Tag: BAD

The transfer portal is a funny thing.

In some or even many cases it can decimate a roster, with coaches and fans seemingly helpless as the team’s best players depart for greener pastures.

At the same time, however, the periods in which players are free to attempt to find new homes can also rebuild or even enhance a roster, meaning programs need not be down for very long.

Although the portal has been a thing since 2018 and an NIL has been a thing for a few years now, Arizona is for the first time really experiencing both ends of the spectrum.

Whereas in previous seasons Arizona didn’t lose much in the way of big names nor be forced to build its roster via transfers, this past year has been different.

And where last season the January coaching change led to the portal taking far more than it gave while providing little opportunity for the new staff to go shopping, this year the Cats were ready to go when it opened up.

That goes for players and the coaches.

Since the disappointing 2024 season ended more than 30 Wildcats entered their name into the portal. Some, like Dalton Johnson, Treydan Stukes and Genesis Smith, ultimately withdrew and will return to Arizona.

Others, like Jacob Manu, Gunner Maldonado, Wendell Moe Jr. and Keyan Burnett, found new homes while players like Tacario Davis, Marquis Groves-Killebrew and Kamuela Ka’aihue are still out there out there waiting to be plucked from the portal.

The idea that Arizona is set to replace so much of its roster and starting lineups might seem discouraging, at least until you remember the team being remade won a total of four games last season so a roster makeover isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Provided, of course, that the new players are talented enough to excel either in greater roles or at a higher level of football.

Given the kind of program Arizona is and understanding what it is not, the absolute best of the best, ready-made-stars in the portal are not much of an option. Nor are the players who are seeking the largest NIL deal possible. And that’s fine.

A look at what the Cats have reeled in so far shows an intriguing mix of veterans who were productive at smaller schools and in smaller conferences, who are looking to prove themselves at a higher level, along with guys who are looking for larger or different roles following time at other P4 programs.

There are offensive linemen, receivers, running backs, defensive backs and defensive linemen. There are linebackers, too, and the team recently landed a quarterback. In all there are 18 players so far, with each one being the kind of lottery ticket a program like Arizona needs to cash in on if it is to quickly move up the standings.

Certainly not finished adding players (and probably losing some, as the spring portal still looms), on the surface Brent Brennan and his staff seem to have plugged some holes and found players who should be able to contribute in 2025.

Both 247Sports and Rivals have Arizona’s transfer class ranked 18th in the country and third in the Big 12, so it stands to reason there are some impact players coming to Tucson.

Linebacker Blake Gotcher or defensive lineman Chancellor Owens, both from Northwestern State, might be one of them. The same could be true of running back Ismail Mahdi from Texas State or receivers Kris Hutson from Washington State and Luke Wysong from New Mexico. Or maybe linebacker Riley Wilson from Montana or corner Michael Dansby from San Jose State will step up. Then again, perhaps receiver Tre Spivey from Kansas State or one of the bevvy of offensive linemen will step in and play a key role.

And that’s the good side of the portal. While many think of it as the haves vs. the have nots, the truth is while the biggest names may not so much as glance at Arizona there are hundreds of players looking for a role, and when you are a Wildcats program that stood to lose many key players who gobbled up snaps and NIL funds, being able to offer each of those things when wooing players can really help.

Arizona would not be the first program to quickly turn its fortunes around via the portal, which is something to keep in mind as this off-season rolls on. None of this is to say that every player the Cats bring in will play well and that they won’t miss some of the players who left, because they certainly won’t and definitely will.

From a fan’s standpoint seeing long-term players like Manu, Maldonado, and Moe Jr., players who were instrumental in the thrilling 2023 season, put on a different team’s uniform will hurt. Adding in the losses to graduation or the professional ranks for guys like Tetaioroa McMillan, Jonah Savaiinaea, Josh Baker, Quali Conley, Tyler Loop and Montana Lemonious-Craig means next season’s team will hardly be recognizable from what we saw the last few years.

But that’s life in the world of college sports, and we should be thankful for getting to experience a brief era that saw these players lead Arizona to unprecedented heights, even if it most recently provided one of the most disappointing low points.

Now as the calendar turns to January the team we saw struggle last season is no longer. Instead there is a roster made up of some returning players and plenty of new ones. It’s not the only way to build a winner but it is a way, as shown by conference and in-state rival Arizona State.

The Sun Devils used the portal to turn their roster into one that earned a playoff berth, and while their success may be difficult to repeat it need not be unique to Tempe. Whether Arizona’s coaching staff has been able to land the right players and, further, will be able to coach them up remains to be seen, but at the very least the portal has offered the program a chance for a much-needed fresh start.