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Oct 19, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats running back Kayden Luke (30) against the Colorado Buffalos at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Arizona Wildcats Training Camp Observations

Originally posted on Arizona Wildcats on SI
By Troy Hutchison | Last updated Aug 23, 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

Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Kayden Luke

Last season after walking on to the football team, local product Kayden Luke was listed as a fullback and was used in running situations. In all, Luke received five carries totaling 20 yards with his long being a 4-yard run.

During the offseason, Luke was moved to the tight ends room and has spent the whole time working with the group and improving his receiving game. However, his best skill is still blocking and is clearly one of the best blockers outside of the offensive linemen.

Devin Hyatt

Another player that walked on to the roster last season was wide receiver Devin Hyatt, who played in all 12 games but came on stronger towards the end of the season. Hyatt hauled in seven catches for 109 yards with a 41-yard catch.

Throughout training camp, we have seen Hyatt working primarily with the second-team offense but has seen some snaps with the first unit working in between the two squads. He had a solid camp and seemed to get more comfortable with the new offensive scheme as the days went on in camp.

Stacy Bey

One of the recruits that stayed from the 2024 recruiting class with Brennan taking over as the head coach was three-star linebacker Stacy Bey. In his first season with the team, Bey didn’t see any playing time making him a redshirt freshman this upcoming season.

When he first came to Arizona, Bey was a linebacker and even played the position for the practice squad during the course of the season. However, the staff and Gonzales have moved him to safety with his 6-foot-1, 205-pound frame makes him the perfect size to play the position.

Bey has good covering skills with the ability to make tackles in open space. However, he is still a work in progress and will need a full season and offseason to develop before seeing the field in a crowded Arizona secondary.

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

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