Arizona will begin its second preseason training camp under coach Brent Brennan on July 30, 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 focus on the tight end room.
Players on roster: 9
Projected starter: Sam Olson (RS-Sr.)
Olson, one of a handful of players that came along with Brennan and some coaches from San Jose State a year ago, started 10 games in 2024 and played more than 60 percent of the snaps. That only resulted in 13 catches for 196 yards and two touchdowns, though, as more than 40 percent of his snaps were spent as a blocker.
The tight end position figures to see more involvement in the passing game under Seth Doege’s system, which at Marshall had six TD catches from those targets.
Top backups: Cameron Barmore (R-Sr.), Keyan Burnett (Sr.), Tyler Powell (R-Jr.)
After spring ball ended, Doege indicated that adding another tight end was one of his top priorities and that resulted in a reunion with Burnett coming back to the program after spending a semester at Kansas. The former 4-star prospect and prep teammate of Noah Fifita had 18 catches and a spectacular game-sealing TD catch against Utah last season but also dealt with injuries and still hasn’t lived up to his potential. If healthy he could thrive in this system.
Barmore, who played at FCS Mercyhurst for four seasons before transferring to Arizona, was very prolific at that level with 165 catches for 2,319 yards and 29 TDs. He struggled some in spring, prompting the need for another tight end in the mix.
Powell, entering his fourth year in the program, started two of the final three games in 2024 and caught five passes, may finally get a chance to carve out a bigger role.
Newcomer most likely to make instant impact: Burnett
The son of former Arizona linebacker Chester Burnett, Keyan has been one of the most scrutinized players in the program since arriving in 2022. At 6-foot-6 and 248 pounds he’s got the size to be as impactful as Tanner McLachlan, whose emergence in 2022-23 partly stifled Burnett’s development. It’s just a matter of him putting it all together, and that will require getting up to speed during training camp after being in a different system in the spring.
Coaching outlook
Josh Miller was hired to replace Matt Adkins and he comes to Tucson after working alongside Doege at Marshall and Purdue before that. He has offensive coordinator experience at the Division II level and his familiarity with the system is a huge boost for Arizona’s tight ends as they get comfortable with the changes.
Next up: Offensive line