Arizona continues to make adjustments to its roster amid the uncertainty about the upcoming season. Last week the Wildcats made a late junior college addition when City College of San Francisco defensive back Isaiah Mays joined the program, and on Sunday the Wildcats announced another new addition to the class as New Mexico State defensive lineman Roy Lopez Jr. officially joined the team.

Lopez will have a fifth year of eligibility after playing four seasons in Las Cruces after a leg injury held him to just four appearances in 2019. He wrapped up his career at NMSU with 137 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, eight sacks and three fumble recoveries.

"Thank you to all of the schools that reached out to me during these crazy times," he said in a message posted to social media. "I am so humbled and grateful to announce I am coming back home to my home state! God Bless & Bear Down."

As Lopez said, it will be a return home for the 6-foot-2 defensive lineman as he is a Phoenix-area native who played at Mesquite High School in Gilbert before making the move to NMSU. His father, Roy Lopez Sr., previously coached at Sunnyside High School in Tucson and Marcos de Niza High School in Tempe so there are plenty of ties to the entire state for the Lopez Family.

His junior season in 2018 was his best with the Aggies as Lopez finished that year with 63 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, four sacks and a pair of fumble recoveries.

Lopez will join what has become a veteran defensive line unit for the Wildcats heading into the new season. He is the second graduate transfer defensive lineman to return home from New Mexico to finish his career with the Wildcats as Peoria native Aaron Blackwell made the move earlier in the year after previously playing at the University of New Mexico for current UA defensive line coach Stan Eggen.

That duo will join other seniors such as Trevon Mason, Myles Tapusoa and JB Brown along UA's defensive line this year.

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