In an unexpected development, Arizona senior linebacker Jerry Roberts has been granted a waiver for an extra year of eligibility.
Roberts, who began his college career at Bowling Green in 2017, would be a seventh-year senior for the 2023 Wildcats.
Roberts started all 12 games for Arizona this past season, his second in Tucson. He ranked second on the team with 78 tackles, including a team-high 11 in the season finale vs. Arizona State.
Roberts was given a medical redshirt for the 2018 season, when he played in four games. That was the first year players were able to play in up to four games while preserving a redshirt.
Roberts took a traditional redshirt as a freshman in ’17, when he did not appear in a game. The pandemic year, 2020, did not count toward any player’s eligibility, enabling sixth- and seventh-year seniors to dot rosters across the country.
Roberts appeared in nine games for Arizona, including six starts, in 2021 before suffering a season-ending injury in the next-to-last game of the campaign.
Despite Roberts’ return, Arizona is expected to bring in competition at the “Mike” linebacker spot through the NCAA transfer portal. Adding another capable veteran would enable the Wildcats to lessen Roberts’ workload – he played 766 snaps, third most on the defense – and possibly carve out a role for him that would best utilize his skill set.
Roberts had nine QB pressures in 57 pass-rush snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. He also had a team-high 23 missed tackles, per PFF.
Contact sports reporter Michael Lev at [email protected]. On Twitter: @michaeljlev
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