Arizona
Arizona Wildcats Football Suffering Brutal Exodus in Transfer Portal
The Arizona Wildcats came into the 2024 college football season with a bright outlook for the future. They were ranked in the top 25 and looked like a potential sleeper contender.
Unfortunately, right off the bat, it was clear Arizona was not the team they were hyped up to be.
The Wildcats managed to scrape together a rough 4-8 record after this past campaign was brutal from an all-around standpoint.
Nothing went right and the awful year has now completely changed the team’s outlook.
Already this offseason, Arizona is reeling in the NCAA transfer portal.
So far, they have already lost 30 players to the transfer portal. This is an unprecedented exodus from a football program and it’s a situation that will be hard to recover from for Brent Brennan and the Wildcats.
Here is the long list of players who have opted to enter the transfer portal this offseason:
CB Treyden Stukes, EDGE Cyrus Durham, S Dalton Johnson, EDGE Nolan Clement, CB Tacario Davis, S Gunner Maldonado, DL Nick Fernandez, EDGE Taitai Uiagalelei, OT Elijah Payne, CB Emmanuel Karnley, LB Kamuela Kaaihue, EDGE Tristan Davis, IOL Jonah Rodriguez, TE Keyan Burnett, WR Malachi Riley, WR Jackson Holman, CB Demetrius Freeney, LB Jacob Manu, WR Raymello Murphy, CB Jai-Ayviauynn Celestine, QB Anthony Garcia, RB Brandon Johnson, IOL Wendell Moe Jr., IOL JT Hand, RB Rayshon Luke, WR AJ Jones, DL Bryce Echols, TE Dorian Thomas, QB Brayden Dorman, S Genesis Smith.
Needless to say, that is a long list of players and it’s going to be difficult to replace them all.
On the outside looking in, this could be the start of a major rebuild for Brennan and Arizona since it likely will take a couple of years to restock the amount of talent that is leaving the program.
However, the Wildcats will also have an opportunity to attack back and try to bring players in through the portal themselves.
Arizona will need to get aggressive in order to be competitive for the 2025 season.
This is part of the new college football setup with the transfer portal. Teams can go from contenders to rebuilding in the space of one year. The Wildcats seem likely to learn that the hard way.
Hopefully, the program can stick together and stay competitive and aggressive.
It’s demoralizing to see this many players leave, but it’s also an opportunity for a fresh start.
Arizona
Bird Droppings: Arizona Cardinals riding another second half collapse, Murray’s struggles, Marvin Harrison Jr’s development and more
Happy Sunday one and all.
We area heading into the biggest game of the season, and if you notice, every game since the bye week has been the biggest game of the season, and the Arizona Cardinals are 0-3 in those games.
Now, they get a New England Patriots team that is better than their record.
Let’s get started with a look around the web at your Arizona Cardinals.
Cardinals QB Kyler Murray absorbing scrutiny he knows is coming with recent struggles
Cardinals quarterback ‘mad at myself’ for recent play but focus on Patriots
Cardinals Announce 2024 Inspire Change Changemaker Award Recipient
Roberto Del Real works for Chicanos Por La Causa
Cardinals players Jesse Luketa, Mack Wilson Sr., and Zach Pascal come together to form musical group ‘3rd&Go’
Zach Pascal, Mack Wilson Sr., Jesse Luketa go by ‘3rd&Go’
Three Big Things: Patriots Week
A look at the top storylines for Sunday’s game
Injury Report: Week 15 vs Patriots
Check in on the health of the Cardinals heading into their Week 15 matchup with the Patriots
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Jonathan Gannon Speaks With The Media About Michael Palardy, His Process, And More
Jonathan Gannon speaks with the media on Friday, December 13th.
The Pulse: Week 15 vs. Patriots
Join Cardinals insider Zach Gershman as he breaks down the loss to the Seahawks and gets inside the locker room before the home game against the Patriots.
Big Red Rage – Cardinals Cornerback Max Melton Growing In Rookie Year
Ep. 694 – Cornerback Max Melton joined Paul Calvisi and Ron Wolfley at Trophy in Chandler to discuss his rookie season, navigating the NFL Draft process, learning from a pro like Budda Baker, his comfort level in the Cardinals defense
Cardinals Cover 2 – Want To Be A Playoff Team? Then Win On Sunday
Ep. 831 – No, a win doesn’t clinch a spot in the playoffs. But if the Cardinals want to keep their postseason hopes alive, then they need to win on Sunday. They need to beat the New England Patriots at State Farm Stadium.
Best 2024 NFL rookies: Ranking top 10 players through Week 14 – ESPN
Which rookies have performed best as the 2024 NFL season heads into the final stretch? We stacked the top 10 and answered questions.
How Kyler Murray has struggled under pressure in Cards’ skid – ESPN
Since the start of Arizona’s losing streak in Week 12, the Arizona quarterback’s completion percentage, yards per attempt and touchdown-to-interception ratio have dropped against pressure.
Former NFL QB Carson Palmer to coach high school alma mater – ESPN
Carson Palmer is taking over as the head football coach at his alma mater as Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Orange County, California, made his hiring official on Friday.
