Four Arizona Wildcats Highlighted as Players Whose Stock is 'Rising'
In two Saturdays, Arizona will be back on the football field competing in a game that counts.
Opening up against New Mexico, the Wildcats are able to ease into things a bit under their new regime as they start off with two contests against teams who have inferior talent.
They'll then jump immediately into the action, facing two Big 12 favorites in Kansas State and Utah that could determine how successful the season is going to be for Arizona.
Coming into the year, there are some lofty expectations for this group.
Despite the head coaching change, there are analysts out there who think they should be competing for an opportunity to play in the Big 12 Championship Game largely because of all the talented players they were able to keep in the program.
Led by Noah Fifita, Tetairoa McMillan and Tacario Davis, this roster has multiple athletes getting looks to play at the next level, something that should help them be one of the top teams in the conference.
However, there are some other players looking to become household names themselves.
Michael Lev of The Arizona Daily Star highlighted four during camp who he thinks have performed well enough during these practice sessions that their stock has begun to rise.
Some under-the-radar @ArizonaFBall players I'd put in the "stock rising" category as training camp concludes:
— Michael Lev (@MichaelJLev) August 18, 2024
QB Cole Tannenbaum
FB Kayden Luke
DE Chase Kennedy
LB Jared Small
Cole Tannenbaum has been a hot name throughout camp.
Embroiled in the backup quarterback competition, there have been multiple reports stating he could be the favorite to win that job after he was given second-team reps the majority of the time during practice.
After starting as a walk-on, it seems like Tannenbaum is going to beat out former four-star recruit Brayden Dorman to become the No. 2 on Arizona's depth chart.
Kayden Luke is another walk-on who is clearly garnering attention from those observing practice and potentially those within the program. The Tuscon product led the state in rushing last year in high school, running for over 2,300 yards on his way to leading Canyon Del Oro to a 4A state championship.
He could be someone to watch throughout his time with the program as he might earn some playing time in Brent Brennan's offense based on his hard-nosed running style.
The Wildcats were able to add through the transfer portal this offseason, landing former three-star recruit Chase Kennedy following his two years at Utah. The 6-foot-3 edge rusher is a relatively unknown player because he only appeared in seven games and recorded one tackle during his time with the Utes.
If he can find a home with Arizona and be part of the rotation across this defensive line, then that should provide good depth to help this unit throughout the season.
Lastly, Jared Small is someone who has battled injuries throughout his college career, missing all of 2021 after tearing his ACL when he was projected to be one of LSU's starting linebackers. That was followed up with another injury in 2022 that ended his year after two games.
Still, he was finally able to showcase what he can do on a football field when he's healthy.
Last season with Tulane, he recorded 60 total tackles, 5.5 of them for loss, with two sacks, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.
Should Small remain available throughout the year, then he'll bring a ton of experience to this linebacker room that already has some good players poised for a breakout during the upcoming campaign.
BRAD WAKAI