Arizona defensive lineman JB Brown out for season following shoulder surgery

Arizona’s defensive line will be without one of its most experienced players for Saturday’s opener at San Diego State, and beyond.

Sixth-year senior JB Brown is out for the 2022 season following shoulder surgery, 247Sports’ Jason Scheer has confirmed.

Brown’s name was not mentioned when coach Jedd Fisch broke down the defensive line during Monday’s press conference, and Brown was not in attendance for Arizona’s training camp-ending mock game on Aug. 20.

This will be the third consecutive season in which Brown misses all or part of the fall. He opted out of the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign, then after playing the first four games of 2021 (and starting three times) he did not play the rest of the way. That allowed him to maintain his final season of eligibility.

For his career, which began at the UA in 2017, Brown has played in 32 games and made 17 starts. He has registered 61 tackles, including 14.5 for loss, and 6.5 sacks.

Brown and defensive end Jalen Harris are the only players remaining from the last Arizona team that had a winning season.

Without Brown, Arizona’s interior defensive line is a little thinner but not drastically. Fisch noted five players that should rotate at those positions at SDSU including junior Kyon Barrs and sophomore Tia Savea, both of whom have been dealing with injuries.

Barrs missed spring ball due to foot surgery but has been a full participant in fall practice, while Savea—a transfer from UCLA—missed the mock game as well as several practices around that time but is on track to play the opener.