Arizona spring football: OL coach Josh Oglesby confident in depth at tackle
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 02: Isaiah Smith #1 of the Southern Methodist University Mustangs works against Matthew Lado #73 of the Arizona Wildcats during the first half of the Trust & Will Holiday Bowl game at Snapdragon Stadium on January 02, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images Acquiring quality offensive linemen from the NCAA transfer portal in general is tough, getting good ones at tackle is even more difficult. Yet somehow Arizona hit two bullseyes last offseason with the addition of Ty Buchanan and Tristan Bounds , who went on to make a combined 21 starts at left and right tackle, respectively.
This time around, though, the Wildcats weren’t nearly as aggressive in seeking transfers for the outside of the offensive line. They added Nathan Hale from San Jose State and Jake Griffin from BYU, but neither is expected to be a starter this fall. Those jobs are reserved for Bounds, who received a medical redshirt to play a sixth year, and Matthew Lado , a redshirt sophomore who stepped in for Bounds after he went down for the season in mid-November.
“I’m extremely impressed and excited with Matthew Lado,” Oglesby said. “For him, having the opportunity to be in those games and be in the mix and be part of meaningful games and meaningful wins has just caused his confidence to explode. He is super exciting to watch.
I won’t call it a surprise, because it’s something that everyone in the building knew was there, and now we’re excited to see it kind of come to fruition. ” The 6-foot-6, 318-pound Lado, one of three players the UA signed out of Glendale Apollo High School in 2024 but the only one that didn’t follow Jedd Fisch to Washington, logged 346 snaps last fall. Early on it was late in blowouts, at left tackle, but in the bowl eligibility-clinching win over Kansas on Nov.
8 he had to come in for Buchanan in the second half and helped clear the path for Quincy Craig’s game-winning touchdown run. Clutch in the desert 🌵 Quincy Craig goes 24 yards for the go-ahead touchdown @ArizonaFBall 🏈 #Big12FB | 📺 ESPN2 pic. twitter.