After a brutal first week in the transfer portal, the Arizona Wildcats are finally starting to get some good news as it relates to their 2025 season.
Arizona has had a few things break their way in the last 24 hours, with the addition of Washington State WR Kris Hutson. That, coupled with the retention of star quarterback Noah Fifita gives the Wildcats something to be hopeful for on the offensive side of the ball.
UA has been hit the hardest on the defensive side of the ball, however, as names like Jacob Manu, Tacario Davis, and Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei are among a slew of starters who are set to leave.
The Wildcats did get some good news on Thursday, though, as sophomore safety Genesis Smith announced that he’d withdrawn his name from the portal after entering the database last week.
Smith finished the 2024 season ranked third in tackles (64) and contributed in a number of other ways, with three interceptions, six PBUs , two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.
His retention should help with some of the other losses in the secondary, although losing Tacario Davis, Gunner Maldanado, and Dalton Johnson in the same cycle will be tough to deal with after going 4-8 this year.
The transfer portal officially opened on Monday, December 9, 2024, and will remain open until Saturday, December 28, with an exception for players on teams who play bowl games after the window closes. According to NCAA data, 2,273 FBS football players entered the transfer portal in 2023-24 school year, with 1,558 (68.5%) undergraduates and 715 (31.5%) graduate transfers. Of the entrants, 57% reported that they enrolled in another school, 8% withdrew their names from the portal, and 35% are still active, transferred to a non-NCAA school, or left their sport.
The Heartland College Sports Twitter account is an excellent resource for keeping up with the latest Big 12 news and announcements. Make sure you check out our HCS member forum to connect with other Big 12 sports fans.
