Outside of Tetairoa McMillan’s numbers, across the board Arizona was way down on offense in 2024 compared to the season before. Quarterback Noah Fifita often had very little time to throw, while the run game rarely had the holes needed to break off big runs.
The Wildcats’ offensive line dealt with injuries, but that was only part of the issue. It just wasn’t an effective unit and needed a major overhaul, as did the offense in general.
Coach Brent Brennan brought in a new coordinator, Seth Doege, but opted to stick with line coach Josh Oglesby, who has worked with Brennan since 2020.
The personnel is almost completely different. Gone is potential first round NFL Draft pick Jonah Savaiinaea, 4-year starting center Josh Baker and guard Wendell Moe, among others, leaving behind only two players who had made more than three starts for the Wildcats.
Arizona loaded up on offensive linemen from the NCAA transfer portal, adding Jordan Brown from Georgia Tech, Tristan Bounds from Michigan, Ty Buchanan from Texas Tech, Ka’ena Decambra from Hawai’i and Isaac Perez from Portland State.
“Guys are starting to take command of the groups that they’re in with,” Oglesby said Saturday, after Arizona’s sixth spring practice and second inside the stadium. “They’ve been great, not only on the field, but off the field, the group is really coming together as a unit. It’s been awesome to see, especially when you’re taking guys from kind of all over the country, and seeing them kind of come together and merge with the guys that are already here. Their impact, I think, has been immediate, just because, once again, about the depth that’s been added to the room. And our ability to come mix and match and find what, what grouping kind of works best. I’m really glad that we have them. They’re they’re all truly bought in, which is awesome. They’re seeing improvements in the game, which is kind of leading them to want more and more every day.”
The two top returning linemen are redshirt sophomores Alexander Doost and Rhino Tapa’toutai, who started nine and six games in 2024, respectively. Tapa’toutai is not participating in spring ball while recovering from knee surgery but is expected to be ready for fall camp and would be in line to regain his starting left tackle spot if healthy.
“I really don’t believe in guys losing their position with injury,” said Oglesby, who played offensive line at Wisconsin from 2007-11. “Maybe that’s a little bit kind of because of my past, dealing with injuries and fighting back to regain your position. He was playing at a pretty good level before.”
Doost, who started seven games at right guard and two at left guard last year, doesn’t see all the additions as competition for himself and other returners.
“Since these guys came in, we’re all together,” he said. “We’re a very tightknit group. When we’re not here at the facility we’re all hanging together. It’s more like we all progress together.”
The biggest question mark on the line is probably center, where Baker started 43 games including 38 of the last 39. Throw in a more uptempo system installed by Doege and identifying who will play that position is crucial.
“That’s a position where it’s a lot more mental than people think, getting those other four all targeted and in the right direction,” Oglesby said. “Especially against Coach (Gonzales’) defense, where there’s a lot of stuff going on. We were pretty fortunate in the past having (Baker) kind of the mainstay there. But I think adding depth is always great, especially when it comes to snapping the ball.”
Candidates for that gig include Decambra, Perez, redshirt sophomore Grayson Stovall and redshirt senior Ise Matautia. The Wildcats made also consider redshirt senior defensive lineman Chubba Ma’ae, who has switched jerseys from 92 and 55 and has worked out with the offense.
Doege’s offense at Marshall averaged roughly the same number of plays per game as Arizona’s last season, but it did so with 1:26 less time of possession on average. Much of spring ball so far has been getting the linemen up to speed, so to speak, on that increased pace.
“Coach Brennan says all the time you can only go as fast as our slowest offensive lineman, which sometimes digs me a little bit, because we’re not the fastest people,” Oglesby joked. “But our ability to get lined up as quick as we can is paramount to our to our offense.”