Analyzing Arizona Football's linebacker room ahead of the 2024 season
By Mason Duhon
After rolling out a linebacker corps 13 bodies deep last season, the new Brent Brennan- and Alonzo Carter-led brand of Arizona Football will continue to keep plenty of backers on the roster.
With nine players on the roster currently listed as linebackers and two incoming freshmen who will fall under that mantle, the Wildcats will have a wealth of roaming field-generals to back up entrenched starting studs Jacob Manu and Justin Flowe.
2023 Roster:
- Jacob Manu - Returned to Arizona
- Justin Flowe - Returned to Arizona
- Daniel Heimuli - Transferred to Georgia State
- Leviticus Su'a - Returned to Arizona
- Taye Brown - Returned to Arizona
- Kamuela Ka'aihue - Returned to Arizona
- Sterling Lane II - Returned to Arizona
- Tyler Mustain - Returned to Arizona
- Brandon Craddock - Returned to Arizona
- Dominic Hanger - Returned to Arizona
- Ammon Allen - Transferred to NAU
- Jeremy Mercier - Undrafted in the 2024 NFL Draft
- Anthony Ward - Transferred to Washington
2024 Projected roster:
- Jacob Manu - Returned to Arizona
- Justin Flowe - Returned to Arizona
- Leviticus Su'a - Returned to Arizona
- Taye Brown - Returned to Arizona
- Kamuela Ka'aihue - Returned to Arizona
- Sterling Lane II - Returned to Arizona
- Tyler Mustain - Returned to Arizona
- Brandon Craddock - Returned to Arizona
- Dominic Hanger - Returned to Arizona
- Stacy Bey - Incoming freshman
- Jabari Mann - Incoming freshman
There has been a recent youth movement at the position for Arizona. Everybody aside from Manu and Flowe, who are upperclassmen, is a redshirt sophomore or younger. With this youth comes inexperience, though, and defensive coordinator Duane Akina and linebackers coach Danny Gonzales will need to get the younger guys up to speed.
Jacob Manu (Junior) | 5'11" 225 lbs.
Manu is the heart and soul of the Arizona defense and has been since he set foot on the field. He was the most unheralded of the four Servite High School graduates to land at Arizona, but he was the most impactful of the bunch right away, leading all freshmen with 57 tackles.
In his sophomore season, he emerged as one of Arizona's most visible and well-disciplined players on defense. The former three-star recruit earned First Team All-Pac-12 honors after leading the conference with 116 total tackles, and tacked on 9.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks to boot — both good for second on the team.
He also notched an interception and three passes defended, flashing some downfield coverage ability as well. Manu and his counterpart in Flowe are the vocal leaders of this defense, and the sky is the limit for the third-year backer.
Justin Flowe (RS Junior) | 6'2" 225 lbs.
Flowe has come a long way from his days as a five-star recruit coming out of high school who was making headlines for his intimidating frame. His time at Oregon was racked with injuries, ultimately leading to his departure from Eugene, and Arizona pounced on the chance to land the athletic freak.
It's not often that a former consensus No. 1 positional recruit hits the field in Tucson, and the last coaching regime made sure Flowe saw field time. His 44 tackles were a career-high and he also added two TFLs, two pass breakups, a sack, and a fumble recovery to his stat line.
Flowe has been riding a moderate upward trajectory since his 2022 season at Oregon, and there's no reason to think he won't get even better in Year 2 wearing the Red and Blue. He's the team's token maniac, and his infectious energy will be a key cog in the attempted Desert Swarm revival.
Taye Brown (Sophomore) | 6'2" 230 lbs.
Brown isn't exactly a household name — even for Arizona fans — but he saw the field quite a bit last season. He was a fixture on special teams for the Wildcats who saw action in all 13 games and also worked into various defensive packages.
He logged six total tackles on the season, and he will likely reprise his role as a top special-teams player as he gets more comfortable in the defensive scheme. Brown still has three full years of eligibility and a redshirt left to burn, so get used to hearing his name.
The days of announcers in Arizona stadium calling out Brown switching jerseys for special teams plays are gone, and he'll likely become a much more visible part of Arizona's defense after dutifully rising to the occasion on special teams.
Leviticus Su'a (RS Freshman) | 6'2" 235 lbs.
Su'a was another of Arizona's most highly-rated recruits last offseason, joining quarterback Brayden Dorman as one of two four-star players to commit to Arizona. He didn't see any action in his true freshman season, but he'll enter 2024 with four full years of eligibility remaining.
He earned the Trinity League MVP back in high school, becoming the second straight winner to commit to Arizona following wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan. With the other depth on the roster like Daniel Heimuli, Jeremy Mercier, and Ammon Allen gone now, Su'a will certainly be one of the top reserve options at the linebacker position.
Kamuela Ka'aihue (RS Freshman) | 6'2" 220 lbs.
Ka'aihue is in the same boat as Brown and appeared in 12 of 13 possible games as a special teams fixture. He was able to retain a redshirt and he'll still have another four full years of eligibility for the Wildcats.
Ka'aihue was quite active on defense for someone who primarily works special teams: 15 total tackles and games with five tackles apiece against ASU and Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl. He's also a part of the 'Poly Pipeline' that has brought so many great players to Arizona Football in seasons past.
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