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Oct 19, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats linebacker Taye Brown (6) tackles Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) during the third quarter at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Arizona Post Training Camp Grades: Linebackers

Originally posted on Arizona Wildcats on SI
By Troy Hutchison | Last updated Aug 25, 2025 7:00 AM ET

Arizona football is officially BACK in action and the long offseason is finally coming to an end as the Wildcats have wrapped up training camp and now are getting ready for their opening game with Hawaii on Aug. 30 at home at 7:30 p.m. (MST) on TNT.

After an underwhelming 2024 season under Brent Brennan where Arizona went 4-8 after starting the year in the preseason AP Poll at No. 21 and ending the year losing 7 out of its last 8 games, the Wildcats made changes to the roster and their coaching staff.

Brennan revamped his coaching staff by hiring Seth Doege as the offensive coordinator and promoting Danny Gonzales to the defensive coordinating job. Plus, he was able to bring in defensive line coach Joe Salave’a, who is regarded as one of the top recruiters in the nation and a former Wildcat as well.

“When we go through a tough season like we did a year ago, you got to find a way to fix what was broken, fix what wasn’t working and put those pieces together,” Brennan said. “And part of those pieces are how we’re going to do things in terms of how we’re going to coach, what we’re going to do schematically and the other part is who are the players that are going to play those roles.”

The energy at practice was high, loud and the pace of play was a complete 180 from the previous season and matches the mindset and mentality that the coaching staff wasn’t to bring to the 2025 season.

We are grading the performance by each position group from training camp and evaluating what it means for the upcoming season. We have come to the linebackers group, which has seen the team add talent through the portal.

Top Linebackers From Camp

Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Max Harris

One of the transfers Arizona landed on the defensive side of the ball was Texas State transfer linebacker Max Harris, who played for the Bobcats alongside running back Ismail Mahdi where they helped guide the team to 8-5 record and a 30-28 win over North Texas in the First Responder Bowl.

In training camp, Harris has been one of the top linebacking options for Gonzales and his defense alongside Taye Brown with the duo causing issues for the offensive unit. He has been in the backfield creating chaos in the running game and stopping plays before they take off.

His coverage has been solid but Harris does need to improve in man-to-man situations when guarding tight ends, or running backs.

Taye Brown

Coming into training camp, the one linebacker that had a ton of experience playing at Arizona was linebacker Taye Brown, who is part of the legendary 2022 recruiting class. Brown has played 25 games for Arizona totaling 75 tackles, 32 solo tackles, four tackles for loss and 2 ½ sacks.

Throughout camp, we have seen Brown take on a leadership role and has been able to bring his teams up and help them develop as players. Meanwhile he has gotten better in coverage and is growing into a complete linebacker.

Chase Kennedy

Last season, edge rusher Chase Kennedy was used on the outside and mainly as a blitzer. Now, Arizona has listed him as a linebacker and during spring saw time with the first and second units.

Now that there are more players on campus, Kennedy has moved around the field and is more of a Swiss Army Knife that can be used in coverage, blitzing off the edge, or chasing down the running back. Kennedy looks faster on the field and could be one of the most important pieces of the defense for the 2025 season.

Training Camp Position Grade: C+

Overall, I think the linebacker room is in a better position compared to a season ago when players were dropping like flies. However, the talent level outside of Brown isn’t the same with true linebackers. Still, there is room for the group to grow and surprise people throughout the course of the season.

Please be sure to share your thoughts on the Arizona linebacking unit. To do so, follow our X account by clicking on the link.

This article first appeared on Arizona Wildcats on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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