Nine Arizona Wildcats officially entered the transfer portal on January 17th, and one more announced his decision to enter the following morning. These announcements came just a few days after Jedd Fisch was formally introduced at Washington. Athletes have 30 days to enter the transfer portal following a head coaching change. Several Arizona players are currently exercising that ability to explore their options. This doesn’t mean they’ll all be following Fisch to Seattle. But it does mean that Fisch’s staff, who know these players very well, should be interested. Washington’s roster reconstruction might begin in Tucson.
Offensive Targets from Arizona
The biggest name to enter the portal in Tucson hasn’t played a snap for the Wildcats. Demond Williams is a quarterback in the 2024 recruiting class who enrolled early. The former four-star recruit was one of the nine to enter on Wednesday. Williams was an Elite 11 Finalist last summer and earned several accolades as a high school quarterback at Basha High School in Chandler, Arizona. Ole Miss and Arizona heavily recruited him. But it was none other than Jimmie Dougherty who sold him on staying home. Dougherty is now the passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Fisch at Washington. With Williams now in the transfer portal, Dougherty’s recruiting skills might come in handy once again. Williams will be making an official visit to Washington this weekend.
Jonah Coleman was one of the first players to announce his intentions to transfer after Fisch headed to Seattle. The Arizona running back averaged 6.8 yards per attempt last season with 871 yards and five touchdowns. Coleman was the team’s leading rusher and also caught 25 passes for 283 yards and a score. He will have three years of eligibility remaining. Coleman should be of interest to Washington with last year’s running back Dillon Johnson heading to the next level. Coleman was seen court-side with a few teammates at an Arizona basketball game on Wednesday night. He was with Noah Fifita, Tetairoa McMillan, and Jacob Manu, along with new head coach Brent Brennan. Coleman is the only one of the group currently in the portal. It’s expected that Brennan is working hard to keep him in Tucson.
Defensive Targets from Arizona
In Arizona’s secondary, Ephesians Prysock entered the portal with a high three-star grade. As a sophomore last season, Prysock had seven pass breakups, an interception, and 61 tackles at cornerback. Out of high school, Prysock was a four-star recruit and California native. Washington’s secondary was hit hard with players transferring, including Jabbar Muhammad. Replacing him on this Washington roster is no easy feat, but Prysock is a guy in the portal with the talent to do so. He will have two years of eligibility remaining at his next school.
Arizona defensive back Tacario Davis announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal on Thursday morning, though he’s not officially in as of this writing. Davis played all 13 games for Arizona last season and led the Pac-12 with 15 pass breakups in 2023. He also had an interception and 25 tackles in 2023. Davis should be among Washington’s targets for its depleted secondary.
Other Notable Arizona Transfer Portal Players
Dorian Thomas is a Washington native and spent his freshman season with the Wildcats last year. He got on the field for just one snap this season but was a three-star tight end out of high school. It’s likely his home-state will come calling to build depth to the tight end position at Washington. Jordan Paopao recruited him to Arizona, and he’s now the tight ends coach for Fisch in Seattle.
Raymond Pulido is a freshman offensive lineman who was a member of the Wildcats’ 2023 class. He was a four-star recruit and the 31st-ranked interior offensive lineman in his recruiting class. Brennan Carroll recruited him to Tucson last year, and he’s now the offensive line coach and offensive coordinator for Fisch in Seattle. It’s expected that Carroll will once again be involved in the recruitment of Pulido to Washington.
Reconstructing Washington’s Roster
All 11 of the Washington starters on its National Championship offense have either declared for the NFL Draft or entered the transfer portal. In total, the two-deep depth chart has seen 29 players leave the program since the National Title game just 10 days ago. The unprecedented roster turnover leaves significant holes to fill for Fisch and staff. The transfer portal is technically closed for entry. Many of the top players in the winter transfer portal window have found destinations. The only new portal entries for the next several weeks will be those caused by head coaching changes. For now, Washington’s eyes should be set on who comes out of Arizona. The spring window opens up on April 15th. Until then, Washington has to begin to put pieces in place, and the Arizona roster its new staff is so familiar with is a great place to start.
