Arizona Football Talk: Depth Chart Breakdown

Welcome! To another edition of the Arizona Wildcats Insiders Podcast featuring your host Troy Hutchison, who will be delivering a daily podcast discussing everything happening surrounding Arizona athletics giving you an inside look at all the programs on campus.

Hutchison has been covering Arizona for the last seven years with his coverage spanning all across UA’s campus from football and men’s basketball to Title IX sports. Plus, with so many former Wildcats playing at the next level in their respective sports there will be moments where he will take a deep dive into the Cats excelling outside of Tucson.

Arizona wanted to get back on the right track after an underwhelming first season under Brent Brennan, where the team finished 4-8 and missed a bowl game despite preseason high expectations.

Well, after changes were made to the coaching staff and the roster, Brennan seems to have the Wildcats moving in the right direction with the team starting the year with 3-straight impressive wins over Hawaii, Weber State and Kansas State.

Aug 30, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Tre Spivey (12) catches the ball while Hawaii Rainbow Warriors defensive back Elijah Palmer (4) fails to intercept during the first quarter of the game at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

On the offensive side of the ball, Brennan brought in coordinator Seth Doege to fix the issues from a season ago, where the team averaged 21.8 PPG. However, if you take a deeper dive into the offense, the unit struggled to crack 20-plus points if you take out the New Mexico game, where the Wildcats dropped 61 points on the Lobos.

When you take that game out of the equation, Arizona averaged 18.2 PPG, putting the unit near the bottom of the conference.

So far in three games, Arizona is averaging 37 PPG which places the Wildcats at No. 37 nationally.

Meanwhile on the defensive side of the ball, Brennan promoted Danny Gonzales to defensive coordinator where he has mixed up the scheme and has brought a new aggression to his unit.

Aug 30, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats defensive back Genesis Smith (12) blocks Hawaii Rainbow Warriors running back Cam Barfield (0) from a touchdown catch during the first quarter at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

In three games, the Wildcats have held opponents to 8.7 PPG, which places them at No. 10 nationally. Arizona has only allowed two touchdowns all season, with both coming against Kansas State in the last game.

Now, Arizona gets ready for a game against No. 14 Iowa State following the bye-week with a Saturday night 4 p.m. (MST) kickoff time on ESPN.

Ahead of the matchup with Iowa State, the Wildcats released their four-depth chart of the season with not very many changes. However, there were a few things that were rearranged, and we at Arizona Wildcats On SI have broken down the three things that stand out to us about the chart.

Three Observations

Sep 7, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats defensive lineman Chubba Ma'ae (92) goes in to tackle Northern Arizona Lumberjack running back Darvon Hubbard (23) during fourth quarter at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Left Guard

So far this season, Michael Wooten has been the main starting guard for the Wildcats and has played solid football showing his progression since coming to campus. However, on the latest depth chart, Chubba Ma’ae was listed as the co-starter and as the top name at the position.

Ma’ae moved from defensive tackle to guard during the offseason and is starting to progress at a fast rate for someone that hasn’t played on the offensive line in quite some time.

Punter

One of the issues that the Wildcats have seen so far this season have come on special teams with a muffed punt, blocked punt and a few missed field goals. One player on the special teams unit that has done double the work load is punter Michael Salgado-Medina, who has punting and field goal kicking duties.

The process of the punts has been a little slow for Arizona and has led to the one blocked punt and a couple of close calls that Salgado-Medina has been able to get the punts off under pressure.

Aug 30, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats defensive lineman Tre Smith (3) tackles Hawaii Rainbow Warriors quarterback Micah Alejado (12) during the third quarter of the game at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

With Isaac Lovison on the roster as the backup punter and having a great training camp there was a chance the Wildcats named him the starter to take some pressure off of Salgado-Medina, However, that didn’t happen and Arizona will roll with the opening night starter.

Edge Rusher

Arizona has mixed things up on the defensive line and has seen multiple different combinations with guys coming on and off the field. Still, when looking at the side opposite of Tre Smith, the Wildcats have Dominic Lolesio in as the starter.

When you see who has been having the most impact for the team, it has been transfer rusher Malachi Bailey, who has turned things up after a slow start to training camp.

Please be sure to share your thoughts on our three observations from the Wildcats’ Week 5 depth chart. To do so, follow us on our X account by clicking on the link.