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 48 hours, with the addition of Washington State WR Kris Hutson, the retention of star quarterback Noah Fifita, and then Genesis Smith withdrawing his name from the portal on Thursday.
UA has been hit the hard on the defensive side of the ball, with starters like Jacob Manu, Tacario Davis, and Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei still transferring out, but at least one more defender appears to be coming back to Tucson next season.
Late Thursday evening, starting safety Dalton Johnson became the second defender to withdraw his name from the transfer portal.
Johnson, a redshirt junior out of Katy, Texas, is listed at 5-foot-10, 180 pounds, has played in 37 games over four seasons with Arizona, totaling 189 tackles, 11 TFLs, and two sacks. The hard-hitting safety also has one interception, three PBUs, and six forced fumbles over his career.
In 2024, Johnson earned an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention and will have just one season of eligibility remaining at the program he lands with.
Brent Brennan and the Arizona staff still have a full-fledged defensive rebuild on their hands this offseason, but at least they’ll have a safety duo back with some experience to build upon.
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.
