It’s not hyperbole to say that Donovan Laie starting at left tackle for the Arizona Wildcats in his first collegiate game was a major surprise.
It wasn’t to Laie, though.
“Coming in, I knew I had a chance because they were graduating three (starters),” said Laie, a 3-star prospect from Oceanside, Calif. who was the No. 93-ranked offensive tackle in the 2018 recruiting class. “I had a size advantage so I knew I was going to contribute coming in as a backup or in the starting lineup.”
Laie ended up starting all 12 games for Arizona as a true freshman, subbing at left tackle for a suspended Layth Friekh for the first two contests (and another when Friekh was injured) and playing the rest at right tackle.