How Arizona’s Gavin Hunter Standing Out Amongst Peers
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A lot of the talk this offseason about the Arizona Wildcats has focused on their returning pieces on both sides of the ball.
On offense, the attention has gone to Noah Fifita, the star quarterback of the Wildcats. He’s spent four seasons with the team, and three as its starter. Last season, he tossed 29 touchdowns with 3,228 passing yards and just six interceptions.
Arizona also has numerous returners at other skill positions on offense. Running backs Kedrick Reescano and Quincy Craig will both be back, and wide receiver Chris Hunter is also returning to Tucson.
Arizona Changes in the Secondary
Defensively, while there is some retention on that side of the ball, the team’s secondary is undergoing a major change. Four members of the Wildcats’ secondary (Treydan Stukes, Dalton Johnson, Michael Dansby, Genesis Smith) were drafted in last month’s NFL Draft.
As such, defensive backs such as Gavin Hunter will be jumping up the depth chart. Hunter has picked up 23 tackles, three pass deflections, and one interception in his three seasons with the Wildcats up to this point.
Now heading into 2026, Hunter is looking to make a more pronounced impact, and he’s been standing out to the team’s coaching staff. In an interview with 247 Sports’ Jason Scheer, safeties coach Brett Arce spoke about how Hunter has stood out amongst his peers.
Arce’s Thoughts
“He played early on when we were easing Stukes back in last season,” Arce said. “He's been here, he knows the culture, he knows the standard. He really did a great job early last year in his role in special teams and the bowl game. Really leaning into him to carry the flag of what Genesis, Dalton, and Stukes did.”
“I'm so proud of Gavin and all the growth he has made on and off the field,” Arce continued. “Last year, being the guy early on, and then we had discussions about how we were going to manage Stukes and when the time did come, he was going to take it. He was on board with it. That's the special thing about the culture here, and those guys really root for one another."
"Being in that room with those guys, Gavin is a great student of the game. Seeing how they operate and how Stukes would do things and telling him what he saw and how he operates, Gavin took that and soaked it up like a sponge. Now he is the guy doing that in the room and kind of leading by example as well as talking about how we do things and see things and that kind of stuff.”
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Justin Backer brings a wealth of experience to his role as a college football and basketball general sports reporter On SI. Backer is a proud graduate of Florida Atlantic University with a Bachelor of Arts in Multimedia Studies, and has worked for such media companies as The Sporting News and the Palm Beach Post.