Arizona is a week out from officially starting its 2026 campaign to compete for a Big 12 title and a possible spot in the College Football Playoff. While the Wildcats return key pieces like Noah Fifita, Tre Spivey and Jay’Vion Cole, they still needed to fill spots on the roster.
Five players from the secondary found their way to the pro level, and many others ran out of eligibility. So in turn, Arizona went to the transfer portal to help fill those voids.
Here are five transfer players that could have
the most impact this season for Arizona:
CB Dwight Bootle II
Charlotte transfer Dwight Bootle comes in with 38 tackles, a pass breakup, and a fumble recovery last season. He played in 12 games and had six starts. He joins what will be a new-look secondary with five players from last season finding their way to the NFL level.
The spot he hopes to fill is the one that Michael Dansby and Ayden Garnes rotated last season. Across from Cole, he hopes to have the perimeter of the field on lock down. Corners coach Chip Viney has seen the growth from the spring which has now instilled confidence into Bootle.
“Really proud of who he’s become since arriving here in the spring to now,” Viney said. “I think Dwight is just starting to scratch the surface of who he could be.”
Along with personal growth, Bootle saw what happened with the now NFL guys, so he knows the system works. It’s now up to him to execute the game plan and make plays.
“The coaching staff, not only can they talk it, they can back it up,” he said. “We just put five DBs in the league. We got a standard that is set, and I want to come here and try to up the standard, try to be the next great thing out of Arizona.”
RB Antwan Roberts Jr.
Arizona brings back two experienced running backs with Kedrick Reescano and Quincy Craig, and was set to replace Ismail Mahdi. Arizona brought in Marshall transfer Antwan Roberts Jr. to help out the three-back rotation that was successful last season.
Last season, he ran for 512 yards and four touchdowns with the Thundering Herd. For the Wildcats, not only was it an X’s and O’s fit, but it was a cultural fit with the program.
“It’s a great addition, man,” Moevao said. “You’re not sure what you’re going to get in the portal until it actually gets on campus. You might have things on film in terms of their ability as a football player, what they’re able to do, the numbers, the production that they bring to the team. However, it’s the cultural piece that it’s always tough to judge when you’re going through the evaluation period of these types of guys. He got here, he started mixing in with the boys, getting involved in the weight room and training room and in workouts. Then we get into football meetings, and I mean, the man has just excelled in every department.”
Not only does Roberts Jr. need to be dangerous on the ground, he needs to become a dangerous option through the air. Throughout training camp, he has shown that he can be that threat, especially if he gets out in the open space.
“Noah attracts a lot of attention, and especially with this wide receiver corps,” Roberts Jr. said. “Defenses will start to drop seven, eight into coverage, and then you will kind of find a running back maybe laying out in the flat. So it’s definitely important to always kind of be knowing that the ball can find you at any time in this offense.”
Regardless of what happens with Mahdi’s eligibility, Roberts Jr. will be a big part of the mix this season for Arizona on the ground.
S Malcolm Hartzog
With the amount of experience he brings, Nebraska transfer Malcolm Hartzog has become one of the new leaders in the safety room this season. He may be coming off an injury, but Hartzog showed in training camp why he can fill in one of the empty spots left by Dalton Johnson and Genesis Smith.
In the Cincinnati-Nebraska game, the Bearcats were in a position to win the game until Hartzog’s late-game interception sealed the win for the Huskers. If the Wildcats want to replicate the success from 2025, he will need to make plays like that this season, and Viney is confident Hartzog will.
“I’d say I’m pretty excited about the guy that we have in that spot this year,” said Viney. “You got a guy in Malcolm Hartzog who’s played a ton of ball, and he’s looking to bounce back and make his own statement this year.”
He comes to Tucson with 108 career tackles, 13 pass deflections, and eight interceptions. Along with Bootle, they join a new-look secondary that will need to be ready for a pass heavy conference. The important note for his position is that he will be in the slot/nickel position more often than not so he will have more on his plate.
TE Cole Rusk
Last season, Arizona saw two of their top tight end options in Tyler Powell and Keyan Burnett unable to finish the season. Powell went out with injury and Burnett would eventually enter the transfer portal.
While Sam Olson and Cameron Barmore were reliable options, the coaching staff wanted to make sure that depth was not an issue this season. Powell will return to the field this season, but the spring showed that Illinois transfer Cole Rusk has a strong connection with Fifita.
Tight ends coach Josh Miller feels more comfortable with where his room is at this season, and a big reason why is Rusk. The skillset that Rusk brings can open things up for the offense.
“He’s got great body control, great feel for space, he knows how to separate to create lanes we know to throw in,” said Miller. “I’ve been really pleased with what he’s been doing in the run game, and so I think he can be a complete tight end.”
At 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, Rusk can become a swiss army knife for the Wildcats this season. He had 19 catches for 217 yards for the Illini in 2025, but between his time at Eastern Michigan and Murray State he had 39 catches for 507 yards and six touchdowns.
C Zach Henning
The offensive line has some voids to fill this offseason with three seniors running out of eligibility. One of those spots was at center, so Arizona went to the transfer portal and Washington transfer Zach Henning to fill the spot.
The good news for Henning, his right side is in premium shape with Alexander Doost and Tristan Bounds returning. It has made his job easier despite being the new kid on the block.
“Playing next to Doost is pretty great,” said Henning. “He’s very strong and helps out with a lot of things. He’s also very smart as well, which helps out with the schemes with me learning it, and then Tristan’s kind of the same. He’s a very smart football player. He knows a lot, especially the edge of the defense. So it’s nice to have him out there and help me out.”
He did not play all of last season at center for the Huskies, but down the stretch of the season he became a very solid piece at center for them. Now, he is set to be the Wildcats’ center for team 123, and help lead a very powerful offensive attack.
