Arizona safety Quinn Olson ‘could be the next Treydan Stukes story’

Over the last three-plus decades, several walk-on defensive backs have not only become mainstays in the UA defense, but they also became stars and earned full-ride scholarships.

Chuck Cecil.

Jared Tevis.

Treydan Stukes.

The latter went from walk-on to All-American to second-round pick in the NFL Draft — and a potential starter for the Las Vegas Raiders.

The former is an assistant coach for the Wildcats and offers Olson “nuggets here and there about defense, tackling and coverage,” Olson said.

The walk-on foundation is “something cool to relate to,” Olson added.

“Both him and Stukes, them being walk-ons, it’s something I can relate to,” he said.

Olson “could be the next Treydan Stukes story at Arizona in terms of a walk-on turning into a really good player,” said Arizona safeties coach Brett Arce.

“He has really put in the work,” Arce said of Olson. “He’s one of the strongest guys on the team, one of the fastest guys on the team.”

The next Stukes? Those are big shoes to fill.

After earning a scholarship in 2021, Stukes was a five-year starter for the Wildcats and played multiple positions in the UA defensive secondary and became an All-Big-12 selection and Associated Press All-American in 2025. Stukes was the highest-drafted Arizona defensive back since Antoine Cason in 2008.  

“If I can be anywhere near as good as him, I’ll turn out OK,” Olson said of Stukes. “If I can be like him, I’ll be happy.”

Added Olson: “Treydan is a great player and someone I looked up to the last two years. Right now my focus is the daily process. We talk about it all the time: process over outcome. I can’t get caught up trying to be someone else. I’m just putting in the daily grind in what’s next and try to get better every day.”

The Sioux City, Iowa, native hails from a quarterback background and scored 35 touchdowns in his senior season at Bishop Heelan Catholic, leading the Crusaders to a second-place finish at the Class 3A level. Olson had aspirations to play quarterback in college, but he “was more of a running quarterback, so I knew skill-set-wise I wasn’t good enough as a thrower to play quarterback at the next level, so I knew I’d be on defense,” he said.

Playing quarterback allowed Olson to have “a better undertstanding on what the quarterback is seeing and what the offenses are trying to do with certain formations or situations in the game,” said the Arizona defensive back.

“Just understanding from the other side of the ball and having the perspective on what they might try to be attacking and why they’re doing it,” Olson added. “That perspective really helped defensively.”

Players with quarterback and running back experience “usually translate to good players on defense,” said Arizona defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales. “Quarterbacks are hit or miss whether or not they’re going to be good football players on our side of the ball.”

Olson’s coach at Bishop Heelan, former UA defensive tackle Anthony Thomas, knew longtime Arizona defensive backs coach Duane Akina, who was the Wildcats’ defensive coordinator in 2024. Thomas sent Akina Thomas’ highlight tape and “he had a walk-on spot for me,” Olson said.

Olson isn’t the first Wildcat in his family. His sister, Natalie, graduated from the UA in spring of 2025 and was a cheerleader for the Wildcats.

“I wanted to play football in college, but I also wanted to go to school where my sister was,” Olson said. “It just worked out.”

Olson came to Arizona in 2024 and learned from some of the program’s top defensive backs in recent years. Olson had Stukes, Dalton Johnson and Genesis Smith to learn from — three players who played a combined 6,700 snaps at the UA and received All-Big 12 honors last season. Arizona also had 2023 Alamo Bowl Defensive MVP Gunner Maldonado during Olson’s first season, but the free safety suffered a season-ending leg injury and then transferred to Kansas State for his final season last year.

“Being in the same room as them, seeing how they do things, how they approach practice, how they approach watching film, games, just picking their brains on what they see when they’re out there and why they do what they do,” Olson said. “Obviously, our coaching staff has helped me understand the game more each and every day and learning from my mistakes.”

Olson and Stukes bonded over literature over the last two years.

"We both read books, so we relate in some of the books we read,” Olson said.

The one book they both read last season was “Chop Wood Carry Water: How to Fall in Love with the Process of Becoming Great” by Joshua Metcalf. The book “talks about surrendering the outcome and controlling the controllables. Whatever happens, it happens and you just gotta move on from it,” Olson said.

The 6-3, 205-pound Olson, fourth-year Gavin Hunter and Nebraska transfer Malcolm Hartzog could conceivably replace Smith, Johnson and Stukes in Arizona’s secondary. Other safeties in the mix include Northern Colorado transfer Cam Chapa, UConn transfer Lee Molette III and USC transfer Matai Tagoa’i, among others.

Hunter and Hartzog are the “leaders of the room and they’re picking us all up,” Olson said.

“It’s been great so far,” Olson said. “We’re trying to get better every day. Obviously not where we want to be right now, but we have time before the first game. Getting that chemistry down.”

Olson had one of the top defensive plays of training camp, when he jumped a slant route and went up to grab an interception thrown by quarterback Noah Fifita, which Arce called “one of the most impressive interceptions I’ve seen in my career.”

“It doesn’t matter where you’re from, who you are, how many stars, walk-on or not, the best players are going to play,” Arce said. “It’s one thing to know the scheme and to be in the right spots, but you also gotta make plays, too. If you’re in the right spot and guys are catching the ball over you, that’s not a good enough deal. But if you’re making plays like Quinn, who has shown it in the spring and (training) camp, he’s got an opportunity.”

Olson “has shown some violence tendencies, he’s really smart, he can cover,” Gonzales said.

“He can cover anybody on our football team and I think we have some of the best receivers in the Big 12 — and further than that, the country,” Gonzales said.

“I’m just super excited. We’ll see next Saturday (against Northern Arizona).”

Extra points

— Chapa is the highest-graded returning safety in the Big 12, according to Pro Football Focus. Chapa had a 91.4 grade last season at Northern Colorado. Chapa recorded 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.

— Gonzales said Hartzog is "one of the best cover guys (in) man-to-man I've ever been around."

— Arizona linebacker Myron Robinson, who suffered a season-ending knee injury against Cincinnati in November, is expected to return to full speed next week. Gonzales noted Robinson as Arizona's fastest linebacker.

— In honor of the late Dolly Parton, who died this week at 80 years old, the Wildcats played hit songs “9 to 5” and “Jolene” during their 17th training camp practice on Wednesday.