Dalton Johnson Captures Prestigious Award Again
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Arizona finished a resurgent 2025 campaign with a victory over the rival Sun Devils on Friday night, winning 23-7 in Tempe to secure a 9-3 record.
Brent Brennan sparked a massive turnaround after an initial 4-8 season last year through the transfer portal and an overhaul of the coaching staff, which included both coordinators, Seth Doege and Danny Gonzales.
However, one of the key pieces to the team's success was retaining some of the valuable pieces Arizona already had. In particular, the secondary returned pieces that helped the Wildcats allow just 18.9 points per game (fourth in Big 12) and the best pass defense in the conference, surrendering just 155.9 passing yards per game.
One of the guys who came back was Dalton Johnson, who has had several opportunities to transfer away, but ultimately stuck with the Wildcats. Now, it's hard to imagine where Arizona would be without him.
Dalton Johnson Wins Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week
For the second week in a row, Johnson took home Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week. The senior safety made just three tackles against the Sun Devils, but was always around the ball. He added two pass deflections, one interception and a forced fumble.
run it back 🤷♂️ pic.twitter.com/kKNNC6rBZz
— Arizona Football (@ArizonaFBall) December 1, 2025
Johnson was the source of two of Arizona's five takeaways in the game. Against Baylor, Johnson won the award on the back of a career-high 18 tackles. This time, he found ways to change the game with the ball in his hands.
This is the seventh time a Wildcat has taken home a weekly Big 12 award. Johnson has won twice, as has quarterback Noah Fifita, while tailback Ismail Mahdi has won once, and Arizona's offensive line took honors for its performance against Kansas State.
Johnson might be the most valuable asset of the Arizona defense. Beyond his leadership on the field and in the locker room, the safety leads the team with 97 tackles and four interceptions. He also has seven pass deflections and one sack.
Both takeaways came in the fourth quarter against ASU quarterback Jeff Sims. Johnson punched the ball free from Sims on a scramble play, which led to a touchdown for the Wildcats on the other side. Then, Johnson made a diving catch for an interception that allowed Arizona to kneel and end the game.
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— Arizona Football (@ArizonaFBall) November 29, 2025
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🌵 that's four, fam. pic.twitter.com/VCwlvoY8yY
Arizona only allowed 114 passing yards against Arizona State, extending its streak to eight consecutive games holding its opponent under 200 passing yards. The Wildcats own the longest such active streak in the FBS and the longest in the Big 12 since 2004.
“I just think that no matter how the outcome of the game is going, we came to play; we didn’t come to watch," Johnson said. "So we’re here to get out there. And I think the front seven back and the back five are just clicking really well. I was just flipping really well. So we love being on that field together as a unit, and we trust in coach (Gonzales) and we trust in each other. So it makes it easy and fun.”
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Logan Brown is an alumnus of the prestigious Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He currently works as a General College Sports Reporter On SI. Logan has an extensive background in writing and has contributed to Cronkite Sports, PHNX Sports, and Motion Graphics.
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