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The portal will remain open for new entries until Friday, April 25. Players looking to transfer have to enter the portal before April, but they can sign with any team leading up to the season.Ìý

It's the last transfer portal window until after the end of the regular season in December.Ìý

It's inevitable that Arizona will lose multiple players, but "it's never quite as busy as December because everyone wants to get there for the spring semester," Arizona general manager Gaizka Crowley told the Star in February.

Arizona dealt with a mass exodus of players and tied Purdue for the second-most portal entries (29) among college football teams in December, according to , though the Wildcats were able to retain multiple players, including defensive backs Genesis Smith, Treydan Stukes and Dalton Johnson.Ìý

"The December window is always heavier than the spring window," Crowley said. "We'll be on our toes like we always are and be able to adjust to what's needed. We want to keep everybody. That's the hope."

Arizona head coach Brent Brennan is "hoping that we're moving towards a situation where there's a single portal like the other sports" instead of two windows within four months of each other, because "the two portals in football makes it extremely complicated," Brennan said.

Every transfer portal entry has their reasoning. In the era of revenue sharing and NIL, sometimes that decision boils down to financial reasons, like former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who was removed from the Volunteers football program after missing mandatory team activities amid a contract standoff for more money.Ìý

"I think every situation is different," Brennan said. "I don't know anything about that situation there. When we look at it, our focus is on Arizona football and what the next 10 days or two weeks mean for us. ... Every situation is different. Honestly, all I care about is the Arizona Wildcats."Ìý

Since "every circumstance is different, you try and look at all of them individually and assess where they are, how they fit into your program (and) what the opportunities are for them somewhere else," Brennan said.Ìý

"My hope is that the communication is clear enough and the relationship is strong enough that we can have honest conversation and a solution that is best for all parties involved," said Arizona's head coach.Ìý

Sometimes a player can see the writing on the wall and forecast a minimal role, so they explore their options even if it's at a non-Power 4 program.

"When you go through spring ball in modern college football, someone has to be a backup, someone has to be a third-stringer, a fourth-stringer," Crowley said. "That's the nature of the game and we can't ignore that. The hope is the kids love it here and the social aspect of the school. That keeps a lot of guys here that may not be starters. I think we'll have less than a lot of people, but at the same time, we're not naive to the modern landscape."

Brennan is hopeful “that our players stay,� he said.

“I think we have something really special going and they feel it, they believe it," said Brennan. "But you just never know. You don’t know who is reaching out to them behind the scenes, (direct messaging) them or back-dooring those conversations.

“Our biggest thing, is that we over-communicate with our players and those channels of communication are extremely open and they know where they stand with us and we know where we stand with them. That’s the healthiest way we can attack it.�

Simultaneously, the Wildcats will also use college football's version of free agency to polish off position groups and add depth and additional competition to the roster. Here are five positions Arizona could look to add in the transfer portal this spring.Ìý

°ä±ð²Ô³Ù±ð°ù:ÌýNo one said replacing three-year starter Josh Baker as the anchor of Arizona's offensive line would be easy. Center has been among the steadiest positions at Arizona in the last six years. It's still a wide-open competition, but redshirt junior Grayson Stovall, who understudied Baker for three seasons, has been the leader in the clubhouse. Hawaii transfer Ka'ena Decambra and redshirt senior Ise Matautia have also taken reps at center, but neither has game experience at the position and hail from guard backgrounds. Former nose tackle Chubba Ma'ae has center experience, but he has strictly played left guard since switching sides of the ball.ÌýÌý

°ä´Ç°ù²Ô±ð°ù²ú²¹³¦°ì:ÌýArizona returns starter Marquis Groves-Killebrew, who started six games last season, and nickel back Treydan Stukes. West Virginia transfer Ayden Garnes has taken reps at nickel back, which appears to be a natural fit for him. Groves-Killebrew and Texas transfer Jay'Vion Cole have been a consistent tandem at cornerback for the Wildcats, with San Jose State transfer Michael Dansby and junior-college transfer Elijah Brown, among others, as backups. The Wildcats are also adding a wave of freshmen this summer, but they also lost standout starter in Tacario Davis, along with Emmanuel Karnley and Demetrius Freeney, among others.Ìý

°­¾±³¦°ì±ð°ù:ÌýArizona's kicking competition in the spring is down to sophomore Michael Salgado-Medina and Cash Peterman. Salgado-Medina, who was the starting punter and holder for kicker Tyler Loop last season, and Peterman have made field goals from 43 and 48 yards out, but neither have created separation in the race. Arizona signed San Diego-area punter and kicker Tyler Prasuhn for 2025. Prasuhn is the son of former Arizona kicker John Prasuhn. The younger Prasuhn made 18 of 22 field goals at Carlsbad High School (California). It's rare for a player to start at kicker and punter and considering Salgado-Medina is in contention to start at punter, an additional kicker could be added this spring.

Long snapper:ÌýAfter losing Justin Holloway, the Wildcats' only long snapper is Tucson native and former Salpointe Catholic Lancer Trey Naughton, who started his college football career at Western Kentucky. Special teams coordinator Craig Naivar said Arizona's long snapper situation "is a work in progress." In the past, Arizona had anywhere from two to threeÌýlong snappers on its roster. Holloway and Naughton were the Wildcats' two long snappers last season. Whether Naughton starts or not, Arizona adding a long snapper is expected.Ìý

Tight end:ÌýArizona redshirt junior Tyler Powell and redshirt senior Sam Olson are the two leaders of the UA tight ends group. The Wildcats signed three-star tight end Kellan Ford, a longtime family friend of Brennan, for 2025. Arizona moved linebacker Tyler Mustain and fullback Kayden Luke to tight end this spring. Although Arizona has shown production at tight end this spring in Powell and Olson, the Wildcats could add another tight end to provide depth.Ìý