Danny Gonzales believes Jacob Manu is the best linebacker in the Big 12, an opinion he is always willing to share. Even if it means tacking it on to the end of his response to a question about the punting competition, as was the case following Tuesday’s practice.
Manu’s role as Arizona’s defensive leader—and, consequently, the one who will have the coach-to-player communication in his helmet—is not a concern for Gonzales, who is coaching the Wildcats’ linebackers and special teams units this season. It’s who will play next to Manu that has been his focus during preseason camp.
“We’re going to have a rotation,” Gonzales said. “I think we’re making progress in establishing some depth, something that I was very concerned about coming out of spring.”
While Manu started all 13 games at Will linebacker in 2023, and his 845 snaps were most of any player on defense, the Mike LB spot was a bit of a revolving door. Justin Flowe and Daniel Heimuli each started four times, with Kamuela Ka’aihue starting against ASU in the Territorial Cup, but the other four times it was Martell Irby in that spot as the UA started six defensive backs including in the Alamo Bowl against Oklahoma.
Gonzales declared sophomore Taye Brown as the starting Mike prior to camp, and that’s probably going to be the case for the season opener Aug. 31 against New Mexico.
“It’s definitely an honor to earn his respect and for me to go out there and get that starting job,” said Brown, who had six tackles in 13 games in 2023 as a reserve linebacker and special teams contributor. “I’ll still just keep working and keep grinding every day. Because people behind me, they’re always just trying to work to get that starting spot.”
But Brown won’t be on the field every play, and even Manu will need a break every now and then (even though he sat for just 60 defensive snaps last year). Topping the list of backups is Ka’aihue, who had 15 tackles last season, but he was out Tuesday due to an ankle injury according to Gonzales.
That opened the door for redshirt freshman Leviticus Su’a, who did not see action in 2023, to get a shot with the 1st team alongside Brown while Manu sat out the live periods.
“Jacob Manu’s not gonna scrimmage a whole lot, because he’s played a ton of football,” Gonzales said. “He’s gotta be healthy for us to to win a bunch of football games. When he’s not (on the field), we need to find the next man up to do that, and that was part of the deal.”
Su’a teamed up with defensive lineman Keanu Mailoto one a tackle for loss in a red zone period and overall had a strong practice. Getting a chance to show that kind of effort was one of the reasons he didn’t consider transferring following Jedd Fisch’s departure in January.
“I felt like it would be wrong for new people to come in and just leave, not give them a chance,” said Su’a, a 4-star prospect from the 2023 recruiting class. “Spring ball hit and I just started working. Today was a big opportunity to work with Taye and I felt that our defense improved.”
Also in the rotation conversation are Flowe, who Gonzales says has “some unique skills that we’ve got to find ways to use,” and Jared Small, an 8th-year senior who spent last season at Tulane and arrived on campus the first week of training camp.
Flowe, Small and Su’a all figure to have prominent roles on special teams, particularly on return and coverage units. Su’a said a recent talk given to the team by former Washington head coach Chris Peterson drove home to him the importance of making the most of any chances you get.
“Just going all out, knowing my role on the team,” he said. “Tonight the opportunity presented itself and I went out there. I made some mistakes, definitely, but I felt like I was going full speed.”
