During Brent Brennan’s first season, Arizona was heavily reliant on the players who stuck around after the sudden coaching change. And while that included future NFL draft picks Tetairoa McMillan and Jonah Savaiinaea, as well as a veteran secondary, the lack of young talent to provide depth contributed to the poor results.
The Wildcats are even more veteran-dependent this season, particularly those coming from the portal, as more than half of the starts have gone to first-year transfers.
But they weren’t
the only newcomers to make an impact in 2025. Six true freshmen appeared in more than half the games—compared to two the year before—including a pair who cracked the starting lineup.
None saw more action than edge Mays Pese, who started three of the final four games and logged 365 snaps either on defense or special teams. The last time Arizona played a true freshman that much was in 2022, when the likes of T-Mac, Savaiinaea and Jacob Manu were instant contributors.
Those guys came with a lot more hype than the 6-foot-3, 271-pound Pese. A 3-star prospect from Santa Barbara, Calif., Pese had previously been committed to Cal before the UA flipped him in June 2024, and he was closer to the bottom of the Wildcats’ 2025 recruiting class than the top.
Throw in that Pese didn’t join the team until the summer, thus missing out on spring practice, the fact that he was part of the defensive line rotation at the beginning of the season speaks volumes.
“The closer you are to the football, the harder it is to play as a true freshman,” defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales said. “The further you get—running backs, wide receivers, DBs—your athleticism can make up for strength, your athleticism and speed can make up for physicality. You can’t (do that) inside. And for a true freshman to do what we’ve asked him to do, it’s unbelievable.”
Pese has 22 tackles, one for loss, with a half sack in his 12 games. His season grade is 60.5, per Pro Football Focus, which ranks 36th among true freshman edge rushers.
“I love this defense, and I love the way Coach D created it,” Pese said. “And I feel like is what like what I trained to play for.”
An under-the-radar player coming into college, Pese’s performance this season has raised his profile. A notable effort in next week’s Holiday Bowl could make him a lot of money if he decides to enter the NCAA transfer portal, but that doesn’t appear to be the case.
“He’s already told me he’s coming back,” Gonzales said. “His future is bright. His ceiling is, I mean, there’s no roof. He’s super strong, he’s athletic. He can stand up, he play off the ball. He was able to knock around fourth- and fifth-year players.
“The city of Tucson needs to learn his name now, and they’re going to remember forever, because he’s got a chance to be a fantastic player.”
Pese isn’t letting that praise get to his head.
“It’s great, but it’s only cool for a couple minutes,” he said. “Got to get back to it, the party is just getting started for me.”
