When offensive lineman Michael Wooten announced he was entering the portal last month, doing so several weeks before it actually opened, it meant Arizona was losing a player who had started the first two games of the season.
He’d end up being one of a kind in that respect.
The NCAA transfer portal officially closed on Friday night—save for players from Indiana and Miami—and Arizona saw 21 members of the 2025 roster put their names in. But unlike the previous few seasons, the impact of those departures
was minimal.
Wooten, who started at left guard before Chubba Maae took over that spot in Week 3, was the only UA player who opted to transfer after starting a game this past season. A few others (tight end Keyan Burnett, receiver Jeremiah Patterson and defensive backs Marquis Groves-Killebrew and Jack Luttrell) had started during the 2024 season but were backups on the squad that went 9-4 and reached the Holiday Bowl.
The 21 players in the portal from the UA combined to play 505 snaps on offense (230 by Wooten), 312 on defense and 454 on special teams.
Compare that to after the 2024 season, when Arizona lost left guard Wendell Moe, cornerback Tacario Davis and defensive lineman Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei, each of whom were full-time starters, in addition to linebacker Jacob Manu, defensive back Gunner Maldonado, cornerback Emmanuel Karnley and running back Rayshon ‘Speedy’ Luke.
Those and other portal departures had combined to make 59 starts for the disappointing 2024 team that went 4-8 in Brent Brennan’s first season.
The losses were almost as significant between 2023 and 2024, when in the wake of Jedd Fisch’s departure and Brennan’s hurried hire the Wildcats lost a combined 40 starts from the 10-3 team that won the Alamo Bowl.
Arizona still has a lot of holes to fill for 2026 due to graduation and the NFL Draft. Only 57 of a possible 143 starts on offense are back, a number that was recently bolstered by offensive lineman Tristan Bounds earning a 6th year of eligibility thanks to a medical redshirt, while on defense the Wildcats bring back just 47 starts with linebacker Taye Brown the only one who started all 13 games.
Brown enters the 2026 season with 18 consecutive starts, third-best on the team behind quarterback Noah Fifita (34) and right guard Alexander Doost (22).
The UA has efforted to address its biggest needs in the portal, adding 22 players as of Saturday. The Wildcats have signed three offensive linemen, three receivers, three tight ends and a running back on offense, while on defense they’ve picked up four cornerbacks, three safeties, and three linebackers as well as a kicker/punter and long snapper, with more additions expected.
