Analyzing Arizona Football's offensive tackle group ahead of the 2024 season
By Mason Duhon
A lot of the depth on Arizona Football's offensive line is shuffling around, but the starting group will look mostly the same. The biggest hit taken by this group was actually a positive one: former standout left tackle Jordan Morgan was drafted in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers.
Hope is not lost, though. Rising star Wendell Moe is returning to his post at left guard, and star right tackle Jonah Savaiinaea is the most talented player of the bunch. He will return in 2024 to lead Arizona's offensive line as a last hurrah with his eyes on the 2025 NFL Draft.
2023 Roster:
- Jordan Morgan - Drafted in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft
- Jonah Savaiinaea - Returned to Arizona
- Raymond Pulido - Entered transfer portal; Withdrew and returned to Arizona
- Joseph Borjon - Transferred to San Diego State
- Sam Langi - Exhausted his NCAA eligibility
- Rhino Tapa'atoutai - Returned to Arizona
- Tylen Gonzalez - Returned to Arizona
- Elijha Payne - Returned to Arizona
- Anthony Patt - Transferred to Old Dominion
2024 Projected roster:
- Jonah Savaiinaea - Returned to Arizona
- Raymond Pulido - Entered transfer portal; Withdrew and returned to Arizona
- Rhino Tapa'atoutai - Returned to Arizona
- Tylen Gonzalez - Returned to Arizona
- Jonah Rodriguez - Transferred in from San Diego State
- Michael Wooten - Transferred in from Oregon
- Ryan Stewart - Transferred in from San Jose State
- Elijha Payne - Returned to Arizona
- Matthew Lado - Incoming freshman
The youth movement is something to keep an eye on, though. Outside of Savaiinaea and incoming San Jose State transfer Ryan Stewart, the rest of the tackles are underclassmen with at least three years of eligibility remaining, so offensive line coach Josh Oglesby has a plethora of developmental prospects to get to work with.
Jonah Savaiinaea (Junior) | 6'5" 330 lbs. | RT
Savaiinaea is the headliner of the entire offensive line group. He's following the path Morgan blazed, and he has capitalized on the increased visibility he brought to Arizona's front line. Since landing in Tucson ahead of the 2022 season, he has started all 25 games for the Wildcats and racked up the conference accolades.
The two-time All-Pac-12 honorable mention and Freshman All-American allowed just two sacks in nearly 900 snaps in 2023, and PFF graded him as Arizona's second-best offensive lineman after Morgan. Now that the Tucson native is out of the picture, the trench mob will go as Savaiinaea goes.
Raymond Pulido (Sophomore) | 6'6" 335 lbs. | LT
Pulido has a chance to emerge as a stalwart on the blind side for Arizona. After testing the transfer portal waters earlier in the offseason, the 6-foot-6, 335-pound former Alabama commit — the second heaviest on the front line — withdrew his name to return to Arizona for Year 2.
With the new vacancy opposite Savaiinaea and some starting experience already under his belt, the starting left tackle job is his to lose. With his recruiting pedigree, he likely could have landed anywhere and Washington certainly would have liked to have him. However, it's safe to assume he returned to Arizona because the path to the field was wide open.
Michael Wooten (RS Sophomore) | 6'4" 310 lbs.
Wooten is one of three incoming transfer tackles, and he has the best chance of working his way into the rotation as a depth piece. He was a three-star recruit coming out of high school who spent the last two seasons at Oregon, where he played in three games in 2022 before missing the entirety of last season with an injury.
Not needing to be the starter will limit his workload and help reduce the likelihood of injuries. Standing at 6-foot-4 and 310 pounds, Wooten has a stout build and will hit the field in Tucson with three seasons of eligibility remaining.
Rhino Tapa'atoutai (RS Freshman) | 6'5" 310 lbs.
Tapa'atoutai is another lineman with Polynesian roots hailing from Southern California on the Arizona roster. The former three-star prospect coming out of high school didn't see any time on the field last season, but his size profile is extremely promising.
At 6-foot-5 and 310 pounds, he surpasses the 300-pound threshold and still has room to add weight if necessary. After not cracking the depth chart at all last season, it's likely he moves up the depth chart and sees a bigger role when Pulido needs a breather or if he has a bad game.
Tylen Gonzalez (RS Freshman) | 6'6" 305 lbs.
Gonzalez has mostly flown under the radar — even in Arizona circles — but he could surprise come fall. He played high school football in Carlbad, New Mexico, as a defensive lineman and was an unranked prospect as a recruit. However, smaller cities and towns love football, so Gonzalez could be a diamond in the rough.
He made the switch to the offensive side of the ball when he got the Arizona, and he has a phenomenal size profile. At 6-foot-6 and just a hair over 300 pounds, he appears to be an athletic player who already understands the tactics used by defensive linemen. It will be interesting to see how his career arc at Arizona plays out.
ICYMI. IOL. Analyzing Arizona Football's interior offensive line ahead of the 2024 season. dark
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