Arizona Wildcats Add Two Offensive Linemen in Latest Portal Overhaul
One thing that was abundantly clear for the Arizona Wildcats this past season; their offensive line wasn't good enough to compete.
They lost Jordan Morgan to the NFL draft where he was a first-round pick, something that is hard for virtually every program in the county to replace, but the departure of former head coach Jedd Fisch to Washington also thinned out the depth of Arizona.
As a result, just a couple injuries would have had them in a tough position, and when there were multiple, that pretty much doomed anything the Wildcats could do with the ball in their hands.
Noah Fifita took a notable step back, and while he certainly didn't play up to his standard, it's also fair to point out that he was under duress almost every time he dropped back.
Adding more talent now that Jonah Savaiinaea declared for the NFL draft is paramount, but creating a competitive two-deep depth chart at that position is something Brent Brennan and his staff have to accomplish this offseason.
So far, so good.
While Arizona hasn't landed a high-profile lineman yet, they were able to pick up two commitments from Jordan Brown and Ty Buchanan.
The latter is the more notable player of the two.
Buchanan was a three-star recruit in the 2021 class before committing to USC. He redshirted his freshman season and decided to transfer to Texas Tech, the place where he was able to become a good pass-blocking offensive tackle for three seasons.
He'll be a plug-and-play guy for the Wildcats, replacing the departing Savaiinaea.
Brown was under-the-radar coming out of high school, not having a ranking by 247Sports which led to his commitment to Charlotte as part of the 2021 class.
Similarly to Buchanan, he transferred after one year and went to Georgia Tech.
He didn't play much on the offensive line during his two seasons there, but he should be in the mix for a starting spot, whether that's at tackle where he's played before, or along the interior.
Again, these aren't eye-popping additions like others might have been, but both players address the major hole Arizona had on their roster last year as they look to improve in 2025 and beyond.
