Arizona Snags Another DL Recruit to 2026 Class

The month of June was a busy recruiting period for Arizona football as head coach Brent Brennan and his staff hauled in 11 of the current 18 commitments following official visits to Tucson. Now, the Wildcats have managed to stay hot on the recruiting trail adding their 19th commitment for the 2026 class.

It was a busy Saturday afternoon for Arizona’s coaching staff after landing a commitment from defensive lineman Keytrin Harris and then seeing three-star defensive lineman Manoah Faupusa joining the class by announcing his commitment to the program.

Coming in at 6-foot-2, 380 pounds, Faupusa is bringing some serious size to the Arizona defensive line. He is from Santa Margarita, Calif. Out of Santa Margarita Catholic High School.

Before picking the Wildcats, Faupusa took an official visit on June 20, just four days after visiting Colorado.

Overall, Faupusa picked Arizona over offers from North Carolina and Colorado, which were the final three teams. He also had interest from Cal, Kansas and Oklahoma State.

After the two three-star defensive linemen additions, Brennan’s 2026 class sits at No. 43 according to 24/7 Sports recruiting rankings. Also right now, UA is sixth in the Big 12 sitting one spot behind in-state rival ASU.

The lead recruiter for Faupusa was defensive line coach Joe Salave’a, who has been widely regarded as one of the best recruiters nationally with strong ties to the Polynesian community. And it seems like those recruiting chops are starting to pay off in a major way for UA football.

One of the focuses for many recruits is how they get along with not only the coaching staff but players on the roster too. Arizona under Brennan has made the team feel like a family and has embraced the Polynesian culture.

In doing so, when recruits are on their visit, they’re greeted by not only coaches and players, but family members of the team that make the university feel like home to many of these prospects.

This is now the second day in-a-row that Arizona has been able to land a high-level defensive lineman to its recruiting class. But not only is it two days straight, the team has landed three players  upfront on defense. The only way to win games in football is to control both sides of the line of scrimmage and UA is working on making that goal more achievable for the future.

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