Arizona football training camp preview: defensive backs

Following a 9-4 season last year, the Wildcats kick off the 2026 season against in-state rival Northern Arizona on Sept. 5 at Casino Del Sol Stadium. Arizona begins fall training exactly a month before the season opener on Wednesday, Aug. 5. 

Leading up to fall training camp, the Star is providing a position-by-position preview of the Wildcats. We recently evaluated the offensive side of the ball and did an overview of Arizona’s quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends and offensive line. 

The Wildcats’ defensive line kicked off the defensive part of the countdown, followed by the linebackers. Up next: defensive backs.

Position coach: Chip Viney (cornerbacks) and Brett Arce (safeties)

Departures: Treydan Stukes, Dalton Johnson, Genesis Smith, Ayden Garnes, Michael Dansby, Marquis Groves-Killebrew, Jack Luttrell, JShawn Frausto-Ramos, Gianni Edwards

Returners: CB Jay'Vion Cole (R-Sr.), S Gavin Hunter (R-So.), S Coleman Patmon (So.), CB Dajon Hinton (R-Fr.), S Johno Price (R-Fr.), S Quinn Olson (R-So.), CB Swayde Griffin (R-Fr.), S Kason Brown (R-Fr.), CB Aiden Miller (R-Fr.)

Newcomers: S Daylen Austin (R-Jr.), CB Tyrese Boss (R-So.), CB Dwight Bootle (R-Jr.), S Cam Chapa (Jr.), S Malcolm Hartzog (R-Sr.), S Lee Molette III (Sr.), CB Zuri Watson (So.), S Matai Tagoa’i, CB Xaier Hiler (Fr.), S Hannibal Navies II (Fr.), CB Kingston Spivey (Fr.), S James Pike (Fr.)

The rundown: No position group will be under the microscope more this training camp than Arizona’s defensive backs.

Four Arizona defensive backs were drafted to NFL teams this year, which ties an NFL record for most in a single draft: slot cornerback Treydan Stukes (Las Vegas Raiders), free safety Genesis Smith (Los Angeles Chargers), strong safety Dalton Johnson (Las Vegas Raiders) and cornerback Michael Dansby (Seattle Seahawks).

The Wildcats had the most defensive backs drafted out of any school this year and had four defensive backs in the same draft class for the first time in program history.

The aforementioned players led one of the best defenses in college football in 2025 and finished seventh in college football in passing defense and first in turnover margin. The Wildcats had more takeaways (31) than touchdowns allowed (28) and led the Big 12 in interceptions (22), which ranked second nationally. Arizona led college football in takeaways per game (2.5) last season. 

Stukes, Johnson and Smith combined to play 6,700 snaps — all at Arizona — during their collegiate careers. Stukes and Johnson were first-team All-Big 12 selections — the first time Arizona had multiple defensive backs as first-team all-conference selections in the same season since 1972.

"Those are big shoes to fill, a lot of production, but these guys have been doing a great job," Arizona safeties coach Brett Arce said in the spring. "We've got a lot of depth in there right now. It's a heck of a competition." 

Between the transfer portal and the high school recruiting trail, Arizona added a dozen defensive backs this offseason, including eight transfers. The Wildcats' early enrollees this spring were cornerback Xaier Hiler and safety Hannibal Navies. Arizona cornerbacks coach Chip Viney compared Hiler to former Wildcat Tacario Davis, who was drafted in the third round of the NFL Draft. Viney said Hiler is "long and tall and can sink his hips and move direction." 

Arizona's eight additions via the transfer portal are safety Daylen Austin (Oregon), nickel back and safety Malcolm Hartzog (Nebraska), cornerback Tyrese Boss (Wyoming), safety Cam Chapa (Northern Colorado), safety Lee Molette (UConn), cornerback Dwight Bootle (Charlotte), cornerback Zuri Watson (Howard) and safety Matai Tagoa'i (USC). 

Between Hartzog (1,700 defensive snaps), Chapa (1,495), Molette (1,354), Boss (643), Watson (598), Bootle (461), Austin (248) and Tagoa'i (35), Arizona is adding a combined 6,534 defensive snaps of experience to its defensive secondary via the transfer portal, according to Pro Football Focus.

However, not everyone was available in the spring due to injury rehab, including Austin and Chapa. Austin had shoulder surgery after the first week of spring practices. 

"The small glimpses in what he did those two days and through the walk-throughs, he's going to be a major piece," Arizona defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales said of Austin.

Chapa was one of the top defensive players at the FCS level the last two seasons at Northern Colorado.

In 23 games at Northern Colorado, Chapa logged 171 tackles, eight interceptions, 12 pass deflections, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. Chapa, who was a first-team All-Big Sky selection in 2025, led the conference with 63 solo tackles. 

Chapa and Austin — along with Molette and Tagoa’i, who moved from linebacker to safety in the spring — will be among the newcomers competing at safety this season. Returners Quinn Olson, who took reps with Arizona’s first-team defense in the spring, and Johno Price, who moved from cornerback to safety, will be among the reserve players looking for larger roles in Arizona’s defense. Gonzales called Price “a sleeper” at safety.

A conceivable starter at one of Arizona’s safety spots is redshirt junior Gavin Hunter. The 6-2, 207-pound Hunter is entering his fourth season with the program after signing with the Wildcats in 2023, the season Arizona went 10-3 and won the Alamo Bowl in former head coach Jedd Fisch's last year. Hunter signed with Arizona out of Mililani High School in Ewa Beach, Hawaii. 

