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Nov 25, 2023; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats safety Genesis Smith (12) against the Arizona State Sun Devils during the Territorial Cup at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Arizona Wildcats Training Camp Week 2 Observations

Originally posted on Arizona Wildcats on SI
By Troy Hutchison | Last updated Aug 10, 2025 9:00 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 despite the team not even in full pads, or in shells at this point in time. 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.

Although there was no contact and players weren’t in shells, there were still takeaways to be made with what the media was able to see throughout the duration of the day.

Three Observations

Michael Madrid-Imagn Images

Genesis Smith

One of the top players on the roster to return to Arizona this season is safety Genesis Smith, who might be the top NFL prospect on the Wildcats.

Smith decided to come back another season even with the changes at the defensive coordinating position from Duane Akina to Danny Gonzales.

So far in camp, the now upperclassman has been a stud in coverage and helping in the running game. Smith has the ability with his size to be an elite run stopping safety and a ballhawk in the secondary.

In a secondary filled with veteran leadership and a high number of snaps played, Smith has grown as a leader and helped the freshmen defensive backs develop in training camp and understanding the stands of the program.

Danny Gonzales

Last season, Gonzales was the linebackers coach under Akina on the defensive staff but after an underwhelming season, Brennan made the change and promoted him to the head defensive coordinating job.

The energy he has brought to the field is unmatched with the defensive unit and the coaching staff. Gonzales has been able to push his players this camp and has already seen development from the freshman class.

One of the funniest but interesting things about Gonzales is his love for the desert heat. The hotter the practice, the better in his opinion.

Why does Gonzales love the heat?

Well, it's because it is one of the biggest advantages for Arizona when it comes to the regular season. Both UA and ASU have the advantage of playing in the heat and being used to it unlike their opponents. So, Gonzales wants the team to get used to the tough conditions.

Brandon Phelps

During spring football, one of the breakout players on offense was receiver Brandon Phelps, who looked unstoppable going up against the first and second-team defenses.

However, throughout training camp, Phelps has been really quiet and hasn’t had the same kind of impact for the Wildcats offense. He has even dropped some passes that have been right on the money.

Now, there is still a ton of time in camp for Phelps to turn things around. But, it will be difficult to break into the rotation that is deeper than last season.

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

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