An early Christmas present!
The advent of the NCAA transfer portal has made it so college football players can change schools on an annual basis, and many do. That makes it so when one decides to stick with the school he joined out of high school it’s quite notable, especially when that player is a captain and defensive standout.
Jason Scheer of 247Sports is reporting that defensive back Treydan Stukes has withdrawn from the portal and will return to Arizona for the 2025 season, his sixth with the Wildcats. He joined the program during the COVID-shortened 2020 season as a walk-on and becomes the third UA player to remove their names from the portal to come back to Tucson for a final year.
— Treydan (@treydannn) December 24, 2024
The 6-foot-2, 198-pound Stukes has appeared in 42 games for Arizona and started 28, including 15 in a row before suffering a season-ending knee injury in the Big 12 opener at Utah in September. Stukes was one of three defensive captains for the UA who needed surgery after getting knocked out for the year this fall, though the other two—linebacker Jacob Manu and safety Gunner Maldonado—opted to transfer to Washington and Kansas State, respectively.
Stukes has 154 tackles for his career, along with three interceptions. This past season he served as Arizona’s nickel corner, known as the Star, and has started at both regular cornerback positions and played safety at times.
His return, along with those of safeties Genesis Smith and Dalton Johnson after they also withdrew from the portal, will be a huge boost for a UA defense that was decimated by injuries in 2024. Arizona has also added three defensive backs from the portal and returns part-time starters Marquis Groves-Killebew and Jack Luttrell, while full-time starting corner Tacario Davis remains in the portal.