It was considered a strong possibility that Tacario Davis would not be back with Arizona next season, but that was because he was expected to turn pro. Instead, the Wildcats’ top cornerback is choosing to play one more year of college, but at another school.
And he’s not the only one. Davis and fellow UA defensive starter Dalton Johnson have both entered the NCAA transfer portal, adding to the list of key contributors from the 2024 team to put themselves on the market.
The 6-foot-4, 190-pound Davis started 23 games for Arizona in three seasons, including the last 22, and appeared in 31. This past season as a junior he had 44 tackles, two for loss, and six pass breakups after recording 15 PBU in 2023.
Johnson, a 5-foot-11, 202-pound redshirt sophomore safety, led Arizona with 94 tackles (five for loss) and forced two fumbles in starting 11 games this season. For his career he made 24 starts and played in 36 games.
Davis was part of Arizona’s signature 2022 recruiting class, a 3-star prospect from Long Beach, Calif., that picked the Wildcats over ASU and Kansas. Johnson, a 3-star recruit from Katy, Texas, was the lone remaining member of the 2021 class that signed with the Wildcats shortly after Kevin Sumlin was fired in December 2020.
All told, Arizona has seen 27 players enter the transfer portal since it opened Monday. That’s one fewer than last offseason, which included an extra portal window after Jedd Fisch left to take the Washington job in mid-January but also includes post-spring practice departures.
Of those 27, 10 combined to make 69 starts this past season including 50 on defense.