Jacob Arzouman as a senior at Salpointe Catholic High School. Photo by Andy Morales, TucsonCitizen.com
Arizona Wildcats offensive lineman Jacob Arzouman, who was set to be in the playing rotation, suffered what likely is a torn ACL in Monday’s practice, coach Rich Rodriguez said.
Arzouman will have surgery “sometime soon,” Rodriguez said, which ends the redshirt freshman’s season.
“It’s really sad,” Rodriguez said after Tuesday’s practice.
“It was in a one-on-one drill and it just kind of buckled on him. He would have contributed. He had a good summer and he was in good shape.”
Arzouman, who has seen practice work all across the offensive line, was listed as a co-starter at right tackle with redshirt freshman Lene Maiava and sophomore Mickey Baucus on the pre-camp depth chart.
That list didn’t include 2011 starting right tackle Fabbians Ebbele, who has returned from an offseason suspension.
There is still a lot to be determined about who ends up where on the offensive line, even though all five starters return from last season.
Arzouman, a Salpointe Catholic graduate, worked with the first team at right tackle in some of the team’s spring scrimmages.
Arizona’s offensive and defensive linemen wear knee braces in practices, even when the team is just in shorts, as was the case when Arzouman (6-5, 270) was injured.
“But that doesn’t prevent everything,” Rodriguez said of the knee braces. “It was just one of those deals.”