Arizona All-Quarter-Century Team: Defensive Line

Arizona football has entered its bye-week, which means we will be putting together our Arizona Wildcats On SI All-Quarter Century Team.

December 5, 2009; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Arizona Wildcats defensive end Brooks Reed (42), defensive end Ricky Elmore (44) and linebacker Vuna Tuihalamaka (8) celebrate after winning 21-14 against the Southern California Trojans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

So far in the Brent Brennan era of Arizona football, the Wildcats have had their struggles on the road with four-straight losses dating back to last year. UA has lost those games by an average of 28 points and have fallen behind by double-digits in all four games.

Arizona (4-3, 1-3 Big 12) was able to get things going early by striking quickly as quarterback Noah Fifita hit receiver Tre Spivey for a 70-yard touchdown pass, which seemed to set the tone early for the offense.

Oct 18, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Arizona Wildcats quarterback Noah Fifita (1) throws the ball during the first quarter against the Houston Cougars at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Despite the fast start, Arizona found itself trailing 21-14 to Houston (6-1-,3-1) at the half thanks to defensive struggles in the second quarter. And once again, the Wildcats lost the middle eight of the game, which resulted in a Cougars 31-28 win over the Wildcats.

Although Arizona fell on Saturday against Houston and has lost two-straight games, the program is clearly moving in the right direction and has improved drastically from a season ago.

Nov. 28, 2009; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona Wildcats defensive end Ricky Elmore against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium. Arizona defeated Arizona State 20-17. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Now with the Wildcats in the bye-week, we at Arizona Wildcats On SI have decided to roll out our All-Quarter-Century Team breaking down the top players at every position over the last 25 years of Arizona football.

Today we are taking a look at what the starting defensive line would be over the last 25 years with one player at each position.

Starting Defensive Line

DE: Ricky Elmore (2007-10)

• During his time on campus, defensive end Ricky Elmore was part of one of the best defensive lines in program history and was named an All-Pac-10 Team player in his senior season.

• While in Tucson, Elmore finished No. 2 all-time in sacks racking up 25 ½ for his career as part of a stout defensive unit.

• Although he didn’t get the accolades that others in Arizona history received, Elmore was the leading sack getter on a star studded defensive unit and line.

DT: Kyon Barrs (2019-22)

• While playing for Arizona, Barrs established himself as one of the top defensive linemen in the Pac-12 and was able to make the Second Team All-Pac-12 list in his third season with the program.

Dec 11, 2020; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats defensive tackle Kyon Barrs (92) against the Arizona State Sun Devils during the Territorial Cup at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

• The Wildcats, the 6-foot-2, 290-pound defensive tackle racked up 102 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and five sacks in 51 games for Arizona.

DT: Earl Mitchell (2006-09)

• One of the best position changes in recent history for Arizona belongs to defensive tackle Earl Mitchell, who went from fullback to starting on the defensive line. Although Mitchell had success in the backfield with a memorable touchdown reception in 2007 against Oregon.

• However, Mitchell found his calling on the defensive line where he became one of the most important pieces of the Wildcats’ 2009 defensive line. While with Arizona, he played in 25 games on the defensive line totaling 88 tackles, 50 solo tackles, 18 tackles for loss and eight sacks.

DE: Brooks Reed (2007-10)

• Coming out of Sabino High School as a running back, defensive end Brooks Reed had a lot of developing to do before becoming a steady force on the Wildcats’ defense for defensive coordinator Mark Stoops.

• However, Reed turned into one of the better defensive linemen in the Pac-10 earning a spot on the All-Pac-10 Team in 2010 when he was elected team captain by his teammates in his senior season.

• In all, Reed finished with 114 career tackles to go along with 17 sacks and 28 tackles for loss. After Arizona, he was drafted by the Houston Texans in the second round with the No. 42 overall pick.

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