NCAAF News

Home

Teams

Quizzes

Newsletter

Nov 2, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Arizona Wildcats tight end Sam Olson (84) catches a touchdown pass against UCF Knights linebacker Xe'ree Alexander (24) during the second quarter at FBC Mortgage Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Arizona Wildcats Bold Training Camp Observations

Originally posted on Arizona Wildcats on SI
By Troy Hutchison | Last updated Aug 12, 2025 8:00 AM ET

Arizona football is officially BACK in action and the long offseason is finally coming to an end as the Wildcats have opened up their 2025 training camp to get things geared up for the season with the team set to face 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.

Three Observations

Scott Sewell-Imagn Images

Trey Spivey

Throughout camp, receiver Tre Spivey has been one of the top receivers on the roster and the best in the deep passing game. Spivey’s 6-foot-4, 213-pound frame makes him the perfect downfield target for Fifita and in Doege’s offensive scheme.

During 11-on-11 drills and 7-on-7 drills, Spivey has been able to win most of the jump ball battles over the Wildcats’ secondary. This past practice he had the catch of camp high pointing the ball over cornerback Johno Price for a 40-plus yard gain on the sideline.

After not seeing much playing time at Kansas State, Spivey looks to be a major part of the Wildcats’ rotation in the receiving group and maybe be heading for a breakout season for Arizona.

Chubba Ma’ae

Midway through spring ball, Chubba Ma’ae moved from the defensive line to the offensive side of the football becoming part of the offensive line unit. Ma’ae spent most of spring getting adjusted to the new position and worked with the training staff and coach Josh Oglesby to get it done.

Now, he has worked his way in camp and saw some time with the second team offensive unit on the line. During the 11-on-11 drills, Ma’ae was solid in the passing game and was really good in the running game.

Still, I think Ma’ae has a ways to go before becoming a piece of the starting unit but his progression in this short amount of time is promising for Brennan and his staff.

Sam Olson

After transferring from San Jose State to Arizona last season, tight end Sam Olson worked his way into the rotation and collected 13 catches for 196 yards and two touchdowns while appearing in eight games for the Wildcats.

So far in camp, Olson has been part of the rotation and has seen some snaps with the first team unit. Now, the Wildcats have been consistently rotating three tight ends in him, Tyler Powell and Keyan Burnett.

Now, I do think he is third on that list but with the style of offense that Doege is running, I could see him getting multiple snaps throughout a game and will make an impact on the offense.

Please be sure to share your thoughts on the developments from Arizona football training camp. To do so, follow us on our X count by clicking on the link.

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

More must-reads: