One Freshman Wildcats Have To Lean On After NFL Draft
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As college football teams continue their offseasons and build their 2026 rosters, some freshmen will rise to the top and claim pivotal roles. Much of that depends on the departing players, but each team will have at least one first-year player who stands out.
Arizona's biggest holes following the NFL Draft are in the secondary, which may clear a path for the Wildcats' top-rated freshman to find his way onto the field.
𝗗𝗕𝗨🔒 pic.twitter.com/oXh5eZDv1N
— Arizona Football (@ArizonaFBall) April 28, 2026
Arizona's Standout Freshman
Arizona has two four-stars in its incoming recruiting class, led by top-200 cornerback prospect Xaier Hiler. He's the highest-graded player in the class, as the No. 21-ranked cornerback prospect and the No. 26-ranked recruit in the state of Texas, and he fits right into the Wildcats' defense.
Hiler is 6-foot-2 and has been known to play an extremely physical brand of football, which will be welcome on the back end in Arizona. The only real questions are where exactly he fits in and how long it will take the Wildcats to be comfortable enough to take the training wheels off him.
Denton Ryan CB Xaier Hiler showing off the physicality on the third down stop. Raiders block a punt on the next play!
— Carter Yates (@Carter_Yates16) October 11, 2025
The @ArizonaFBall commit is one of the most impressive secondary players in the DFW.
Denton Ryan 16
Richland 14
3:12 in 2nd Q pic.twitter.com/60zzLADDHs
Why Xaier Hiler Could Make Instant Impact
The biggest reason Xaier Hiler could become a significant contributor to the Wildcats is that he fills a need. Arizona lost four starting defensive backs in the 2026 NFL Draft, and a handful of other contributors in the secondary signed undrafted deals.
While Hiler was recruited as a cornerback, Arizona likes to cross-train its defensive backs to play multiple positions in the secondary, building depth, skill, and experience simultaneously. It's worked so well in the past that there's really no viable reason to question it.
Lone Star State CB makes it official 🔥 @HilerXaier pic.twitter.com/ln6bTiXJkD
— Arizona Football (@ArizonaFBall) December 3, 2025
But again, there is a question of where Hiler fits best, and we may not know that until partway through the season. Arizona has to find four new starting defensive backs before the fall, as Jay'Vion Cole is the only returnee with legitimate starting experience. They'll turn to a combination of former depth players, incoming transfers, and freshmen for the rest, and the staff may already have a good idea of how it wants to approach the situation.
They'll need to replace Michael Dansby on the outside, Dalton Johnson and Genesis Smith at safety, and Treydan Stukes as a larger nickelback. Huler has a similar profile to Stukes and could fit seamlessly into that role, or he could be a viable heir to Dansby.
Regardless, it'll be nearly impossible for Arizona to leave him on the bench as a freshman, and he has the ability to shine in any role he's given, even if trusted as a starter.
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Travis Tyler joined On SI as a writer in January 2026. He has experience contributing to FanSided’s NFL, college football, and college basketball coverage, in addition to freelance work throughout the Dallas–Fort Worth area, including high school, college, and professional sports for the Dallas Express and contributions to the College Football Dawgs, Last Word on Sports/Hockey, and The Dallas Morning News. In addition to his writing, Travis contributes video and podcasting content to Fanatics View and regularly appears as a guest analyst. He is a graduate of Michigan State University and SMU and is an avid Detroit sports fan with a deep knowledge and appreciation of sports history. Follow Travis Tyler on Twitter at @TTyler_Sports.