duties away from Salgado-Medina, even just the kickoffs, he’ll have been worth acquiring from the portal.
Coaching outlook
Craig Naivar comes to Arizona with a very long coaching track record, both as a special teams coordinator and defensive coach. He replaces Danny Gonzales, who is now defensive coordinator, and will have his hands full. Not only must he solidify who his specialists are but there’s also the matter of determining who will return punts and kickoffs.
Arizona averaged a paltry 5.6 yards on punt returns in 2024, and the kickoff return average of 22.25 wasn’t much better.