Tre Smith is ‘the best representation of Arizona football’

Next to “year,” most of Arizona’s players are labeled freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors, but some have the “fifth-year” and “sixth-year” label.

The Wildcats only have one defensive player with the sixth-year tag — the one nicknamed “Mr. Redline” (after Arizona’s team-wide mantra) by his UA teammates and coaches: defensive end Tre Smith, who was grandfathered in after the five-in-five ruling, along with several other college football players across the U.S.

After this season, the days of sixth-year players — or seventh-year players, like former Arizona linebacker Justin Flowe, who’s now at UNLV — will go the way of the dodo.

Smith didn’t envision playing college football in 2026, especially at this time last year when the Wildcats were preparing for the 2025 season in fall training camp, but life threw a wrench into Smith’s football-playing journey — which could pay off for Arizona’s top pass rusher.

Smith is in a similar situation as former Arizona slot cornerback Treydan Stukes, who was expected to finish his Arizona career in 2024, but a season-ending knee injury in the first four games of the season got him a sixth year of eligibility and he returned to the Wildcats in 2025.

A healthy Stukes became a first-team All-Big 12 selection and a third-team Associated Press All-American last season. More notably, Stukes became a second-round pick by the Las Vegas Raiders, the highest-drafted UA defensive back since Antoine Cason in 2008. Stukes could conceivably start in the Raiders’ defensive secondary, less than a year after he was limited in Arizona’s training camp and didn’t play a game until the Wildcats wrapped up nonconference play.

“Stukes is somebody I definitely look up to,” Smith said. “He handled everything like a pro. On top of that, his mindset and who he was as a human on the field and off the field. Seeing him go into a different mode when he steps between the lines, that’s something I’d like to continue with my own success.”

Smith, after suffering a season-ending shoulder injury early on and getting an additional year to play for the Wildcats, was limited in the spring and is now back taking first-team reps in Arizona’s defense in training camp. It’s the first summer Smith has been 100% healthy since joining the Wildcats in 2024.

“Everything Treydan did, Tre is doing right now,” said Arizona second-year defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales. “The best part about Stukes getting hurt in ‘24 was Tre seeing his leadership role and how it didn’t affect his day-to-day (routine), even though he wasn’t playing. Tre took on that (role) for the front pieces. He was the same guy, even though he wasn’t playing.

“After surgery, he was the same guy. He was back in the building two days after surgery, mandating that they do everything right, they’re on time and they’re getting extra. Servant leadership is the best kind of year. That’s what Treydan was. That’s what Tre is. That’s what (linebacker) Taye Brown is. … He’s doing a phenomenal job. We’re blessed to have him.”

Gonzales said Smith and Brown, “if you turn the tape on and watch both of them play, you won’t find a play where they’re not going full speed.”

“I’m on a deep challenge to find one of them to slip up one time,” Gonzales added. “When you coach your best ones the hardest and point them out in front of everyone and make fun of them, that makes a really big point. I watch those two like a hawk and I haven’t found it yet. Both of them, they are who they are in everything they do. … They attack everything they do in the same way. It’s redline, even outside of football. Those are the kind of people I like to be around.”

The 6-5, 265-pound Smith, who has NFL aspirations, could have similar results as Stukes, especially working with renowned defensive line coach Joe Salave'a for another season. Salave’a mentored NFL defensive linemen in Hercules Mata’afa, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Ahkeem Mesidor, among others, between his stints at Washington State, Oregon and Miami.

Thibodeax “was just telling us his experience in college and the league and how we gotta be prepared and seize the moment,” when the former Oregon defensive end visited Arizona’s team facility earlier this summer, according to Smith.

Smith is “blessed and grateful to have met (Salave’a),” who’s now going into his second season as Arizona’s defensive line coach.

“He’s somebody that has done it before and has done it at the highest level,” Smith said of Salave’a. “He’s coached guys at the highest level. All the small fundamentals that can be overlooked easily, he has taught me so much and has taught me things I’ve never done before. He’s a great life coach, as well. He cares about you more than just football. To me, that means a lot.”

Arizona head coach Brent Brennan has worked with Smith longer than Salave’a and Gonzales.

After Smith graduated from Red Mountain High School in Mesa, he signed with San Jose State in 2020 and played four seasons for the Spartans. Smith was the understudy to Cade Hall and Viliami Fehoko Jr., two defensive linemen who were named Mountain West Defensive Players of the Year, at SJSU. Hall and Fehoko “kind of showed Tre the way,” said Brennan, who was the head coach of the Spartans for seven seasons.

