Arizona's Oglesby Talks Benefits of Experienced Offensive Line
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Just four weeks into spring football practice, the Arizona Wildcats have already begun to shape into a cohesive unit looking to carry over the momentum from the 2025 season's 9-4 finish.
One group in particular, the offensive line, is beginning to take form and is benefiting greatly from both a solid squad of returnees and newcomers who are eager to prove that they are worthy of competing at the college level.
Offensive line coach/run game coordinator Josh Oglesby has overseen the entire process throughout this training camp and has taken all the necessary steps to get the best out of his players. It is Oglesby's third season as the Wildcats' coach, and he has proven to be a right fit for the job, bringing over a decade of coaching experience and familiarity with head coach Brent Brennan and the way he wants things done.
Oglesby began his coaching career at Wisconsin as a graduate assistant from 2013 to 2014, and later moved on to Oregon State, where he served as an offensive quality control coach on the offensive line from 2015 to 2017. He served in the same position at the University of Texas at El Paso in 2018.
After spending 2019 in both the AAF and the XFL, he returned to the collegiate level, coaching the Spartans from 2020 to 2023, until his eventual hiring in 2024. Oglesby and the Wildcats offense as a whole are in a good spot, as Arizona will have four returning players who have had quality snaps under Seth Doege's up-tempo offensive scheme.
The offensive line is perhaps one of the deepest squads for Arizona this year, and Oglesby knows that. As spring practice progresses, that group will only continue to flourish.
Offensive Tackle Has Most Depth
The Wildcats may have lost Ty Buchanan after he competed for Arizona in his final year of eligibility, but the line will return sixth-year senior Tristan Bounds and redshirt freshman Matthew Lado, two key players in Oglesby's group.
Bounds started at right tackle for the majority of the season until he suffered a season-ending leg injury against Cincinnati. Bounds has not participated in the spring, but should be ready by the time summer camp begins
"For all the things that Tristan is, the biggest part is the experience that he brings back with not having to break someone in completely new at that position," Oglesby said. "The experiences that he brought with him from his previous school, as well as the things that he learned and took from this past season, has been invaluable for the room and for him."
Lado stepped in for Buchanan when he was sidelined with an injury. After the win that made Arizona bowl eligible, the Glendale Apollo High School star stepped in for Bounds and showed he is ready to compete at the collegiate level.
"For him [Lado], having the opportunity to be in those games and be in the mix and be a part of like meaningful games and meaningful wins, has just caused his confidence to explode," Oglesby said. "The offseason that he's had in the weight room, so now the strength is matching the confidence. He is super exciting to watch."
Moving Rhino to the Inside
One of the more surprising moves this offseason was the repositioning of Rhino Tapa'atoutai from tackle to guard, a spot Oglesby feels he can excel at. Tapa'atotai started six games for the Wildcats at tackle in 2024, but his season was cut short after tearing his ACL against Utah.
The 6-foot-5, 317-pound redshirt junior played swing tackle in 2025, but was not able to secure the starting job back. Now, he will be alongside Alexander Doost to make a big interior designed to do serious damage.
"Him [Tapa'atoutai] moving inside is beneficial not only for him but for us as a unit and as a team," Oglesby said. "I think the opportunity to be a little bit more in close space lets him use his violence and physicality a little bit more on the inside...I do think prototypical guard is kind of awesome for him, because of the way he plays, the mentality, all that type of stuff. I just think it's a little bit better fit for him there."
Arizona's Veterans Bringing Up the Newcomers
The number of returning players on the offensive line will be a great benefit for Arizona as the season progresses further. Not only is it an advantage on the field, but it is also a great help in teaching the younger players the culture and Redline mentality.
Nathan Hale, out of San Jose State, and Jake Griffin, from BYU, were both added from the transfer portal, while Louis Akpa and Jaxon Griffin were redshirted as freshmen last season. All four players are valuable pieces to the team and make up "One of the deepest tackle situations I’ve been a part of in a long time,” according to Olgesby. He continued, "We are very deep at tackle. It’s one of those things where you look up and are like, 'How did that happen?'”
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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.