There are at least three openings on the offensive line for Arizona, and while the Wildcats are set to bring back nine blockers and signed another five that was before hiring an offensive coordinator with a vastly difference scheme from the year before.
Seth Doege’s spread attack will require both strength and quickness from the O-line, something the UA is hoping it can find in the NCAA transfer portal. It has signed three linemen, including Sunday’s addition of Tristan Bounds from Michigan.
Standout lineman from Bethesda, MD is heading to Tucson!
Welcome Home, @bounds_tristan ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/fvG9oyuYWb
— Arizona Football (@ArizonaFBall) December 22, 2024
The 6-foot-8, 305-pound Bounds comes to Arizona after four seasons at Michigan, though he only appeared in six games for the Wolverines. He was a 3-star prospect out of Maryland in 2021, picking the Wolverines over offers from Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Texas and UCLA.
Bounds joins former Georgia Tech lineman Jordan Brown and ex-Texas Tech lineman Ty Buchanan as portal pickups for up front. All told Arizona has added 12 players from the portal, six on either side of the ball, while also getting two players from the 2024 team who had entered the portal to withdraw.