"Within six months or a year, Tre was the one player you saw every day in the building — every single day — and it's still that way,” Brennan said. “They helped him develop that work ethic and now you see that showing up every day here and now he's bring that to our team. He's an explosive pass rusher, he's got great length and he plays incredibly hard. I think that's something our fans are going to be excited to watch." 

Hall and Fehoko played a role in Smith’s development. Now Smith is paying it forward with the younger players, including second-year defensive lineman Mays Pese and the freshmen — more notably Prince Williams, a former standout at Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) and the MaxPreps.com Nevada Defensive Player of the Year.

“I do my best to model the way for those guys,” Smith said. “I’ve been here for going on three years now and I’ve been in college going on six (years). I do my best to be the best person I can, because at the end of the day, you gotta start with yourself and then show them the ropes.”

In the last year, Smith has garnered the nickname “Mr. Redline,” a fitting moniker, said Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita.

“When you talk about redline, the standard of Arizona football and what we want to be seen as and known as across the country, Tre Smith represents that,” Fifita said. “He’s probably the best representation of Arizona football and what we want to be. He’s probably the best person I’ve ever been around in terms of personality and the way he connects with people, the way he takes care of people. When you add what he’s able to do on the field, it goes hand-in-hand.”

The last Arizona fall training camp — the last training camp of Smith’s college football career — is a “bittersweet” feeling, Smith said.

“It’s been a blessing nonetheless,” Smith said. “Everything you’ve been through molds you into who you are and shapes your character. It’s a bittersweet feeling, but it’s a blessing.”

With a new chance to improve his NFL Draft stock and lead a UA defense, Smith isn’t taking anything for granted — especially after enduring a shoulder injury that kept him from playing for the Wildcats’ 9-4 squad that competed in the Holiday Bowl.

“This is the last chance I get to do it, so I gotta make the most of it,” Smith said. “Although it’s not the path I may have seen when I was younger, I’m here for a reason. That has taught me to be present and enjoy what I have right now.”

Notes and takeaways from practice 3

Arizona’s version of “Friday Night Lights” was spent under the lights of the Davis Sports Center and the Dick Tomey Practice Fields — mostly the latter.

Here are notes and observations from the Wildcats’ third training camp practice:

In the final team period just outside the red zone on the 30-yard line, Arizona’s second-year running backs had several breakout runs. Wesley Yarbrough, a 5-10, 209-pound Houston native, bursted through the B-gap for a 30-yard touchdown run, then ripped two long runs shortly after. Cornelius Warren III, a 5-9, 172-pound slasher from Dallas, also had a 30-yard touchdown in similar fashion.

During the same period, Fifita broke out for a long run and completed a touchdown pass to second-year wide receiver Isaiah Mizell in stride with safety Quinn Olson in coverage — albeit defensive end Dominic Lolesio would’ve sacked Fifita. Mizell also hauled in a touchdown from reserve quarterback Sawyer Anderson in an earlier period.

One of Arizona’s first periods focused on field-goal kicking. Kicker Michael Salgado-Medina made all five of his attempts, including a 48-yarder from the left hashmark. Freshman kicker Ian French made all three of his attempts, including a 43-yarder.

Arizona’s first defense in the team period had Lolesio, freshman Kaisi Lafitaga, Pese and Smith on the defensive line, with Brown and Georgetown transfer Cooper Blomstrom at linebacker, and Jay’Vion Cole, Nebraska transfer Malcolm Hartzog, Olson, Johno Price and Wyoming transfer Tyrese Boss in the secondary. Olson ended the drive intercepting Fifita. Arizona’s receiver trio in the first team period was Giovanni Richardson, Chris Hunter and USC transfer DJ Jordan.

The second defensive secondary had Charlotte transfer Dwight Bootle, UConn transfer Lee Molette, Northern Colorado transfer Cam Chapa, USC transfer Matai Tagoa’i and Swayde Griffin. Bootle had a pass breakup covering wide receiver Brandon Phelps in one of the final periods.

Australian punter Chase Ridley posted hang times of 4.9, 4.6, 3.9, 4.3, 3.8, 4.3 and 4.5 seconds.

Freshman receiver Caleb “Jet” Smith worked on returning punts while wide receiver coach Bobby Wade, who was a standout punt returner in the NFL, and UA assistant Chuck Cecil swarmed Smith holding arm pads and squirted his helmet with a water bottle. Smith fended off multiple defenders and caught a 50-50 ball from Anderson in the end zone.

NFL scouts from the Cleveland Browns and Green Bay Packers attended practice on Friday.