Grading The Arizona Safety Room Heading Into The Bye Week

We take a look at the Wildcats safety room heading into their bye week.

Oct 11, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats defensive back Dalton Johnson (43) celebrates an interception he caught from the Brigham Young Cougars with his team during the third quarter of the game at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Despite its struggles the past two weeks against BYU and Houston, it has been an overall strong start to the season for Arizona defensively.

The Wildcats are led by several captains and veterans in the secondary, which includes the safety room led by Dalton Johnson and Genesis Smith.

Iowa State Cyclones' running back Carson Hansen (26) breaks a tackle from Arizona Wildcats defensive back Genesis Smith (12) during the second quarter in the Big-12 conference showdown on Sept. 27, 2025, at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Through this point in the season, Johnson has recorded a team-high 52 tackles. He has also added one sack, two pass deflections, one fumble recovery and his first interception since the 2023 season. He has been flying all over the field on a weekly basis for Arizona and has been a huge part of its success to this point in the year.

Johnson picked up his interception in the double overtime loss against BYU, while also coming off recording a season-high 11 tackles last week against Houston. He has logged double-digit tackles in four of the seven games this season.

Iowa State Cyclones' running back Carson Hansen (26) breaks tackle from Arizona Wildcats defensive back Dalton Johnson (43) and runs for a first down during the first quarter in the Big-12 conference showdown on Sept. 27, 2025, at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Smith has added 42 tackles, one interception, one forced fumble and a team-high seven pass deflections. He logged a season-high 10 tackles in the loss against BYU in a game where he was flying all over the field as the Wildcats held the Cougars scoreless in the second and third quarters before BYU came storming back late.

With another strong start to the season, Smith has continued to hear his name come up in 206 NFL Draft discussions. Smith came in at No. 8 at the safety position for ESPN's Mel Kiper in his 2026 NFL Draft positional rankings. He should continue to hear his name in more talks as the season continues to progress.

Arizona safety Genesis Smith comes in at No. 8 at the safety position for ESPN's Mel Kiper in his 2026 NFL Draft positional rankings. pic.twitter.com/aC7qx2zFAY

— Ari Koslow (@koslow_ari) October 14, 2025

Behind Johnson and Smith in the Wildcats safety room has been Coleman Patmon and Jack Luttrell.

Patmon has tallied five tackles in a reserve role, while Luttrell has pitched in three tackles with one interception. Luttrell saw a significant amount of playing time last season with all the injuries Arizona faced in its secondary and still offers that experience this year if he is needed in an expanded role at any point later in the season.

Nov 23, 2024; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Arizona Wildcats defensive back Jack Luttrell (13) and defensive back Marquis Groves-Killebrew (20) celebrate an interception in the first quarter against the TCU Horned Frogs at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images | Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

Grade: B+

The safety room holds two of the leaders and top overall producers for any unit of this year's Wildcats team. The lack of production behind Johnson and Smith is the only slight concern for this position group over the final month of the season following the bye week, but the production Johnson and Smith will continue to bring offers this overall unit a high ceiling for Arizona's defense as a whole.

What are your thoughts on the Wildcats safety room to this point in the season? What grade would you give them? To let us know, just click the link to find us and be sure to give us a follow while you're there.