The 2022 season saw a good mix of veteran and younger players producing in Arizona's linebacker room.

The Wildcats were led by Jerry Roberts who finished the season No. 2 on the team with 78 tackles. It was not just his production that made a huge difference for the Wildcats defense, but also his veteran leadership on the field. Roberts announced earlier this month that he will be returning for another season, which will be big for the Wildcats' defense next season.

The biggest bright spot of this past season for the Wildcats linebacker room was Jacob Manu, who was arguably one of the best overall defenders for Arizona over the back half of the season. He finished the season fifth on the team in tackles and that was after he hardly saw the field early in the year.

Manu's breakout performance came against Washington in October when he recorded his first of two double digit tackle performances on the season. One of the reasons why he did not see the field much early in the season was because he got to Arizona later than the other freshman.