Safety Dalton Johnson withdraws from NCAA transfer portal, will return to Arizona in 2025

The NCAA transfer portal giveth and it taketh, but sometimes it just gives back what it took. For Arizona, that happened not once but twice on Thursday.

Safety Dalton Johnson is returning to the Wildcats for his redshirt senior season, withdrawing from the portal after going in last week. He joins fellow safety Genesis Smith, who did the same earlier Thursday.

Johnson, the only member of Arizona’s 2021 recruiting class–which signed in between Kevin Sumlin being fired and Jedd Fisch getting hired–led the Wildcats with 94 tackles this season. He started 11 games, missing one because of injury, and has 24 starts with 36 career appearances.

Arizona has had more than 30 players from the 2024 team enter the portal including the majority of the defensive starters, but getting back Johnson and Smith helps solidify a back line that has added three players from the portal and will have Duane Akina back as position coach following a season as defensive coordinator.

The return of Johnson and Smith continues the recent good news for Arizona, which on Wednesday night saw quarterback Noah Fifita announce he was coming back for 2025. Fifita has started the last 21 games.