There were plenty of questions about the Arizona defense heading into the spring. Defensive coordinator Don Brown is coming from a program at Michigan that has been used to a higher level of talent over the years. The Wildcats had some presumed depth issues across the board, and it was not quite clear how Brown's aggressive defense would work out with a thinned out group.

Arizona's defensive players responded by having a solid showing over the course of the 15 spring practices. By head coach Jedd Fisch's own admission the defense was ahead of the offense during the spring.

There is a long way still to go for that group, but there were certainly several bright spots to pick from when determining the top performers. We decided to stick with the same number (five) that we used for our breakdown of the offensive side of the ball, but this list certainly could have been 10 players long.

How it went: He looks the part, he has experience and he simply makes plays. Sophomore cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace has truly started to come into his own coming off his second season with the Wildcats. This spring he showcased his ability to make big plays as he had numerous interceptions and pass breakups over the course of 15 practices. He was the only player to twice earn a spot on Brown's weekly "Desert Dude" list that went to the top performers each week throughout the spring. His physical play and ability to cover is something the team will need in the new scheme as there will be more responsibility on the secondary players to play in man coverage more often. It is not a stretch to say that Roland-Wallace is one of the top five most talented players on the team this season, and he showed why during the spring.

What they said: "I think he's an all-around corner. I think he can play press. He can play off. He can play all the zones. So, all we're trying to do is just detail with all those different techniques within the coverages that we play." – Cornerbacks coach DeWayne Walker on Roland-Wallace