In the first part of our preseason mailbag we addressed some of the more general questions regarding Arizona's football program heading into the seven-game fall season. In the second part we will focus our attention on more specific questions asked by our GOAZCATS.com subscribers about the UA offense and defense.
Both sides of the ball are undergoing changes heading into the 2020 season with the offense moving to a new look with sophomore quarterback Grant Gunnell taking the helm full time. Meanwhile, the defense has gone through wholesale staff changes and will be under the watch of new coordinator Paul Rhoads. There have also been several departures on the defensive side of the ball including a few of the most productive players deciding to move on from the program.
We'll address those topics and more as senior editor Matt Moreno wraps up this edition of the GOAZCATS.com football mailbag.
DEFENSE
> Assuming we stay with a 3-4 defense, what does the depth chart look like going into the next six weeks?
I will use a graphic chart to help illustrate the answer to this questions, but there are still plenty of questions that have to be answered over the next several weeks when it comes to the depth chart. It is one that could see plenty of movement into the season when the staff actually has a better chance to see what types of players it has.
The first thing that still needs to be revealed is if the staff does stick with that 3-4 look that Rhoads began installing in the spring. If so the linebacker unit is going to be stretched thin and there will be no choice but to play some walk-on players at some point. Freshman linebacker Jabar Triplett not being healthy enough after offseason Achilles surgery certainly impacts the group, but it will be all hands on deck once the season gets underway at all four linebacker spots.
Only a couple members of the group have extensive experience and Kevin Sumlin recently said that young players will have to step up to make up for the losses at the position.
To me the next most intriguing position to pay attention to in the coming weeks will be the defensive line unit. There are a lot of options and not a lot of separation among those options. Trevon Mason was the most productive player up front last season and he will be in position to continue that, but beyond him there are some question marks about who could earn starting nods by the time the opener arrives.
Here's my take on what the depth chart would look like today based on what I have been able to gather at this stage plus we I was able to see during the spring.
