TUCSON, Ariz. — With Thursday night's light practice in the books, Arizona Football now sits just 23 days away from the 2020 season opener on Nov. 7 at Utah.
Thursday was a night for the offensive line to take center stage, as offensive line coach
Kyle DeVan and offensive linemen
Donovan Laie and
Jordan Morgan both took time post-practice to sit down with the media.
A key focus of the media Zoom session was Laie's decision to return to Arizona for the upcoming season.
"At the end of the day, he's one of us, he's a brother to us and one of our leaders," DeVan said. "I think ultimately he saw the love from the rest of the group and the coaching staff and that we want to see him here shining."
DeVan also took time to note the depth along the offensive line, and the benefits that provides the entire offensive unit.
"Man, I'll tell you what, it's nice, I'm not going to lie," DeVan said. "We have 18 kids right now and we have a lot of youth and then we have some older guys with
Steven Bailey and
Josh McCauley being our two seniors. It's really been awesome having a lineup of five guys and then having a second lineup of five guys and a third lineup."
Quotes of the Night
Offensive left guard Laie and left tackle Morgan on playing directly next to each other on the offensive line.
Laie: "This is the first time I've ever played with someone as athletic as me. It makes it easier for me just knowing [Morgan] is going to get to his landmark as quick as I am."
Morgan: "I think I'm a little bit quicker, but he's a lot stronger and smarter. He's been here longer so he knows what he's doing."
Photo of the Night
Number of the Night — 65
The Wildcats return an impressive
65 starts along the offensive line for the 2020 season. This includes Laie's 24 career starts, 22 from
Josh McCauley, eight from
Robert Congel, seven from
Paiton Fears, two from
Jordan Morgan, and one each from
Josh Donovan and
Steven Bailey.
Featured Returner — Junior OL Donovan Laie
Across two season in Tucson, Laie has established himself as one of the Wildcats most dominant players and firmly entrenched himself on the NFL Draft radar. In 2018 he became the first Arizona true freshman to start all 12 games in at least two decades and helped lead the Wildcats conference-leading rush attack that averaged 202.4 yards per game. He also anchored an O-line that allowed just 20 sacks in 2018, the third-best mark in the Pac-12. Laie followed that up with another strong season in 2019, again starting all 12 games between time at left tackle and left guard.
"He has had a great career here, started every game for two years," DeVan said. "He's on the right trajectory, and with the right amount of time put in, studying the game, perfecting his technique, he could play at [the NFL] level. He's a tremendous young man that is not just a good teammate and a good leader but he helps the young guys."
Laie has also succeeded in the classroom, where he is a Literacy, Learning & Leadership major. His academic efforts earned him recognition from the conference last fall, as he was tabbed to the Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll.
Featured Newcomer — Freshman DL Regen Terry
Terry excelled in both football and basketball at Florence High School, earning four varsity letters in both sports, before joining the Wildcats. During his prolific prep career, Terry compiled 177 tackles, 19.0 tackles for loss, and nine sacks on the gridiron and averaged 6.1 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game on the hardwood. His football feats earned him two All-State selections, including a First Team nod in the 3A division as a senior.Â
"I chose Arizona because I believe coach Sulin was the guy that will get me where I want to be in football and in life. He has coached a lot of great players and I believe I'll be in that group. I also am here because it let me stay close to my family," Terry said.
'He can do it all. Very special young man with his ability to make plays, especially in the backfield and hitting the quarterback," assistant coach
Taylor Mazzone said of Terry on signing day. For more from his film room breakdown, check out the video below.
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