TUCSON, Ariz. -- Arizona defensive end Reggie Gilbert is one of only six players left from Mike Stoops' final recruiting class in 2011. He might not be done yet either in a Wildcats uniform.
Signs look good that Gilbert, listed as a senior on the roster, will receive a medical hardship for his freshman season. The school lists him as appearing in six games that year, including one after the midway point of the season -- typically, too much playing time to qualify for a medical redshirt -- but those participation charts can be a bit sketchy, especially for a reserve lineman as he was at the time.
Gilbert says he's "pretty sure" he played in only four games. If so, and assuming none of those appearances came after the halfway point of the season, he fits the hardship criteria. He suffered a torn meniscus that year, he said, ending his season.
As for next season ... well, he's got a Fiesta Bowl against Boise State on Dec. 31 to play in first.
"Right now, I'm just focusing on a bowl," Gilbert said. "And after the bowl game, we're going to discuss and talk and everything like that. We'll see. Either way, I love Arizona, but we'll see."
Gilbert, the defensive end in Arizona's three-man front, has started all but the season-opener, when he was bothered by a foot injury. He and fifth-year senior defensive tackle Dan Pettinato have been the leaders of a defensive line that has patched together just enough depth to survive the season.
Gilbert and Pettinato each have 44 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss. Gilbert has three sacks, Pettinato four. Gilbert forced one fumble; Pettinato two.
"He's like a brother," Pettinato said of their similar rise through the program.
FIESTA BOWL
Arizona vs. Boise State
When: 2 p.m. Dec. 31
Where: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale
TV: ESPN
"We hang out on and off the field. We're out here in the summer, me and Reggie working out. We're always so competitive. I see him beat a block, and I'm like, 'I've got to pick it up.' We feed off each other. I like how low he plays. He plays really low and he's quick. I'm always trying to compete with that, trying to stay lower than him."
Arizona hadn't generated much pass rush in coach Rich Rodriguez's first two seasons -- a total of 40 -- but the Wildcats have nearly reached that figure this season. They enter the Fiesta Bowl with 37 sacks. That's partly a testament to linebacker Scooby Wright, who is added as a defensive end in pass rush situations and whose totals of 14 sacks, 28 tackles for loss and 158 tackles contributed to him being a unanimous All-American and the national defensive player of the year (Nagurski, Bednarik awards).
On the banquet circuit, Wright was quick to praise his teammates, especially the guys up front who do the dirty work to keep blockers off him as much as possible.
"I'm just proud of him," Gilbert said. "It's good for the program, and it's definitely good for him because he's worked hard for everything he's got. Nobody gave him anything. I'm definitely proud of him for that. I'm just glad somebody from Arizona got it."
Gilbert (6-4, 262) also did some of the unsung work in the meeting room. He and Pettinato were the veteran leaders who had to show the way for junior college transfer lineman Jeff Worthy, redshirt freshman walk-on nose guard Parker Zellers, sophomore nose guard Sani Fuimaono (who returned this summer from a church mission) and redshirt freshman Calvin Allen.
"Him and Dan are veterans who know how we play our fronts and our defense," Rodriguez said. "Reggie is sound technically, understands the position and he's a good athlete, too."
Gilbert would be a solid cornerstone if he returns next season, when the Wildcats need to develop more depth. They signed four-star defensive lineman Anthony Fotu last week, have a commitment from three-star junior college end Timmy Hamilton, could get sophomore Dwight Melvin back from academic ineligibility and will see what they have from younger guys, such as four-star 2014 signee Marcus Griffin, a 300-pounder who redshirted this season.
But, as Gilbert says about next season, we'll see.
In the meantime, Gilbert, from Laveen Fairfax High School, will be making his 34th career start and will be playing close to home for the Fiesta Bowl, held at University of Phoenix Stadium, the home of the NFL's Cardinals. Not that he's a fan. Like many who live in the Valley, he's from someplace else, moving when he was 16 from Sacramento, Calif.
So, he roots for the Raiders.
"But I'm really excited to be playing in the Cardinals' stadium," he said. "I always thought it was pretty cool, just from the outside, with that whole spaceship look to it."
Six Wildcats graduated this semester, the school announced. They are: WR Austin Hill (psychology), S Jourdon Grandon (communication), S Blake Brady (regional development), QB Jesse Scroggins (social, behavior and human understanding), RB Jones-Grigsby (sports and society) and CB Jonathan McKnight (social, behavior and human understanding).
Follow Anthony Gimino on Twitter
