Arizona has released its first depth of the season that you can see by clicking on the image above. There are certainly a lot of newcomers that are represented and even a couple surprises. Some of the most notable moves the staff has kept under wraps a bit especially with limited media viewing opportunities this fall. Here is a full rundown of my thoughts on what the depth chart looks like for the first game plus who could actually see the field based on what the staff is saying publicly right now.
Offense
> I'll start with the newcomers who made the depth chart since some of the names are not surprising while some others where not necessarily expected to be on the list at this stage. Freshmen receivers Dyelan Miller (3rd slot) and Ma'jon Wright (2nd wideout) both made the list after being talked about quite a bit during fall practices. Both missed some time at the beginning of the fall but made enough progress to earn a spot on the depth chart. I'd expect both to see the field at some point this Saturday especially with Wright beating out a veteran like Thomas Reid III for the backup wide receiver spot behind Brian Casteel.
Freshman Jalen John also made the running back list, which is another non-surprise. He is another newcomers who has been talked about a lot throughout the fall. He's listed last on the depth chart, but there are "ORs" separating all the running backs. I would expect him to see the field this week as well considering Frank Brown is out with a knee injury. Brown, another freshman, did not make the depth chart because of his injury.
Freshman quarterback Will Plummer made the depth chart and he is also at the bottom, but there are "ORs" separating each of the backup quarterbacks as well with no clarification on who will be the backup. Though, Rhett Rodriguez is listed at the top of the list behind Grant Gunnell for whatever that is worth.
Tight end Stacey Marshall jumped ahead of Zach Williams on the tight end list in his first season with the Wildcats as he will be the primary backup to senior Bryce Wolma. Marshall, a junior college transfer, has impressive size and gives the staff some flexibility since he is an impressive blocker already.
One of the most notable surprises on the offensive side is the addition of Sam Langi, another junior college transfer. Not much has been said about him publicly, but there has been some positive buzz about him behind the scenes and he is going to serve as Jordan Morgan's primary backup at the left tackle position. However, if Morgan does get injured or has to sit out for any extended period of time I still believe the staff would ultimately kick Donovan Laie back out there to his natural position.
> Of the most intriguing elements of the depth chart on offense is the center position. Everything has continued to point to someone else being the starting center for Arizona this weekend as redshirt senior Josh McCauley has battled a knee injury this preseason. McCauley is listed as the starter for Saturday's game, but I wouldn't necessarily think of that as being 100% truthful at this stage. It still sounds as though someone else will be starting and the player who could end up getting that job is not even listed on the depth chart this week. Freshman lineman Josh Baker has certainly made some waves this fall and the word has been that he is in contention to start the game. UA could end up getting some cold feet and just go with redshirt senior Steven Bailey, who is listed as McCauley's backup and has experience, but I would actually be a little surprised if it is not the freshman come Saturday.
> No real shock here, but sophomore receiver Boobie Curry has moved into one of the starting wide receiver positions to open the season. He has been talked about quite a bit this fall due to his development over the offseason and pure talent. He obviously has a strong connection with Grant Gunnell that will help both players, but the staff likes what he brings to the field and is going with him over some veteran players as he will be backed up by Drew Dixon and Stanley Berryhill III on the outside.
> Jamarye Joiner is listed as the starter at the slot receiver position and that is not a surprise, but as of now there is a good chance he does not see the field this Saturday because of a non-injury situation that he is working through. Kevin Sumlin gave a strange answer about Joiner during his press conference yesterday and right now it is more likely than not that he is forced to sit out the opener. Assuming that is the case then senior inside receiver Tayvian Cunningham will take his spot in the starting lineup.
Defense
> Defensively there are a lot of things to discuss, but I'll start with the middle linebacker position. The Wildcats are going to have to replace a lot of production at the inside linebacker spots and that includes making up for the loss of middle linebacker Colin Schooler. UA will turn to a true freshman as Derick "DJ" Mourning has been listed as the starting middle linebacker for Saturday's game. Walk-on linebacker Parker Henley, a redshirt junior, will serve as the backup to UA's freshman MIKE. Mourning has great size and aggressiveness but obviously he lacks experience. Anthony Pandy is going to help him out quite a bit from commanding the defense, but that is still a big job for a freshman.
Rourke Freeburg is the other walk-on player who made the depth chart as he will back up redshirt freshman Kwabena Watson at the SAM linebacker position. Watson will be making his first career start this Saturday. Meanwhile, sophomore Derrion Clark will back up Anthony Pandy at the WILL position while redshirt sophomore Issaiah Johnson will back up Jalen Harris at the newly-named BUCK linebacker spot.
> Up front is where things really get interesting as two newcomers have beat out the rest of UA's defensive linemen to earn starting jobs. New Mexico grad transfer Aaron Blackwell is going to be Arizona's starting defensive end Saturday while New Mexico State grad transfer Roy Lopez will get the start at nose for the Wildcats. Sophomore Kyon Barrs, in a bit of a surprise, will get the start at tackle ahead of Mykee Irving and freshman Dion Wilson Jr. Barrs was impressive last season and was always going to be part of the rotation this year it was just a matter of the staff deciding to lean on its veteran group more. Instead, the staff is putting its best players on the field regardless of how they exactly fit and Barrs will get his chance to start at his natural position with Blackwell moving to the outside.
It was clear when speaking with Stan Eggen earlier the preseason that Trevon Mason had some work to do even after the season he had in 2019. That proved to be true as he has lost his starting role and will back up Blackwell at defensive end. Freshman Paris Shand is the third player on the list at that position.
Senior defensive lineman Myles Tapusoa will back up Lopez while freshman Regen Terry will be the third nose this season. Terry was thought to be more of a defensive end coming out of high school, but he showed up to Arizona heavier than expected making the decision to move him inside an easier one. He actually has a better game for an inside position and now that he has improved his size it actually should work out better for him.
> In the secondary there weren't a ton of surprises, but one thing that is a bit of a surprise is Jaxen Turner earning the starting job at strong safety. The sophomore was impressive before injuring his shoulder last year, but there has not been a lot of buzz about him this fall. He beat out junior Christian Young for the job. I like Turner as a playmaking athlete and figured he'd be on the field in some capacity, but there had not been a lot of talk about him starting.
Meanwhile, UA has named co-starters at the free safety position. It sounds like the staff likes the leadership of Redshirt senior Jarrius Wallace but the talent and potential production of Rhedi Short. Both are listed as starters for Saturday's game so it will be interesting to see who the staff decides to use more. I would imagine at this stage both see quite a bit of playing time this weekend. Newcomer Isaiah Mays will serve as the third free safety.
Lorenzo Burns and Christian Roland-Wallace will again start at cornerback for the Wildcats at a position that has plenty of stability. Malik Hausman and McKenzie Barnes are listed as co-backups at the the position behind Roland-Wallace while sophomore Bobby Wolfe will serve as the backup for Burns, who is heading into his fourth season as a starter for UA.
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