Arizona Wildcats cornerback Marquis Groves-Killebrew isn’t leaving the UA football program after all.
Groves-Killebrew, who committed to the Nebraska Cornhuskers after a season in Tucson, withdrew his name from the transfer portal, according to CBS Sports and 247Sports.com on Saturday.
Groves-Killebrew started six games for the Wildcats this past season and was in line to start in Arizona’s secondary this season. He split starts with second-year cornerback Emmanuel Karnley, who transferred to Miami. Groves-Killebrew and Karnley were the counterpart to former UA star cornerback Tacario Davis, who transferred to Washington for his senior season.
In 2022, the 6-0, 185-pound Groves-Killebrew signed with Texas A&M as a four-star recruit after starring at Atlanta-area North Cobb High School in Kennesaw, Georgia. Groves-Killebrew played in the 2022 All-American Bowl, which also featured former UA star wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan and former running back Rayshon “Speedy” Luke, who was the game’s MVP after scoring two touchdowns.
Groves-Killebrew appeared in three games at Texas A&M before transferring to Louisville, where he spent the first roughly dozen years of his life before moving to Atlanta. Groves-Killebrew “was homesick and wanted to go home,” he said in August, so he transferred to Louisville for one season, before trekking to Tucson for his redshirt sophomore season at the UA.
Arizona defensive back Marquis Groves-Killebrew mugs for the crowd after getting a sack and pushing back Houston in the third quarter on Nov. 15, 2024.
Groves-Killebrew had 26 tackles, four pass deflections and one stop for loss for the Wildcats in 2024.
With Groves-Killebrew back at Arizona, the Wildcats have four returning starters in their defensive secondary: Groves-Killebrew, nickel back Treydan Stukes, free safety and nickel back Genesis Smith and strong safety Dalton Johnson.
Arizona added three cornerbacks in the transfer portal: Michael Dansby (San Jose State), Jay’Vion Cole (Texas) and Ayden Garnes (West Virginia).
For its 2025 recruiting class, Arizona signed four cornerbacks: El Camino College transfer Elijah Brown, Gianni Edwards (Forney, Texas), Swayde Griffin (Lago Vista, Texas) and Dajon Hinton (Chandler). The Wildcats have 10 newcomer scholarship defensive backs.
