While we don’t have a crystal ball, we can only imagine Duane Akina and the other secondary coaches are doing the happy dance right now. Star defensive back Dalton Johnson has withdrawn from the transfer portal and is returning to Arizona for the 2025 season. Matt Zenitz and Chris Hummer of 247Sports first reported the news.
In a season where Arizona’s secondary was riddled with injuries, Johnson was one of the few players able to stay healthy and make a consistent impact on the field. The ‘unofficial 4th captain on defense’ began the season at safety, before moving into a hybrid-linebacker role following Jacob Manu’s season-ending injury. In 11 games this season, he had a team high 94 tackles, including five TFL. Johnson also had two forced fumbles and two PBU.
Dalton Johnson is the second Wildcat of the day to withdraw from the transfer portal on Thursday, joining fellow defensive back Genesis Smith.
With Genesis Smith and Dalton Johnson both returning to Arizona, along with Maruqis Groves-Killebrew and Jack Luttrell, the Wildcats currently have four defensive backs with starting experience from last season. The Wildcats also added three defensive backs via the transfer portal: Michael Dansby (San José State), Jay’Vion Cole (Texas), and Jshawn Frausto-Ramos (Stanford).