Bickley: Cardinals on line of good, bad team after Seahawks loss
In the NFL, there’s a big difference between a bad day and a bad team. The Cardinals are straddling a precarious line after a 30-18 home loss to the Seahawks.
Kyler Murray on Seahawks loss: ‘I let the team down’
Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray is putting Sunday’s loss to the Seahawks squarely on himself following another two-interception showing.
Cardinals’ loss to Seahawks not entirely on QB Kyler Murray
Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray deserves a lot of the blame for Sunday’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks. He’s not alone, though.
Can Kyler Murray, Cardinals kick sad end-of-year tradition?
Traditions are common during the holiday season. The Cardinals, however, are hoping to avoid one that’s been attached to the franchise for years.
Arizona Cardinals player promises great run defense vs. Patriots
The Cardinals defense wants to correct play that hasn’t been up to their standards and vow to do that against the Patriots.
Arizona Cardinals rookie DL Darius Robinson ‘a sponge,’ says teammate
Roy Lopez says no one needs to worry about rookie defensive lineman Darius Robinson and what he will become.
Cardinals S Joey Blount gets Pat Tillman jersey in practice again
Blount was the Cardinals’ practice player of the week for the second time.
Marvin Harrison Jr’s position coach details his rookie development
Cardinals passing game coordinator/WRs coach Drew Terrell details Marvin Harrison Jr.’s rookie development and more in this week’s Q&A.
Arizona Cardinals depth chart: Rookie Isaiah Adams now the starting RG
After getting the start in Week 14 and playing every single snap, a third-round pick has now officially become a starter.
Arizona
Arizona volleyball to host Bowling Green in NIVC championship match
Arizona head coach Rita Stubbs has said a few times that winning the NIVC would prove that the Wildcats are the “65th best team” in Division I volleyball. The Wildcats are arguably better than several teams that got into the NCAA Tournament, including some at-large teams that were taken over them, but her point is well taken. If a team doesn’t win its league or impress the selection committee enough, it doesn’t have the chance to prove that it’s better than those teams.
It can still win a championship, though. And that’s just what the Wildcats will try to do.
Arizona (23-9, 9-9 Big 12) will host Bowling Green (25-9, 16-2 MAC) in the NIVC tournament title game on Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 6 p.m. MST in McKale Center. The match will stream on ESPN+.
The Wildcats got a first-round bye in the tourney before defeating the Pacific Tigers, the Wyoming Cowgirls, and the Northern Colorado Bears. They dropped just one set, losing the third set of their match against the Bears in the Fab 4.
The three teams UA faced were ranked No. 128, No. 107, and No. 68 in RPI before the tournament. They will now take on the 85th-ranked Falcons.
BGSU and Arizona have one common opponent in Big 12 team Cincinnati. The Wildcats defeated UC 3-1 in Cincinnati. The Bearcats defeated BGSU 3-0 in Bowling Green.
The Falcons’ only ranked opponent this season was No. 22 Dayton. The Flyers defeated BGSU in straight sets. Arizona went 2-8 against teams that were ranked at the time of the match and 2-9 against teams that were ranked at some point over the season.
BGSU’s other major conference opponents were Big Ten teams Ohio State and Illinois. It lost in straight sets to the Illini. It lost both matches in a home-and-home played against the Buckeyes. OSU swept the Falcons at home and beat them 3-1 in Bowling Green.
Once hitting the NIVC, BGSU has been resilient. It beat Binghamton and Wright State 3-1 at home. In both cases, the opponent won the first set 25-18 before the Falcons came back to win three straight.
BGSU then went on the road to play DePaul. Once again, it won 3-1. The Falcons dominated the Blue Demons in the first two sets before dropping the third. They regrouped to easily win the fourth.
The Fab 4 was even more difficult for the Falcons. They fell behind St. John’s 0-2 in Queens, N.Y. They narrowly defeated the Red Storm in the third before blowing them out in the fourth and taking a close fifth on the way to a reverse sweep.
Lead photo by Mike Christy / Arizona Athletics
Arizona
Two Cardinals Out for Season After IR Moves
ARIZONA — Two Arizona Cardinals have seen their season end, barring a postseason push.
Ahead of their Week 15 matchup against the New England Patriots, the Cardinals announced the following roster moves.
Demercado and Gillikin are out for the rest of the regular season, as players must miss a minimum of four weeks before returning. With only four games left on the schedule, the Cardinals will need a postseason push to see either player return to action.
Demercado served as Arizona’s third down back and was highly coveted in the Cardinals’ running back room. If Arizona did want to fill his roster spot, Michael Carter would be a candidate off the practice squad.
Gillikin was considered to be one of the league’s best punters before his injury last week. While kicker Chad Ryland had to handle punting duties in the second half of action in Week 14, Palardy will be booming punts for the Cardinals to finish the season.
“When you go into these situations you want to make it as seamless as possible,” Palardy told AZCardinals.com’s Darren Urban.
“Every opportunity is a good opportunity,” he said. “I try to take same approach with that as I do something like this.”
The Cardinals listed Naquon Jones and Roy Lopez as questionable, though no defensive lineman being elevated from the practice squad could be a good sign for their chances to play.
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