Arizona Freshmen Fans Should Keep an Eye on in 2025

The Arizona Wildcats are stacked with returning players and transfers. Amongst the list of veterans are incoming freshmen with goals of earning starting spots themselves.

Oct 5, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats helmet gets picked before the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

The Arizona Wildcats football team face a very tall task in returning its defense back into the  hard-nosed unit that shook opponents years before.

During the 2024 season, Arizona gave up 31.8 points per game, making it the 13th ranked scoring defense out of 16 teams.

 The Wildcats also relinquished 175.3 rushing yards per game, putting them at 14th in the Big 12. 239 passing yards were surrendered to put them at No. 12. By the end of the 2024 season, Brent Brennan’s first year was a forgettable one that was concluded with a 4-8 record.

This was a large falloff from the 2023 season where Arizona finished with a 10-3 record and an Alamo bowl victory.

Arizona has much to improve on before the start of the season in August but it is headed in the right direction with the promotion of Danny Gonzales from linebackers coach to defensive coordinator and the hiring of Joe Salave’a as a defensive line coach.

The Wildcats have landed 23 defensive players in hopes of bolstering that side of the ball. That is largely due to the recruitment efforts of the new staff that Brennan has brought in.

Here is a look at three incoming freshmen that might make an impact in the 2025 season.

1. Dajon Hinton

A standout player on both offense and defense with ties to the Wildcats through his father David Hinton, Dajon was sought after by 15 colleges including Arizona.

As a three-star recruit and a top-10 cornerback according to 247 Sports and Rivals, he decided to sign with the Wildcats in December on the defensive side of the ball.

At 5-foot-10, 175-pounds, Hinton could make an impression when he is able to touch the field. The San Diego product faces a deep depth chart when it comes to the cornerback room as a freshman.

Despite the large number of defensive backs, he could still see some time on the field given his athleticism and technique

In his high school career, Hinton brought back two kick returns for touchdowns, notching 103 combined yards on the stat sheet, meaning that perhaps fans could see him making plays on special teams.

2. Eduwa Okundaye

A top 200 player and 90th ranked edge rusher in the state of Texas, Eduwa Okundaye is looking to make a big splash in his first season with Arizona.

The three-star recruit signed his letter of intent on December 20, 2023 and later enrolled on August 6, 2024.

While on the varsity lineup for three seasons at Tompkins High School, Okundaye made 117 tackles, 21 tackles for a loss, 12 sacks and two forced fumbles.

The 6-foot-2, 237-pound Okundaye is shifty coming off the edge and possesses a ton of power that gives offensive tackles many problems.

Okundaye should be able to see quite a bit of playtime in the 2025 season on either side of the edge.

He will have plenty to learn as a redshirt freshman but has great mentors in Tre Smith at right defensive end and Dominic Loleslo on the left side.

3. Kaleb Jones

A three-star recruit out of Phoenix, AZ, Kaleb Jones is a hard hitting, relentless defensive lineman that fits what the Wildcats were looking for at that position.

Coming out of Mountain Pointe High School, Jones is rated as the 25th best player in Arizona, the 214th best at defensive line in the country according to 247 Sports. On the composite list, he is ranked No. 21 in Arizona and 172 on the line.

His junior season was where he broke out as a player with legitimate potential at the collegiate level, boasting 30 solo tackles, 45 total, with 18.5 tackles for a loss and 7.5 sacks in 11 games played.

Jones played eight games in his senior season, totaling 21 solo tackles, nine assisted, with five tackles for a loss with three sacks.

At 6-foot-1, 275-pounds, Jones brings a copious amount of both athleticism and power to the trenches.

His ability to stop the run and rush the quarterback makes him a solid player in Duane Akina’s scheme.

Jones has a plethora of mentors in Tiaoalli Savea, Deshawn McKnight, Leroy Palu, Jarra Anderson and others to guide him into becoming a standout lineman in college football. He should have no trouble in taking advantage of the snaps that come his way.

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