Arizona did not have any players selected to either of the Pac-12's All-Conference teams Thursday, but two players did receive honorable mention nods. Redshirt senior cornerback Lorenzo Burns and junior offensive lineman Donovan Laie both earned enough votes from the media to be added to the list.
Both players will be key for the Wildcats this season and at one point there was some uncertainty about whether both would end up playing for UA this year. Burns mentioned last month that he thought about the potential of leaving school and entering his name into consideration for the NFL Draft.
Ultimately after a conversation with his family he decided to return to Tucson for one last season.
Laie briefly entered the NCAA's transfer portal ahead of training camp citing a desire to return closer to home in California, but he pulled his name out after just a couple days and decided to return to Arizona.
He is the team's top NFL prospect, so his return was important as the Wildcats make the transition to an offense led full time by sophomore quarterback Grant Gunnell. Laie played the most snaps for Arizona last season, and the second player on that list was not even close as center Josh McCauley played 200 fewer snaps than his fellow lineman.
Burns had an impressive season for the Wildcats in 2019 as he was named the team's defensive MVP after collecting 47 tackles and four interceptions to go along with 11 pass breakups. The California native earned an honorable mention nod from the conference at the end of last season as well.
He is the team's top returning player when it comes to snaps played and was picked as one of UA's captains for the upcoming season.
"I think we can be dominant," Burns said this week about Arizona's defense. "It's a mindset, you know? That goes for any defense. Any team, really. You can have an underdog in any conference, any league it's just how your mindset is shaped as a defense and as a team. I think that right now we believe we can go out and be a dominant defense, a dominant team in the Pac-12.
"... We're not gonna allow anybody to change our mindset – fans, reports or even the other team on the football field. When something goes wrong we're gonna stay confident in ourselves."
Arizona is the lone team to not have any players selected to either first or second teams this year. Running back JJ Taylor and linebacker Colin Schooler represented the team on the preseason list last year.
Burns and Laie received votes from at least four members of the media to be included on the honorable mention list.
Click here to view the entire preseason All-Pac-12 selections.
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