During the 2025 season Arizona had 21 players on its roster listed as defensive backs. Losses due to graduation, the NFL Draft or the NCAA transfer portal left the Wildcats with only 10 players set to return in the secondary.
That number is back up to 21 after yet another DB addition from the portal.
The UA has earned a commitment from former Howard cornerback Zuri Watson, who will have three years of eligibility remaining.
The 6-foot-1, 175-pound Watson spent two seasons at Howard, an FCS school in
Washington, D.C. He appeared in 16 games for the Bison, starting 11 times in 2025 when he 34 tackles (two for loss) with an interception and eight pass breakups. On 289 coverage snaps he allowed two touchdowns, and his forced incompletion rate of 21.9 percent was third-best in the MEAC.
Watson is the fourth corner the UA has picked up from the portal, along with Tyrese Boss (Wyoming), Dwight Bootle II (Charlotte) and Daylen Austin (Oregon). The Wildcats also picked up a commitment from junior college corner Brandon Holmes as well as a couple prep corners, most notably 4-star signee Haier Hiler.
All told Arizona will have 11 newcomers in the secondary as it looks to replace all five starters from a 2025 squad that helped record 22 interceptions and hold 10 opponents below 200 passing yards.
The Wildcats are up to 22 acquisitions from the portal, compared to 21 who have entered from Arizona.
