Injury rehab for Arizona tight end Tyler Powell 'has helped me mentally'

Arizona tight end Tyler Powell's one play from scrimmage — the first play of the Wildcats' season-opening win over Hawaii in 2025 — would be his last of the season. 

Powell finally became a starter for the Wildcats after spending three seasons as a backup tight end. The Phoenix native and Brophy College Prep product signed with Arizona football's star-studded 2022 recruiting class.

The 6-7, 249-pound Powell had a strong training camp and was an effective route runner and blocker. Powell's first start at Arizona would be short-lived following a season-ending knee injury.

One and done for Powell. 

"It was tough for me to handle for the first little bit after it happened," Powell said. 

Arizona tight ends coach Josh Miller, who's entering his second season at the UA, said it's a "very unfortunate situation with T.P."

"He's done a great job in his recovery," Miller said. "He's well on pace. He's doing a little bit functional movement out there on the field. He's not going to do anything in the spring, but when we get back in May, he should be fully cleared and hit the floor running.

"Obviously with T.P., we lost the girth and size to really be a butt-kicker at the line of scrimmage that we were hoping that he would be. He hasn't gotten to showcase, yet, that he's got some real vertical juice. We missed that a little bit."

Powell had aspirations to play in the NFL this season, but that was put on hold. 

"Fortunately for me, even though I didn't play that year, I was still welcomed and was a part of the program and was still learning and growing as a player," Powell said. "While I didn't get what I wanted, there's still a lot I could do with the next two years that I have. Just trying to stay positive through it all." 

Seniors Sam Olson and Cameron Barmore — who played the last "three or four games" on a broken foot last season, according to Miller — were the Wildcats' tandem at tight end. With Keyan Burnett stepping away from the team and Kellan Ford overcoming an undisclosed injury, Barmore and Olson were the Wildcats' top options at tight end.  

Watching Arizona's 9-4 season from the sidelines last year was a "really good opportunity to focus on the mental side of the game," Powell said. Ditto for this spring. Powell is taking this time to rehab and mentor the younger tight ends, including Ford, early enrollee Henry Gabalis, Southern Miss transfer Shane King and San Diego State transfer Arthur Ban. 

"As the older guy in the group, I feel accountable to the younger guys and helping them out," Powell said. "If they have questions on the offense, just being a guy they can confidently go to and go, 'Yeah, T.P. is going to know what I have on this play and I can ask him what's going on.' Because I can't do anything physically on the field, I feel like it has helped me mentally." 

Illinois transfer Cole Rusk, who's also a redshirt senior, "and all the young guys have been awesome," Powell said.

"Its been super easy for me to get along with them and bring them up into our culture that the coordinators and coaches set up for us," Powell said. "It's been good."

Powell will get his opportunity again. Whether he starts or not, Powell will be a mainstay at tight end for the Wildcats this season. For now, he's finding humility in the road to recovery.  

"When it comes to injury, I'm a firm believer in everything happens for a reason, and God has a plan for me," Powell said. "I don't know what that reason is, and maybe I got too complacent in my role. But I feel like ever since that moment, it was about how I could get back to the team as quickly as possible.

"Fortunately for me, I haven't had any bumps in the road and no hiccups with my recovery and everything is going smooth. I've been trying to stack those little wins ever since I got out of surgery. ... The opportunities I missed because of the injury just gives me more of a drive that I'm going to have when I'm back, healthy and ready to play." 

Spring football notes, practice 10

Arizona kicked off the fourth week of its spring football schedule on Tuesday at the Davis Sports Center and Dick Tomey Practice Fields. 

Here are notes and takeaways from the Wildcats' latest session: 

— USC transfer wide receiver DJ Jordan had arguably his best practice of the spring. In a one-on-one drill, Jordan caught a touchdown from quarterback Noah Fifita with freshman cornerback Xaier Hiler in coverage. Jordan was on the winning end of multiple one-on-one matchups with defensive backs. Jordan also had a first-down catch on a slant route in the final team period. 

— Fifita threw a 43-yard touchdown pass in the left corner of the end zone to redshirt junior wide receiver Tre Spivey. Fifita, entering his second year in offensive coordinator Seth Doege's system, is having a strong spring — connecting with multiple receivers on corner routes, posts, slants, fades near the sideline, and threading passes through defenders. Fifita's spring isn't unblemished, considering he's thrown at least two interceptions in team periods, but he's been dealing in the pocket and on rollouts. 

— Wyoming transfer cornerback Tyrese Boss lunged for a pass breakup while covering wide receiver Chris Hunter. Boss has established himself as a potential starter at cornerback — on the opposite side of Jay'Vion Cole.  

— With the entire team surrounding him and attempting to distract him, Arizona junior kicker Michael Salgado-Medina ended practice with a 32-yard field goal. Salgado-Medina hasn't missed a field goal in a team period this spring. 

— Former Arizona defensive line coach Rich Ellerson, who coached the iconic UA "Desert Swarm" defense under the late Dick Tomey, attended practice. Ellerson reunited with former Wildcats Barrett Baker and Brandon Sanders on the sidelines on Tuesday.

— Ellerson coached two College Football Hall of Famers: Tedy Bruschi and Rob Waldrop. Ellerson was the defensive coordinator of Arizona's 12-1 team that won the Holiday Bowl in 1998. Ellerson mentored Arizona head coach Brent Brennan at Cal Poly. Ellerson coached Cal Poly from 2001-08. Brennan was an offensive assistant at Cal Poly from 2001-04.