Six of the top eight tacklers for Arizona in the 24-19 Holiday Bowl loss to SMU on Friday have eligibility remaining beyond 2025. Arizona head coach Brent stated the Holiday Bowl gave the younger Wildcats a chance to get high-level, meaningful reps against a very good opponent.
Arizona and SMU both finished the 2025 season with nine wins and four losses. While the focus surrounding the Holiday Bowl for many Arizona fans was on the opt-outs of Dalton Johnson, Genesis Smith and Treydan Stukes, several Arizona defensive players were productive versus SMU.
The production from the underclass Arizona players is based on traditional numbers. After allowing SMU to take a 24-0 halftime lead, Arizona shut out the Mustangs in the second. Without Johnson, Smith and Stukes, the Arizona pass defense went from porous in the first quarter to stout in the second half.
Junior Taye Brown finished second on Arizona in tackles during the 2025 season and led the Wildcats with nine stops against SMU. Brown finished the 2025 season with career highs of 93 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one interception 1.0 pass defended, 1.0 forced fumble and 1.0 fumble recovery in 2025.
"It also gave some of our younger players a chance to get high-level, meaningful reps against a very good opponent."Arizona head coach Brent Brennan
Arizona secondary has a bright future
Redshirt sophomore safety Gavin Hunter had the best game of his career by far. Hunter had eight tackles, one TFL and one pass breakup against SMU. The previous high in tackles for Hunter was four in the 23-17 Arizona win over Kansas State this season.
True freshman safety Coleman Paton had the second-most-productive and the most significant game of his young Arizona career in the Holiday Bowl with three tackles. Patmon had a career high 4.0 tackles and a 0.5 TFL in the 48-3 Arizona win against Weber State.
Standout linebackers
In addition to Brown, Arizona is expected to return Chase Kennedy and Jabari Mann at LB in 2026. Kennedy and Mann each finished with three tackles and one quarterback hurry versus SMU. Brown, Kennedy and Mann should give Arizona one of the most experienced LB corps entering the 2026.
Kennedy finished with 42 tackles, 8.0 TFLs, 4.0 sacks, 1.0 fumble recovery and 2.0 forced fumbles in 2025. Mann had 24 tackles, 4.0 TFLs, 1.0 TFL and one interception that he returned for a memorable TD against Baylor.
With the return of Danny Gonzales as defensive coordinator and a good foundation of players to build around through the off-season, Arizona should have another stout defense in 2026. The second half shutout of SMU helps build momentum and set the foundation for 2026.