Arizona Beefs Up Defense With Two Portal Additions
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Arizona had been one of the quieter programs during the first week of the 2026 college football transfer portal window, but that changed on Wednesday. Over the past two days, head coach Brent Brennan and his staff added five players to their portal class, including two defensive stars who should make an immediate impact for the Wildcats in 2026.
Arizona Lands Two Defensive Transfer Portal Stars
Heading into the transfer portal, there weren’t too many holes on Arizona’s roster that Brennan needed to address, but there were a few key positions on defense that the Wildcats were looking to upgrade.
After a quiet start to the portal window, Arizona started to make some noise on Wednesday by landing Wyoming cornerback transfer Tyrese Boss to bolster their secondary. Brennan and his staff carried that momentum into Thursday, landing Memphis linebacker transfer Everett Roussaw Jr. to help lead the defense next season.
Here’s a closer look at both Boss and Roussaw and the impact Arizona fans can expect them to have on the defense in 2026.
More on Tyrese Boss
🐻⬇️ @ArizonaFBall @GregBiggins2 @247SportsPortal pic.twitter.com/snAebGMrYE
— Tyrese Boss (@tyr1ese) January 8, 2026
Boss is originally from California and committed to Wyoming as a member of the program’s 2024 class. After redshirting his freshman season, he emerged as a star for the Cowboys in 2026, recording 39 total tackles and four pass breakups.
He has three seasons of eligibility remaining and is expected to compete for a starting job in 2026. 247Sports’ transfer portal rankings list him as a three-star prospect, the No. 361 overall player in the portal, and the No. 33 cornerback.
More on Everett Roussaw
Roussaw is originally from Georgia and committed to UAB as part of the program’s 2023 class. He was an instant starter for the Blazers, recording 125 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and four sacks in 24 games. He entered the portal at the end of the 2024 season and transferred to Memphis.
Committed Arizona Let’s Do it @ArizonaFBall pic.twitter.com/19K72CYPzl
— Everett Roussaw,Jr (@roussaw_jr) January 9, 2026
He balled out at Memphis in 2025, recording 64 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, one interception, and two forced fumbles. He transferred to Arizona with one season of eligibility remaining and is expected to start for the Wildcats in 2026. 247Sports’ transfer portal rankings list him as a three-star prospect, the No. 953 overall player in the portal, and the No. 62 linebacker.
How do Roussaw and Boss Impact Arizona's Transfer Portal Ranking?
With the addition of Boss and Roussaw, Arizona now has seven commits in its transfer portal class, which ranks 46th nationally and 14th in the Big 12 according to 247Sports.
The Wildcats are returning a lot of production from 2025 into 2026, so bringing in a lot of transfers wasn’t likely ever the plan for Brennan and his staff. Instead, they’ve done a great job of bringing in quality transfers like Boss and Roussaw, who can help the team win next season.
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Max Doresy serves as the Western United States College Recruiting Beat Writer On SI. He graduated from the prestigious Syracuse University – S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Before that, he worked for the Pro Football Network and was part of the recruiting department for Syracuse University's football program.
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