The rough stretch of offseason departures continued for Arizona on Friday, with one of their best defensive players entering his name into the transfer portal.
That player is sophomore defensive back Genesis Smith, who finished third on the team in total tackles this fall.
Smith started nine of the Wildcats’ 12 games in 2024, recording a total of 64 tackles, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, three interceptions, and six pass breakups. He spent two seasons with the team from 2023-2024 and finished his Arizona career with 88 tackles, six pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and four interceptions.
Coming out of Hamilton High School in the Class of 2023, Smith was listed as a three-star prospect by the 247Sports index and the nation’s 511th-ranked player. He also checked in as the 48th-ranked player at his position and the 11th-ranked player in the state of Arizona.
Smith, a talented player in his class, received offers from 19 different programs, including Iowa State, Arizona State, Washington, Tulane, Oregon State, UNLV, Washington State, and more.
With the loss, Arizona is now down both of their starting safeties from the previous season after the news of Smith and Gunner Maldanado’s departures. After a sluggish 2024 season, it’s no secret that the Wildcats have quickly become a team with some of the highest transfer portal turnovers in the Big 12 Conference.
