Another Arizona football star is heading to Washington.
The latest ex-Wildcat to transfer to UW and reunite with former Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch and defensive backs coach John Richardson: cornerback Tacario Davis, who committed to the Huskies on Tuesday; On3.com was the first to report Davis’ commitment. Davis has a year of eligibility remaining.
Davis joined former Arizona linebacker Jacob Manu and defensive lineman Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei as Wildcats to transfer to Washington for the 2025 season.
After Fisch accepted the head coaching position at Washington last year, multiple Wildcats followed him to Seattle, including running back Jonah Coleman, cornerback Ephesians Prysock, defensive ends Isaiah Ward and Russell Davis II, quarterback Demond Williams and running back Adam Mohammed, among others. Thirteen Wildcats have transferred to UW since Fisch went to Seattle.
The Huskies went 6-7 in Fisch’s first season, which ended with a one-point loss to Louisville in the Sun Bowl. Washington’s 14-player transfer portal class is rated by 247Sports.com as the fourth-best class in the Big Ten behind Nebraska, Wisconsin and Oregon.
Arizona defensive back Tacario Davis gestures skyward after a moment to himself in the end zone before kickoff against West Virginia, Oct. 25, 2024.
Davis, a Long Beach, California, native, was a part of Arizona’s culture-shaping 2022 recruiting class, but didn’t blossom until his sophomore season in 2023.
He grew into one of the top defensive backs nationally and led the Pac-12 in pass breakups (16) and received an 87.5 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus. Davis was Arizona’s highest-graded (85.5) defensive Wildcat on PFF for the ’23 season. He also had 25 tackles and one interception during his breakout season and was named an Associated Press All-Pac-12 Second-Team selection.
Davis submitted his name into the transfer portal last season but practiced with the Wildcats in the spring. He withdrew his name after the spring transfer portal window in April and played his final year with the Wildcats in ‘24.
An All-Big 12 Second-Team selection, Davis logged a career-high 43 tackles — 28 solo tackles — and six pass deflections this past season. Davis was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week and Jim Thorpe National Defensive Back of the Week after his five-pass breakup performance in Arizona’s upset win over 10th-ranked Utah in Salt Lake City.
Arizona defensive back Tacario Davis celebrates with Arizona fans in the stand after the win.
The 6-4, 190-pound Davis received NFL Draft attention and was projected by multiple websites as a late first-round pick throughout the season, but his stock dipped in the latter part of 2024, and the cornerback entered the transfer portal.
Davis and safety Gunner Maldonado (Kansas State) are multi-year starters to leave Arizona’s secondary, albeit the Wildcats are returning a veteran trio in nickel back Treydan Stukes, strong safety Dalton Johnson and safety Genesis Smith.
Marquis Groves-Killebrew and Emmanuel Karnley, who both split starts at cornerback in 2024, also entered the transfer portal, along with cornerbacks Demetrius Freeney and Jai-ayviauynn Celestine. Karnley (Miami), Freeney (Boise State) and Celestine (Florida International) also landed at other schools.
Arizona added four defensive backs in the transfer portal: cornerback Michael Dansby (San Jose State), Jay’Vion Cole (Texas), safety JShawn Frausto-Ramos (Stanford) and cornerback Ayden Garnes (West Virginia), who committed to the UA on Monday.
Twenty-nine scholarship players from Arizona’s ‘24 team have entered the transfer portal since the season ended.
UA adds JuCo defensive back Elijah Brown
Arizona added another junior college player to its 2025 recruiting class on Tuesday and received a verbal commitment from El Camino College cornerback Elijah Brown.
Brown pledged to the Wildcats over Cal. Brown is the second junior college prospect to join Arizona in ’25. The Wildcats signed Garden City Community College (Kansas) transfer Zac Siulepa, a 6-7, 365-pound defensive lineman from New Zealand.
The 6-2, 184-pound Brown had 38 tackles, five interceptions and a fumble recovery this past season at El Camino College in Torrance, California. Brown played one season at El Camino after his career at nearby Narbonne High School.
Arizona’s 2025 recruiting class with high school and junior college players coupled with the additions in the transfer portal total 10 newcomers at defensive back for the ’25 season.
