Arizona Wildcats Senior Defender Poised for Breakout Campaign

The Arizona Wildcats have a lot of talented players on their football team in 2024, but this one defender stands out as a breakout candidate.

Nov 25, 2023; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats cornerback Treydan Stukes (2) against the Arizona State Sun Devils in the first half of the Territorial Cup at Mountain America Stadium. / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Entering the 2024 college football season, the Arizona Wildcats are looked upon as one of the best teams in the country. Despite facing the obstacles of a new conference and head coach, they will start the season inside the top 25 polls.

Coming in at No. 21, the Wildcats are presumed to be on the outside looking in of the College Football Playoff, but with talent on both sides of the ball, they could make some noise this year.

Arizona was well-represented on the top 100 player list, with four players making the cut. The highest-ranked player was wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, who was No. 13. At No. 51, it was starting quarterback Noah Fifita.

A little further down the list, offensive lineman Jonah Savaiinea came in at No. 85 and cornerback Tacario Davis was No. 94. McMillan and Davis are both viewed as potential first-round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft.

New head coach Brent Brennan will be relying on those players to set the tone for the rest of the roster to follow, but they aren’t the only ones who could have big time seasons.

One of those sleepers is Davis’s running mate at cornerback, Treydan Stukes.

Adam Rittenberg of ESPN selected Stukes as one of the 32 under-the-radar players to keep an eye on in 2024. Stukes was not rated in ESPN’s recruiting snapshot and is coming off a solid 2023 campaign.

In 13 games last year, 12 of which were starts, Stukes recorded 55 total tackles with four being for a loss, one interception and nine passes broken up. With him alongside Davis, Arizona has one of the better cornerback tandems in the nation.

“Stukes is one of the more established players on this list, starting 24 games during the past three seasons and recording 128 tackles and 22 pass deflections. But he hasn't received the same recognition as Arizona's other standouts. The veteran also impressed new coach Brent Brennan during the offseason. He provides leadership and versatility to a secondary that also includes NFL draft prospect Tacario Davis at cornerback,” Rittenberg wrote.

Stukes has elite size for the position, measuring 6-foot-2 and weighing 198 pounds. He has been an integral part of the Wildcats’ defense the last three seasons and will be once again in 2024.

Another solid campaign from Stukes and he will begin receiving the same recognition that some of his teammates have already been garnering.