ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ spent another training camp practice in "shells" (shoulder pads and helmets) on Monday.Â
After an impressive showing by ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥'s offense, particularly the UA wide receivers, on Sunday, the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥' defense had the top performers on Monday.Â
Here are notes and takeaways from ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥'s fifth practice Monday morning:Â
* ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ continued to work on its 3-3-5 defense and featured a defensive line group that had Tre Smith, Tiaoalii Savea and Dominic Lolesio, along with a linebacker trio of Chase Kennedy, Max Harris and Taye Brown. In the final team period, Cerritos College transfer Leroy Palu replaced Lolesio in the three-man front, with the same trio at linebacker.
* Kennedy, Harris, Brown and Montana transfer Riley Wilson are considered the top four players in ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥'s linebacker room, but redshirt sophomore Leviticus Su'a has ascended into a solid backup role. Su'a, a former highly-touted recruit from Mater Dei in California, endured injuries at the start of his ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ career, but appears to be healthier and more confident.Â
People are also reading…
* In ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥'s four-man front, it used Smith, Savea, Palu and Lolesio. The second unit had redshirt freshman Eduwa Okundaye, Julian Savaiinaea, Jarra "Bear" Anderson and Alcorn State transfer Malachi Bailey.
* ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥'s defense had multiple sacks and quarterback pressures on Monday. Some of ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥'s splash plays on offense would've resulted in sacks for Kennedy and Smith. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥'s defense consistently applied pressure with linebacker and defensive back blitzes.Â
* San Jose State transfer Michael Dansby and West Virginia transfer Ayden Garnes have emerged as potential starters at cornerback. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥'s starting secondary was Garnes, Dansby, nickel back Gavin Hunter, strong safety Dalton Johnson and free safety Genesis Smith. Garnes had a booming hit on running back Ismail Mahdi in coverage of a screen pass. On a blitz, Smith batted down a pass thrown by quarterback Noah Fifita in the backfield.Â
* In one-on-one drills, cornerbacks wore boxing gloves while defending wide receivers to prevent excessive hand-grabbing in coverage. Returning starter Marquis Groves-Killebrew was flagged three times for passing interference on Sunday.Â
* ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ worked on perimeter blocking for punt return, along with "gunner" coverage for punt coverage. In addition to taking reps at returning punts, New Mexico transfer Luke Wysong excelled at blocking. He also played gunner at New Mexico. Wysong is trending towards becoming one of ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥'s rotational wide receivers and special teams stars.Â
* After a mild practice on Sunday, redshirt freshman Brandon Phelps had a nifty high-point catch over Dansby on Monday. Tre Spivey, Phelps and Rex Haynes are ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥'s top big-bodied wide receivers.Â
* Freshman running back Wesley Yarbrough broke off for a long touchdown run. The 5-10, 211-pound Houston-area native looks game ready, but will likely play behind Ismail Mahdi, Kedrick Reescano and Quincy Craig. UA running backs coach Alonzo Carter said he has challenged Yarbrough to become ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥'s fourth running back this season.Â
* ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥'s starting offensive line was Ty Buchanan, Michael Wooten, Ka'ena Decambra, Alexander Doost and Tristan Bounds. The second unit was redshirt freshman Matthew Lado, Ise Matautia, Grayson Stovall, Isaac Perez and Louis Akpa.Â
Contact Justin Spears, the Star's ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ football beat reporter, at jspears@tucson.com. On X(Twitter): @JustinESports