Arizona senior defensive lineman JB Brown is not expected to play in any other games this season according to Jedd Fisch. The Wildcats head coach made the announcement Thursday during his final press conference before the team heads to Boulder to face Colorado this Saturday.

Brown did not play in UA's loss to UCLA over the weekend and was removed from the team's most recent depth chart. Monday, Fisch said Brown was held out of the game to deal with a "personal" matter before telling reporters Thursday that the senior from California will no longer be playing in games this year.

"JB's not gonna be with us for the games," Fisch said. "It will enable him to, most likely, have another year of eligibility to be able to help us as he's working through some other things."

Brown has been a regular contributor for the Wildcats since his sophomore year, but he sat out the shortened 2020 season before returning to the team for spring ball earlier this year.

Because has not used his redshirt, Brown should be able to qualify for an extra season of eligibility since he did not play in more than four games this year.

He made three starts this season and racked up eight tackles and two tackles for loss in his four appearances.

Overall, Brown has 61 tackles, 14 1/2 tackles for loss and 6 1/2 sacks in his career with the Wildcats. He's made 17 starts during his time at Arizona.

Brown, who became a father this summer, believes he gained value from working on his own last year preparing him for the remainder of his career with the Wildcats.

"I feel like I was more of a student of the game and soaking up a lot of knowledge,"

Brown was featured at the "anchor" position in defensive coordinator Don Brown's defense allowing him to utilize his pass rushing skills as an edge player in the scheme.

Central Michigan transfer Mo Diallo and second-year freshman Paris Shand will move into the top two spots on the depth chart with Brown now finished playing this season.

On the other side of the line, Arizona could be without another one of its starters. Starting right guard Josh Donovan's status remains uncertain at this point with Fisch saying whether or not the redshirt junior plays will be a "game-time decision."

Donovan injured his leg in Saturday's loss to UCLA, but Fisch does expect him to be ready for this weekend's game against the Buffaloes.

"Should be fine, should be fine," Fisch said Thursday. "But, we have Josh Baker as well available, so both of those guys will be available to go I would believe on Saturday."

Donovan has been a starter for the Wildcats along the offensive line since the final two games of 2020. He has started all five games this season for the Wildcats with four starts at right guard and one start at left guard.

Baker made one start at right guard this season in the opener against BYU when left tackle Jordan Morgan missed time because of an injury forcing UA to shuffle its group up front.

As Arizona prepares to face Colorado without its previous starting quarterback, Jordan McCloud will now begin the road to recovery after having surgery. The UA signal caller posted a message on social media acknowledging his surgery and expressing his excitement for getting back on the field next season.

McCloud, who transferred to Arizona from South Florida, moved up the depth chart this season to earn the starting job by the time the Oregon game arrived. However, he suffered season-ending injuries to his knee and ankle in Saturday's loss to UCLA.

The play resulted in a sack and turnover for the Wildcats, but McCloud's injury overshadowed the end result for Arizona.

Arizona will now turn to its original starting quarterback, Gunner Cruz, who finished the game against the Bruins after McCloud's injury. After a solid start against BYU, the Washington State transfer struggled against San Diego State before the Wildcats turned the offense over to sophomore Will Plummer and ultimately McCloud.

"I think that there are certain things that you can't do with one versus the other or you avoid to do," Fisch said Thursday about the changes to the offense with Cruz on the field instead of McCloud. "You avoid asking one guy to not play to their strengths. Jordan is I would say a very good ball distributor. Kind of like a point guard. That's kinda what you are looking for when you're developing that quarterback position.

"Gunner is more of a big, strong downfield passer. So, what we've gotta work on is making sure that we're able to do it all."

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