Gunner Maldonado Reportedly Becomes Latest Arizona Wildcat to Enter Transfer Portal
Things could become very messy for the Arizona Wildcats this offseason.
Following a brutal year under Brent Brennan, there has started to be an exodus of players in the program with many putting their names into the transfer portal.
While that is par for the course in this new era of college football where finances are heavily incentivized, Arizona has now seen star players Keyan Burnett and Jacob Manu enter into the portal which is never a good sign.
The Wildcats made some positive noise when it was revealed they reached out to one of the most coveted wide receivers available, but that good feeling was quickly shut down by news that Gunner Maldonado was the most recent Arizona player to become a possible transfer.
Arizona safety Gunner Maldonado has entered the transfer portal, @chris_hummer and I have learned for @cbssports/@247Sports.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) December 10, 2024
Has 173 career tackles.https://t.co/10Sz3YxlzO pic.twitter.com/ff8FReqKej
That is a tough blow for the Wildcats.
The Chandler, Arizona native originally spurned his two power conference in-state schools when he committed to Northwestern as a three-star prospect in the 2020 class, but after one year away, he transferred to Arizona and immediately became an impact player.
During his redshirt freshman season, he tallied 36 total tackles with two pass breakups, an interception, and a forced fumble. The next year he increased his tackle total to 48 and forced three fumbles before he became a breakout star with 81 tackles in 2023 and Alamo Bowl MVP honors.
But his time in Tucson is likely over.
He'll have one year of eligibility remaining after he appeared in four games this past campaign before his season ended due to a leg injury that forced him to use a medical redshirt.
