Arizona Lands Two FCS-Level Transfers Before Portal Closes
Arizona has done a good job in the transfer portal during this cycle.
There was a lot of panic surrounding this program when so many players entered their names into consideration for other teams to contact them, but so far, Brent Brennan and his staff have been able to land potential impact additions of their own, while also holding onto some from this past season's roster after they withdrew their names.
Both aspects are important for the Wildcats.
When Brennan was hired following the departure of Jedd Fisch, he was able to retain a lot of those players ahead of this campaign, and even though this year was not a good showing, some of the most productive players have decided to come back for another season.
But, with a clear need to improve and add more depth, Arizona has also been one of the most active teams adding transfers out of the portal.
Two of their most recent ones are notable because of the level they played at previously.
The Wildcats picked up commitments from linebackers Blake Gotcher and Riley Wilson, two players from the FCS level with Gotcher coming from Northwestern State and Wilson from Montana.
If Northwestern State sounds familiar, that's because they've already landed a player from that school when edge rusher Chancellor Owens previously committed to Arizona early on during this cycle.
Gotcher comes with the distinction of being an All-American.
He led the FCS in 2024 with an eye-catching 162 total tackles, 10 coming for a loss, with 4.5 sacks, three passes defended, two forced fumbles and an interception.
That comes on the heels of playing three years at Lamar, so he will bring a ton of experience and production to Arizona's linebacking room that has lost Jacob Manu to Washington out of the portal.
Wilson might not have the same numbers that Gotcher put up, but he's no slouch either.
With the Grizzlies this past season, Wilson recorded 83 total tackles, 11.5 of them for a loss, while also having 4.5 sacks and two passes broken up.
This duo had a three-star designation as transfers.
The FCS has plenty of good football players who can come in and make an impact, something both Gotcher and Wilson are looking to do when arriving on campus.
