He played for Brandon Sanders at Pueblo
Arizona’s quest to rebuild its offensive line has led to it reaching out for players from Atlanta to Hawaii and many parts between. The latest addition to this critical position grew up not far from campus.
The Wildcats have earned a commitment from offensive lineman Flavio Gonalez, who spent the previous three seasons at Oregon State. He is a Tucson native, graduating from Pueblo High School in 2018 where he was coached by UA Coordinator of Football Alumni and High School Relations Brandon Sanders.
HOME pic.twitter.com/BEffhYVKFL
— Flavio Gonzalez (@thtboiflavio) January 8, 2025
The 6-foot-5, 293-pound Gonzalez started 10 games for Oregon State in 2024, appearing in 19 contests overall with the Beavers. This past fall he played 723 snaps at right guard and allowed one sack while helping OSU rank 29th in FBS in rushing at 189.2 yards per game.
Gonzalez had been out of eligibility—he spent three years at a pair of junior colleges, earning all-conference honors at Butler Community College in Kansas in 2021—but in December the NCAA granted a waiver to all football players who had spent time in the JUCO ranks. That decision stemmed from a federal judge siding with Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia’s lawsuit claiming that junior college years shouldn’t count toward NCAA eligibility because of the lack of NIL opportunities at the lower level.
DUE to the NEW NCAA Jr College Eligibility RULING ill be permitted to compete in one more Season, with that being said i’ll be entering my name into the transfer portal and looking to play one more year as a grad transfer, Thank you to my teammates and coaches at Oregon state! pic.twitter.com/8YMNCHypyB
— Flavio Gonzalez (@thtboiflavio) December 27, 2024
Gonzalez becomes the 20th player Arizona has picked up from the NCAA transfer portal, fifth for an offensive line that must replace at least four starters. The Wildcats had previously added linemen from Georgia Tech (Jordan Brown), Hawaii (Ka’ena Decambra), Michigan (Tristan Bounds) and Texas Tech (Ty Buchanan) in addition to five signed out of high school. All five transfer linemen will be seniors for the Wildcats.