August 5th marks the start of Arizona football’s fall camp. With the Wildcats’ return to the field just a day away, it’s time for another in-depth season preview. With the offense broken down, let’s turn our attention to Danny Gonzales and the 2026-27 defense.
Defensive Line
Interior Defensive Line
Up front, Arizona was relatively quiet in the transfer portal, giving you a sense of the confidence in the personnel in the room as it stands. Senior Leroy Palu and sophomore Mays Pese are back to anchor the interior of the defensive line after standout 2025 seasons. Palu contributed 28 tackles and a fumble recovery last season, while Pese – who was a true freshman – burst onto the scene, appearing in 12 games and registering 24 tackles and two TFL.
As has become custom since Johnny Nansen’s days leading the defense, depth, which translates to fresh legs deep in games, is key for the Wildcats. The UA has a bounty of interior defensive linemen who should be able to come into games and contribute valuable minutes behind Palu and Pese, including Julian Savaiinaea, Australia native Zac Siulepa, who continues to trim down and work his way onto the field, Ezra Funa, and Kevin Moorer Jr. from Hutchinson Community College.
Julian, the younger brother of former Wildcat and Miami Dolphin Jonah Savaiinaea, has continued to grow into a reliable option for the defensive staff since arriving in Tucson. He appeared in all 13 games last season – more than double his game log in 2024 – and was disruptive for opposing offenses, recording 18 tackles, two TFL including a sack, and a fumble recovery. Remember, depth is the name of the game in the trenches, and Savaiinaea provides just that and more for Arizona.
The Wildcats have a number of talented true freshmen that could also compete for playing time this season between the likes of Keytrin Harris, Kaisi Lafitaga, and Manoah Faupusa. All three were highly-rated three-star prospects in the 2026 recruiting class, and while they are still very green, have upside that the coaching staff is excited about. The Wildcats were able to hang on to Harris, whose recruitment included a number of top programs such as Georgia, Miami, Tennessee, Texas A&M and more. At 6-foot-6 and nearly 320 pounds, his size alone may help him get onto the field early and often. Faupusa could end up needed more time to grow and develop, but something tells me Lafitaga could be the Mays Pese of a year ago. I guess time will tell for both.
Edge
Arizona has a couple of stalwarts on the edge of its defensive line with veterans Tre Smith and Dominic Lolesio back for another season. Smith, who has been with Brent Brennan since 2021 at San Jose State, was a standout in the 2024 season, finishing with over 50 tackles and 4.5 sacks. Last season however, he was limited to just five games after his season was cut short due to shoulder surgery. With Smith back and healthy for his final season of college football, look for “Mr. Redline” to return to his 2024 form while continuing to be a veteran voice and presence on and off the field for the Wildcats.
Lolesio, the “most improved player” this spring per the coaching staff, gives Arizona a 1-2 punch on both sides of the line that should make things challenging for opposing offenses. If the two can stay healthy and produce at the level the staff believes they can, fans should get excited about the possibility of a Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter-like tandem (Houston Texans) in Tucson this fall.
The Wildcats also added a day one impact guy from the transfer portal in Victory Johnson, who began his career at Colorado before most recently playing at Cal Poly. Johnson did a little bit of everything for the Mustangs last season, finishing with 26 tackles, two pass deflections, three sacks, and an interception. While the competition in the Big 12 will be stouter than in the Big Sky (FCS), Arizona’s personnel department proved during the 2025 season they have a nose for seeking out talented players whose experience can translate to the next level.
Just like on the interior, there’s also a highly-rated true freshman who’s looking to break into the rotation and contribute meaningful minutes in his first season in Tucson. Prince Williams finished with a staggering 91 tackles and 13 sacks during his senior season at Bishop Gorman HS in Las Vegas, NV. While he won’t have that sort of impact from day one, Joe Salave’a and the defensive staff are optimistic he can start to develop into a playmaker.
After all, as Brent Brennan said during the spring, “we didn’t recruit them to sit on the bench.”
Linebackers
Middle Linebackers
While Arizona has a nice mix of players that can come off the edge or line up off the ball, any conversation about the Wildcats’ linebacker core has to start with Taye Brown. Brown is a no frills, no nonsense type of player who’s done nothing but consistently get better each season in Tucson. He finished last season with 93 tackles, including 8.5 TFL and 1.5 sacks, as well as two pass deflections, a forced fumble and recovery, and his first career interception. While he isn’t the most vocal or flashy player on the field, Brown is the bonafide anchor of Arizona’s defense. We’re calling it now – Taye Brown will have 100+ tackles this season.
Chase Kennedy arrived in Tucson as an outside linebacker, lining up on the ball and at the line of scrimmage. In his two seasons in Tucson, he’s completed revamped his game, nearly doubling his tackles from his first to second season (2024: 23 TOT, 2025: 42 TOT), while also contributing four sacks, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery last season. His combination of size and strength – Kennedy is 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds – makes him one of the more versatile options Danny Gonzales and Josh Bringuel have at their disposal. He not only brings a ton of energy to the locker room, but can make plays through the front seven and should to continue elevating his game in his final season.
Also lining up in the middle of the defense is Memphis transfer Everett Roussaw Jr. He’s been productive everywhere in his career, including his first two seasons at UAB, averaging 63 tackles a year over the past three seasons. Taye Brown will wear the green dot on defense, but Roussaw Jr. brings plenty of experience with him from his three seasons in the American Conference.
“Everett Roussaw is a far better off-the-ball football player than I anticipated because a lot of the stuff that he did (previously) was up on the line of scrimmage, like the way Riley (Wilson) was at Montana,” Gonzales told reporters back in the spring. “What he’s been able to do off the ball is fantastic.”
