Arizona hosting pair of Pac-12 transfers on visits

Arizona has spots open on its roster after a few more players decided to enter the transfer portal since the end of spring ball. Head coach Jedd Fisch and his staff always anticipated remaining active in the transfer portal regardless of how many players ended up leaving before the portal window closed over the weekend.

So far, the Wildcats have added Indiana transfer defensive lineman Sio Nofoagatoto'a this spring and are looking to bring in even more talent in the coming weeks. Two notable Pac-12 transfers posted to social media Wednesday acknowledging their arrivals in Tucson as they begin visits with the program.

Taylor Upshaw is an accomplished player at the college level having been a contributor during his time at Michigan. The senior played in 37 games over five seasons in Ann Arbor and made two starts for the Wolverines in his career.

He has collected 36 total tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, one interception, one pass deflection, and one forced fumble so far in his career. Upshaw shined during 2022 as he played in all 14 games with 12 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, a pair of sacks and an interception against Ohio State.

His success last season for the Wolverines grabbed the attention of the coaching staff at Colorado, which began making a wave of roster changes when Deion Sanders arrived as head coach.

Eventually, Upshaw visited Boulder and committed to play for the Buffaloes. He went through spring ball with the team before announcing his decision to leave the program amid the latest wave of departures in recent weeks.

"Jordan Domineck (Arkansas) and Upshaw came into the Colorado with a similar buzz being that they were both coming from talented programs," said CU Sports Report's Nikki Edwards about Upshaw's departure from the program. "Domineck, statistically, had more production than Upshaw and that ultimately translated this spring. Upshaw wasn't, from the coaching staff's standard, executing at the level Domineck was. With the competitive nature under head coach Deion Sanders' program, the two parties parted ways."

Arizona has continued to focus on rebuilding its defensive line this offseason after some key departures including multiple starters and rotation players. Georgia transfer Bill Norton and UCLA transfer Tyler Manoa were brought in over the winter before Nofoagatoto'a was added this spring to help provide a boost to the defensive front.

Upshaw, whose father Regan played in the NFL, would provide another immediate boost to the defensive line. He is in the final year of his eligibility and will be able to see the field immediately at his next school, despite already transferring to Colorado, because he is a graduate transfer so typical transfer rules do not apply.

Arizona has several connections to the San Diego area, so when standout freshman defensive back Jalil Tucker entered the transfer portal back on April 15 it was certainly likely that the Wildcats would be involved in pursuing him to some degree. It turns out, the Wildcats are serious and getting him on campus for a visit is a sign of that as he continues to evaluate his options after one season in Eugene.

The two-way athlete was nearly as impressive at receiver as he was in the secondary at Lincoln High School garnering him attention from across the country. Michigan, USC, Washington, Florida State, Illinois, Arkansas and BYU were all schools that offered Tucker as a four-star prospect in the 2022 class.

He landed at Oregon where he settled in as a cornerback and played in the season opener last year against Eastern Washington. Tucker made one tackle and played seven snaps in that contest but ultimately he redshirted and did not see the field again.

Tucker, who currently ranks as a four-star player and the 85th-ranked transfer according to Rivals, will have four seasons of eligibility left at his next home.

The Wildcats are under the 85-man scholarship limit heading into the 2023 season and have a handful of spots to fill by the time training camp rolls around giving Fisch and his staff some flexibility to add immediate help this spring and summer. The Wildcats already previously pursued Tucker as a high school prospect under the current staff.

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