Arizona Football’s fall training camp is officially underway, but the Wildcats already have an uphill battle to face a month out from the season opener. On Wednesday, head coach Brent Brennan announced that sophomore offensive lineman Raymond Pulido will be out for the 2024 season.
Reporters in Tucson noticed that Pulido was not present at practice on Wednesday, raising some intrigue regarding his status for fall camp and the season. When asked after practice, Brennan confirmed, stating “Raymond Pulido is going to be unavailable this season”, but did not disclose details. Jason Scheer of WildcatAuthority reported that Pulido’s absence is “not football related or specific to Arizona football.”
Pulido, a former four-star recruit who flipped his commitment from Alabama to Arizona, appeared in six games last season, including five starts. Many expected him to be the starting left tackle this season after the Green Bay Packers selected Jordan Morgan in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Brent Brennan said personnel decisions for the offensive line, including if moving Jonah Savaiinaea to left tackle, will largely be handled by offensive line coach Josh Oglesby.
“Honestly a huge part of that is I trust coach Oglesby to make those determinations. There are some times where we’ll have a discussion with me and the offensive staff and it’ll go back and forth, but I have an incredible amount of faith in Big Josh. So, if he thinks it’s a good way to start, then let’s see how it looks for a day or two, and if it doesn’t look good, like, hey man, we need to come up with something different. I think we all know what a good player Big Jonah is and so I think he could play anywhere.”
The Wildcats will now have three returners on the offensive line, including left guard Wendell Moe, center Josh Baker, and right tackle Jonah Savaiinaea. As the coaching staff explores next steps, redshirt freshman Rhino Tapa’atoutai earned first-team reps, while Oregon transfer Michael Wooten, lined up with the second-team on Wednesday.
Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita added that guys like Tapa’atoutai and Wooten “are doing a great job and they’ve done it all summer.”
“I know Coach O is going to get them right. Coach O is a fantastic coach. We’ve got some good candidates at that spot. That’s the best part about football – competition. Just building that trust, building that camaraderie, and the biggest part, whoever it is, they know that we trust them and we believe in them. Confidence goes a long way. We always talk about the culture and the family, and we expect it to shine through once again.”