Arizona's Josh Bringuel 'Impressed' With What LB Group Brings
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In just one week, the Arizona Wildcats spring football training camp will come to a close, and the team will await the start of summer practices. Although Arizona is not yet in full pads, one group has already begun tackling drills, preparing for the physicality of the game.
Arizona's linebacker group, led by coach Josh Bringuel, is looking lean and mean through training camp, thanks in large part to the coaching and guidance of their coach. Before the start of last season, Bringuel was mentioned on the 30 under 30 list of young coaches to watch for.
Bringuel was a linebacker for San Diego State. After his football career was over, he decided the field was still his calling and began coaching. Bringuel's creative mind led to the Red Rover play, a play in which Arizona's linebackers interlock hands just before the snap. It is designed to confuse the offense and keep it guessing on who is blitzing and who is dropping under coverage.
Veteran Linebackers Returning to Arizona
Bringuel has the benefit of having two linebackers return to the team to help lead the Wildcats into another successful season on defense. Taye Brown and Chase Kennedy were relentless throughout the season and have only added to their skill set.
Brown is a fierce linebacker, anchoring the group as the middle linebacker and playing with a physical, aggressive style. He started all 13 games and finished the season second in tackles with 93. Kennedy appeared in all 13 games and made seven starts. During that time, he amassed 42 tackles with eight of those in the backfield. Both players have become vocal leaders of the group, and Bringuel took notice.
"You'll see Chase more vocal one period, maybe Taye the other and doing it different ways because there's no one way to lead," Bringuel said. "You have to find your voice, just like there's no one way to coach. You have to coach the way you are. They have to lead the way they are..."
"I've been really impressed by how much they've stepped into that role and taken it on. It's exciting for them because they want that opportunity for them to lead the way. Modeling the behavior and then pulling everybody along when it's not right and challenging each other."
Arizona's New Batch of Linebackers
The Wildcats have lost two key pieces in the linebacker rotation in Max Harris and Riley Wilson. While the two hard-hitting defenders have left the program after their senior years, Arizona has added several newcomers looking to challenge for significant playing time.
Two players in particular have demonstrated the skills needed to be fierce linebackers at the collegiate level. Everett Roussaw, out of Memphis, and Cooper Blomstrom from Georgetown are two seniors who are new to the team, but by no means unfamiliar with college football.
New LB in town 🏜️ @CooperBlomstrom pic.twitter.com/Z0nGEPhlKR
— Arizona Football (@ArizonaFBall) January 6, 2026
Both linebackers have displayed exceptional skills that have caught Bringuel's attention. The two seniors bring plenty of experience from their previous schools and can benefit the linebacker room exponentially.
"Initially, them coming in, it's the adjustment period," Bringuel said. "It's new, different part of the country, different process, different team, getting to know everybody and they did a fantastic job this winter putting in the work where seniors, older guys that have already matured and developed a lot in the weight room, but still said, 'I can get more. I can develop more. I can get more flexible. I can get more mobile, I can get stronger,' all these different things."
"They earned a ton of respect in that regard. So, then them stepping on the field, their maturity to come in, meet with me extra, make sure that they know what to do. Well, now it's just go play football."
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Nathaniel Martinez and a set of shoulder pads at 7 years old. He later graduated from Pima Community College in 2023, where he began writing for the Pima Post. He is working to achieve a Bachelor’s in Mass Communication and Media Studies.