Arizona Lands Veteran Transfer Portal Running Back
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Arizona head coach Brent Brennan and his staff have done a solid job throughout the 2026 college football transfer portal window. Although the Wildcats saw 17 players transfer out of the program, they have brought in 19 transfers, all of whom are expected to make an immediate impact in 2026.
One of Arizona’s most recent transfer portal additions came from a former Marshall running back who brings not only talent but also a veteran presence to the Wildcats’ roster next season.
Marshall Running Back Transfer Commits to Arizona
On Jan. 14, 247Sports’ Chris Hummer reported on X that Antwan Roberts, a running back transfer from Marshall, had committed to Arizona.
Marshall RB Antwan Roberts (@antwanroberts44) is committing to Arizona, his agency @3strandsports tells @mzenitz and I for @CBSSports.
— Chris Hummer (@chris_hummer) January 14, 2026
Roberts, who is repped by @EugeneTLee, ran for 512 yards & 4 TDs this year on 5.7 ypc. Began his career at Wisconsin. https://t.co/tpi92RynCn pic.twitter.com/5qRUkQrA76
The Marshall transfer is the first running back the Wildcats added through the portal this offseason, and it’s a massive pickup for Brennan and company, as Roberts will provide much-needed depth to Arizona’s running back room in 2026.
Roberts is originally from Tennessee and was a three-star recruit in the 2021 class. He committed to Wisconsin out of high school but left the program shortly after and enrolled at Independence Community College, a JUCO, for the 2022 season.
After his stint at Independence Community College, Roberts committed to Marshall as a member of the program's 2023 recruiting class. He saw limited playing time in 2023, and an injury sidelined him for the entire 2024 season.
In 2025, Roberts finally got his chance with the Thundering Herd and performed well. He rushed for 512 yards and four touchdowns on 90 carries in 12 games. He entered the transfer portal at the end of the season and now joins Arizona with two years of eligibility remaining.
With Ismail Mahdi ineligible, Roberts will likely step in and see a decent amount of playing time in 2026 alongside Kedrcik Reescano and Qunicy Craig. Not only does Roberts transfer fill a need for the Wildcats, but he also has ties to Arizona offensive coordinator Seth Doege, who coached him at Marshall in 2024.
Overall, Roberts is a much-needed addition to Arizona’s 2026 transfer portal class. Rivals’ industry rankings list him as a three-star prospect, the No. 1,689 overall player in the portal, and the No. 135 running back.
With the addition of Roberts, Rivals now ranks Arizona’s transfer portal class No. 39 nationally and No. 7 in the Big 12. Brennan and his staff have done a great job of addressing needs and bringing in quality players, including Roberts, who will contribute to the program’s success 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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