SAN DIEGO — When the Arizona Wildcats went shopping in the transfer portal after last season, playing experience was critical.
Following a tumultuous year in head coach Brent Brennan's first season, a season he called "absolute misery," the Wildcats went into win-now mode and they needed pieces with talent and experience — whether it was from the Power 4, G5 or FCS levels.
The Wildcats inked a potpourri of players from the transfer portal — 29 of them — for 2025 and a plethora of them were entering their final season of eligibility.
It was an ideal marriage: Arizona was looking for experience and talent, the players sought to display their talents on the biggest stage in college football — and that relationship is one of the reasons why the 17th-ranked Wildcats are at the Holiday Bowl to face SMU in the final non-College Football Playoff bowl game of the season.
Here's how those one-year transfers impacted Arizona this season:
Malachi Bailey, defensive lineman: The Alcorn State transfer struggled in the spring, but emerged in fall training camp and became a mainstay in Arizona's defensive line rotation. Bailey has 17 tackles and 0.5 sacks this season.
Arizona tight end Cameron Barmore (80) pretends to drink from the ball after sprawling into the end zone during the third quarter against Arizona State in their Territorial Cup game, Nov. 28, in Tempe.
Cameron Barmore, tight end: Barmore was another FCS transfer that struggled to settle in during spring practices, but after starting tight end Tyler Powell suffered a season-ending injury and Keyan Burnett left the team in the middle of the season, Barmore emerged as the Wildcats' top tight end alongside Sam Olson. Barmore scored his first touchdown as a Wildcat in the Territorial Cup win over Arizona State.
Tristan Bounds, right tackle: The Michigan transfer started eight games at right tackle and allowed three sacks in 372 pass-blocking snaps, according to Pro Football Focus, before suffering a season-ending leg injury against Cincinnati in November. Bounds has been replaced by redshirt freshman Matthew Lado.
Ty Buchanan, left tackle: Buchanan, who's believed to be the only vegetarian offensive lineman in college football, has started every game at left tackle this season after stints at USC and Texas Tech. In 426 pass-blocking snaps, Buchanan surrendered three sacks but allowed a team-high 14 quarterback pressures, per PFF.
Arizona defensive back Michael Dansby (25) makes the long stab to keep the ball out of the hands of Baylor wide receiver Josh Cameron (34) during the second quarter of their Big 12 game, November 22, 2025, Tucson, Ariz.
Michael Dansby, cornerback: Dansby reunited with Brennan and cornerbacks coach Chip Viney, who recruited the Oakland native to San Jose State. Dansby recorded 17 tackles, an interception, a fumble recovery and a team-high eight pass deflections in the regular season.
Ka'ena Decambra, center: The Hawaii transfer played guard and tackle for the Rainbow Warriors, but moved to center after transferring to Arizona and succeeded longtime starter Josh Baker, who's on the staff as a volunteer assistant coach. Decambra served as one of Arizona's most reliable linemen.
Ayden Garnes, cornerback: Garnes, who transferred from West Virginia, also has a team-high eight pass deflections and 17 tackles and an interception.
Max Harris, linebacker: The well-traveled Harris — who started his career at Incarnate Word, Louisiana Monroe and Texas State — has the fourth-most tackles (75) at Arizona and also has five quarterback hits, which is the second-most on the team behind linebacker Chase Kennedy.
Arizona wide receiver Kris Hutson, left, gets a high Wildcat hand sign from fellow receiver Chris Hunter after his touchdown catch in the first quarter against BYU, Oct. 11, 2025, at Arizona Stadium.
Kris Hutson, wide receiver: Hutson, who started his career at Oregon and Washington State, is the Wildcats' top receiver with 740 yards and four touchdowns on 57 catches — 42 of his receptions resulted in first downs, according to PFF.
Ismail Mahdi, running back: Mahdi is Arizona's leading rusher this season with 785 yards. Kedrick Reescano leads the Wildcats with nine rushing touchdowns. Mahdi was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week following his 189-yard, two-touchdown performance against Kansas State.
Deshawn McKnight, defensive tackle: The UT Martin transfer is tied for the 11th-most stops (17) by a defensive lineman in the Big 12 this season. McKnight started 10 games this season and was one of Arizona's most productive defensive linemen.
Avery Salerno, long snapper: The Jackson State transfer handled long-snapping duties for both field goal and punt units.
Tiaoalii Savea, defensive tackle: Even though Savea is considered a one-time transfer, he played two seasons for the Wildcats in 2022 and '23 and was a part of the UA team that won the Alamo Bowl, but Savea played a season at Texas in 2024.
Oklahoma State safety Mordecai McDaniel (32) sticks in a hand to keep Arizona wide receiver Javin Whatley (6) from dragging down a catch in the end zone during the first quarter, October 4, 2025, Tucson, Ariz.
Ian Wagner, kickoff specialist: If it weren't for three unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in the final home game against Baylor, Wagner would likely have a 69-for-75 (92%) touchback rate. Instead, Wagner is kicking touchbacks at an 88% clip. The Wildcats have the second-most touchbacks in the Big 12 this season.
Javin Whatley, wide receiver: Whatley is arguably the fastest weapon in Arizona's offense. Whatley had a breakout game against Weber State, tallying five catches for 168 yards and two touchdowns. Whatley was Arizona's leading receiver for most of the season until Hutson's breakout stretch to end the regular season.
Riley Wilson, linebacker: The edge rusher and linebacker transfer from Montana had 49 tackles and three sacks and was a leader in defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales' 3-3-5 defense.
Luke Wysong, wide receiver: Wysong had the fifth-most receiving yards (274) by a Wildcat this season, but his impact was felt in the special teams space. Wysong had the third-best punt-returning average (10.3 yards) in the Big 12 this season. He played 296 snaps on offense and special teams this season.