Arizona is also excited about the continued growth and development of Myron Robinson and Jabari Mann. Robinson, a fringe four-star prospect in the class of 2025, was hampered by some injuries during his freshman season, but was still able to appear in seven games. He came alive in the month of November, posting back-to-games with seven tackles and three-straight games with a TFL. He has great instincts and a nose for the football and is someone many throughout the facility is ready to take the next step in 2026.
Mann, who is entering his third year with the Wildcats, made the most of his opportunities last fall and hopes to capitalize on them in 2026. He finished with 24 tackles and sack, but most notably returned an interception for a touchdown in Arizona’s senior day shellacking of Baylor. Both players still have a long runway ahead of them, but have shown flashes consistently enough that fans should be comfortable when they rotate on to the field.
One last variable is the possibility of Max Harris returning for a fifth season following an injunction by a Colorado federal judge granting the class of 2022 an additional year of eligibility. He’ll need time to re-acclimate his condition, as well as catch up on any schematic adjustments from a year ago, but if he is in fact eligible, the coaching staff would take him in a heart beat.
Outside Linebackers
It’s likely Chase Kennedy will lineup both on and off the ball, given his comfort with both. But the Wildcats did also add Cooper Blomstrom, a senior from Georgetown, from the transfer portal. Last season for the Hoyas, Blomstrom finished with 44 tackles, including seven sacks, as well as three forced fumbles. He’s got a breadth of experience and should be serviceable when the UA wants to bring pressure off the edge and attack quarterbacks, something Danny Gonzales is a fan of.
Secondary
Cornerbacks
Jay’Vion Cole is back for a final season in Tucson after helping lead the Wildcats in interceptions with four a year ago. With Treydan Stukes, Dalton Johnson, and Genesis Smith off to the NFL, he’s now poised and primed to become the veteran leader in the secondary. Cole is well traveled, having made stops at Cal Poly, San José State, and Texas, before landing in Tucson, but has found a home in the Old Pueblo. He’s strong, has great ball skills, and is quick enough to get in and disrupt the backfield when called up, making him a versatile piece for Chip Viney and Danny Gonzales to rebuild around.
The Wildcats also added a number of players from the portal this offseason to help replace Michael Dansby, who was taken in the seventh round of the NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks, as well as Ayden Garnes. After appeared in 12 games and registering nearly 700 snaps a season ago at Wyoming, look for Tyrese Boss to compete for a starting position. He’s young, but already has a lot of experience, and is someone the staff believes can make an immediate impact while developing into a multi-year starter.
New to the cornerback room are also Dwight Bootle and Zuri Watson. Bootle, who began his career at Nebraska before transferring to Charlotte for the 2025 season, is another player with plenty of experience. Are you sensing a trend yet? He made six starts in 12 games last season and has a real shot of competing with Boss for the start opposite Cole, while for sure proving the Wildcats with depth. Watson should also be a depth piece for Arizona after finishing his freshman season at Howard with 34 tackles, eight pass deflections, and an interception.
Finally, it’s entirely possible we see both Swayde Griffin and Xaier Hiler see action as a redshirt freshman and freshman, respectively, just given their size alone. Griffin checks in a 6-foot-2 and nearly 200 pounds while Hiler is 6-foot-3. Cole is a lock to anchor the cornerback room, but don’t be surprised if Chip Viney experiments with different lineups and combinations throughout fall camp given all the new faces in the room.
Safeties
Brett Arce has simultaneously one of the biggest and most exciting jobs this season: replace Treydan Stukes, Dalton Johnson, and Genesis Smith. Fortunately for him, Arizona attacked the portal aggressively and has plenty of pieces to work with among the safety room.
Gavin Hunter was a more than fine stand in as Treydan Stukes worked his way back from his knee injury last season, but now, it’s his turn to take the reins. After finishing with career highs in tackles (19), interceptions (1), and pass deflections (4) last season – most of which came in non-conference play and the Holiday Bowl against SMU – look for him to have a Stukes-like role, and hopefully impact, on the defense this year.
Johno Price is another player who should see a lot of time in the backfield, particularly at nickel or slot corner. He’s continued to grow and develop since arriving in Tucson in 2024 and now has the chance to step up and replace the three-headed monster from last season’s defense.
Then there are the newcomers: Malcolm Hartzog, Cam Chapa, Matai Tagoa’i, and Daylen Austin. Despite missing most of the 2025 season with an injury, Hartzog is a day one starter with tremendous ball skills and toughness and gritty that will make him hard to take off the field. He has eight career interceptions from his time at Nebraska and will have no problem making himself at home in Danny Gonzales’ ball-hawking scheme.
Chapa is – that’s right, you guess it – another player with a ton of reps and experience at the FCS level. Last season at Northern Colorado, he recorded 88 tackles, forced two fumbles, and snagged four interceptions. He’s got a nose for being in the right place at the right time and should remind folks of Dalton Johnson or Genesis Smith’s role in the defense the last two seasons.
Tagoa’i is a work-in-progress after making the move from linebacker to safety, but has tremendous size and is a raw, gifted athlete. Once he is able to get comfortable in a new position, his 6-foot-4, 200-pound frame makes him an elusive guy who can disrupt passing lanes while flying around the backfield.
Austin is an intriguing prospect. He was highly-rated coming out of high school, with offers from all the top programs including Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Texas, and more. He spent the past three seasons at Oregon, but was never able to carve out a clear, consistent role with the Ducks, and is now hoping a fresh start will allow him to do that at Arizona. Despite his role in Eugene, he’s been in and around a playoff-caliber culture and can hopefully bring some of that to the Wildcats’ locker room.