ESPN gave Arizona defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales a B+ as a new hire, "Grading college football's new coordinators" in 2025. Arizona offensive coordinator Seth Doege also received a grade that Zona Zealots will examine in another post.
Arizona had one of the worst defenses nationally in 2025. Under Gonzales, Arizona has made a lot of progress defensively. The aggressive defense Gonzales prefers was exposed at Iowa State. The Cyclones had seven completions of at least 19 yards and five or 27 or more.
The Arizona defense had been good at limiting explosive plays before imploding at Iowa State.