Cougs Daily

Arizona and Washington Players that BYU Previously Recruited

Players from Arizona and Washington can enter the transfer portal over the next 30 days

Casey Lundquist

The coaching carousel has impacted multiple Power Four programs out West. No programs have been impacted over the last few days than Arizona and Washington, both of which lost their head coaches to other programs. Now that their head coaches have moved on, players from Arizona and Washington can enter the transfer portal over the next 30 days.

Recruiting is about relationships, but transfer portal recruiting is expedited, so prior relationships can spark interest and lead to commitments in the transfer portal. Most of BYU's top transfers like Puka Nacua, Kingsley Suamataia, and Aidan Robbins were recruited by BYU out of high school. When they entered the portal, BYU had the upper hand in their recruitments thanks to the relationships they had previously formed.

It's likely that at least a handful of players from Arizona and Washington will enter the transfer portal, and BYU has recruited a fair amount of players on each roster. Today, we'll look at the players from Arizona and Washington that BYU recruited in the past. To be clear, we are not expecting all of these players to enter the transfer portal. Rather, IF these players enter the transfer portal, and that's a big 'IF', it will worth following their transfer recruitments.

Arizona

Sefo Akuila - Athlete

We'll start off our list with a recruit who is still in high school.

Sefo Akuila is a 2024 recruit that is currently committed to Arizona. He's also the teammate of 2024 priority target Naki Tuakoi. Even before the Fisch news, BYU was working to flip Akuila's commitment. In fact, Akuila went to BYU on an official visit before signing day. BYU made enough of an impression that Akuila declined to sign with Arizona during the early signing window. 

BYU was already doing a lot of groundwork on this one, but the news about Jedd Fisch certainly helps the cause.  

Audric Harris - Wide Receiver

Las Vegas native Audric Harris was one of the best wide receivers out West and he played for powerhouse Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas. Harris was being recruited by BYU before he picked Arizona. Harris signed with Arizona in December and he enrolled just days before Jedd Fisch left for Washington.

BYU doesn't have a lot of scholarships remaining, especially at wide receiver, but Harris is the type of talent that you find room for if he enters the transfer portal.

Malachi Riley - Wide Reciever

Former four-star wide receiver Malachi Riley was one of BYU's top priorities at wide receiver in the 2023 class. Riley took an official visit to BYU just days before signing day, and his recruitment turned into a BYU-Arizona battle. Riley ended up choosing the Wildcats and he got some playing time as a true freshman in a loaded wide receiver room. Riley caught four passes for 90 yards in 2023.

BYU pushed extremely hard for Riley in high school and they got close to landing him. It would make sense to make another run at him if he enters the transfer portal.

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Demond Williams - Quarterback

Quarterback Demond Williams was a four-star prospect with 27 offers who signed with Arizona last month. As far as we're concerned, Williams never expressed serious interest in BYU during his recruitment.

Tetairoa McMillan - Wide Receiver

BYU offered Tetairoa McMillan out of high school, but just about every team in the country did as well. McMillan was one of the top receivers in his recruiting class and now he's one of the best receivers in college football. If McMillan entered the transfer portal, he would have every program in the country vying for his services. Most notably, McMillan was high school teammates with Arizona star quarterback Noah Fifita. The focus of Arizona fans will be on McMillan and Fifita. If those two leave, the outlook of the 2024 season will look very different for the Wildcats.

If Fifita enters the transfer portal, BYU should move heaven and earth to try to bring him to Provo. However, practically every team in the country would try to bring him in as well. As of this writing, it appears that Fifita plans to stay in Arizona.

Gunner Maldonado - Safety

Gunner Maldonado transferred to Arizona after starting his career at Northwestern. When Maldonado entered the transfer portal the first time around, BYU offered him. However, that was BYU's previous coaching staff.

Montana Lemonious-Craig - Wide Receiver

Montana Lemonious-Craig transferred from Colorado to Arizona during the second transfer window last season. BYU offered Lemonious-Craig once he entered the transfer portal. If you follow BYU recruiting, you might recall how many wide receivers BYU was pursuing last Spring. The Cougars offered a bunch of wide receivers and ended up landing Darius Lassiter and Keelan Marion. 

If Lemonious-Craig entered the portal again, it's unclear if BYU would want him since they're less needy at that position this year.

Washington

Demaricus Davis - Quarterback

Quarterback Demaricus Davis signed with Washington during the early signing window. Prior to committing to the Huskies, he picked up an offer from BYU. BYU's recruitment of Davis never picked up much steam.

Parker Brailsford - Offensive Line

Parker Brailsford was a BYU target in the 2022 class. He started at center for Washington as a redshirt freshman in 2023 and he earned Fresman All-American honors.

Brailsford reportedly told On3sports that he will enter the transfer portal. BYU needs more offensive linemen. Brailsford would have no shortage of suitors.

Paki Finau - Offensive Lineman

2024 offensive lineman Paki Finau was offered by Darrell Funk.

Keano Wilhite - Defensive Lineman

2024 offensive lineman Keano Wilhite was offered by BYU, but his recruitment never picked up momentum.

Soane Faasolo & Kahlee Tafai - Offensive Linemen

Two more Washington offensive linemen that BYU offered out of high school. Like the others on this list, they would have been offered by Darrell Funk who is no longer at BYU.

Vincent Holmes - Safety

Another highly-touted recruit that BYU never seriously recruited after extending an early offer.

Dyson McCutcheon - Defensive back

Another highly-touted recruit that BYU never seriously recruited after extending an early offer. McCutcheon entered the transfer portal over the weekend.

Elijah Jackson - Cornerback 

Another highly-touted recruit that BYU never seriously recruited after extending an early offer.

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Casey Lundquist
CASEY LUNDQUIST

Casey Lundquist is the publisher and lead editor of Cougs Daily. He has covered BYU athletics for the last four years. During that time, he has published over 2,000 stories that have reached more than three million people.

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