Hunter has primarily played special teams at Arizona, but he ascended to a starter in the early stages of the 2025 season, when Stukes was rehabbing from a season-ending knee injury he suffered in 2024. 

With Stukes limited, Hunter started the first two games of the season against Hawaii and Weber State. His first interception as a Wildcat was against his hometown Rainbow Warriors to begin the season. Hunter did a serviceable job in the two games he started, but he was replaced with a longtime starter in Stukes at the start of Big 12 play.

"Gavin Hunter, he played outstanding for three weeks — as good as any safety in the Big 12, and then Treydan Stukes comes in, and Gavin hardly sees the field until the (Holiday Bowl) and then plays fantastic,” Gonzales said. “We couldn't do what we did in the second half if Gavin Hunter wasn't able to sit in the middle of the field and play safety and boundary safety. …

“He never wavered. He knew the plan going in. 'You're going in, but when Treydan Stukes is healthy, Treydan is going to play.' Gavin played well enough and played at such an elite level; if I was Gavin Hunter, I would've been like, 'We're winning football games and we just beat Kansas State and we gave up 180 yards with me as safety. Why are you taking me off the field?'

"And he never had that attitude, because he understood and was learning from those guys. I couldn't be more proud of Gavin Hunter for his mature factor. Two years ago, I tried to run Gavin Hunter out of here because I didn't think he was mature enough and was going to become one of who we are.

"He was like, 'You ain't getting rid of me. I'm going to play here and make you want me.' And he did. I love Gavin Hunter for his development and maturity. I'm excited to see what 2026 brings to him."

Gonzales didn’t rule out replacing Stukes, Smith and Johnson — who rarely left the field — by committee, but “if we get three that can play as consistent as the big three, then we'll play them."

Arizona cornerback Jay’Vion Cole, who was also limited this spring, “is the best corner in the Big 12 coming back,” Gonzales said. Cole had the second-most interceptions (four) in the Big 12 last season.

"When you look at it, you know there are a couple guys that are in recovery from postseason surgeries and are established, good football players," said Arizona head coach Brent Brennan. "That's going to be exciting when we get the full force of that group on that field. What we saw from the guys we added in the offseason, I'm encouraged. When you think about the pieces that we put there, those guys have played a lot of football and that part is exciting." 

Cole is expected to be Arizona’s top cornerback, with the other three cornerback spots on Arizona’s two-deep depth chart still up for grabs. Gonzales said cornerback needs “a three-man rotation at a minimum.”

“The other three guys battling at corner are between Tyrese Boss, Dwight Bootle and Zuri Watson — really four guys with Xaier Hiler, a true freshman, who was here in January,” Gonzales said. "One of those four needs to elevate themselves and be the No. 2 guy across from (Cole), because that guy is going to be picked on more because Jay'Vion Cole was such a ballhawk last year and he's such a good player. That No. 2 corner is going to have to play early — and play well early. … With Tyrese, Dwight, Zuri and Xaier, two of those guys need to make themselves that three-headed piece.”

Boss and Bootle were among the top cornerbacks in spring practices earlier this year.

"Just to see us all play together when camp starts back up, it'll be very exciting," Cole said. 

Hartzog is expected to be the successor to Stukes at slot cornerback, especially with his experience playing both cornerback and safety, along with Dajon Hinton, who suffered an injury in Arizona’s loss to SMU in the Holiday Bowl. Hinton started in place of Stukes, who opted out to prepare for the NFL Draft, at the Holiday Bowl.

Hartzog played 909 snaps at cornerback, 474 snaps at slot cornerback, 237 snaps at strong safety and 67 at free safety. The 5-8, 184-pound Hartzog, "even though he might be small height-wise, he's a pit bull," Arce said. 

"Even though he might not have the height, his quickness and strength can get under people's pads, and he can avoid them; that's a problem," Arce added. "His corner skills from when he was at Nebraska, he can cover anybody, similarly to Stukes. Those attributes, along with him just being a pit bull and a tough guy with strength, size doesn't matter in this case." 

Even though Hartzog was limited for Arizona's last four practices of the spring, "he proved that he can be a big asset to replace the three-headed monster (Stukes, Smith and Johnson)," Gonzales said.

It’s fair to assume Arizona’s secondary might take a step back this season, but that doesn’t faze Gonzales.

"Everyone thought we were going to suck last year,” said Arizona’s defensive coordinator. “Put that chip on your shoulder, and let's go prove everybody wrong. I hope they think we're going to suck, I really do, because I think we have enough talent. When I sat there in March after Brent made me coordinator, I told everybody we have an opportunity to have a top-15 defense in the country, and everybody thought I was a fool, and then we finished in the top 10 of multiple categories — 13th in yards per play.

"We have to have enough talent. We don't need the most talent. We're further along than we were last year. The belief in what we're doing schematically works.

"They believe in it, and now it's more player-led than it was a year ago. The biggest challenge, for them, is to convince them that you're not just going to show up because we have the scheme and we have magic and people are going to roll over because we were good last year.

"Team 122 is dead and has a legacy that teams will talk about for a long time. Team 123 hasn't done anything yet. Team 123 has a lot to prove and I'm excited about it."