Arizona defensive backs Dalton Johnson, Genesis Smith and Treydan Stukes and defensive linemen Tre Smith and Deshawn McKnight were named to the watch list for the East West Shrine Bowl on Sunday. Arizona had 13 players total named to the East West Shrine Bowl Watch List.
McKnight is the sole newcomer to Arizona among the five Wildcats on defense named to the Shrine Bowl Watch List. McKnight transferred to Arizona from Tennessee-Martin after previously playing at Appalachian State.
In his one season at Tennessee-Martin, McKnight had 21 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks and one forced fumble. McKnight had 24 tackles, 3.0 TFLs, one pass defended and one forced fumble playing for Appalachian State in 2021 and 2022.
Johnson has 189 tackles, 11.0 TFLs, 2.0 sacks, one interception, four passes defended and six forced fumbles. in four seasons for Arizona. As a true freshman in 2021, Johnson played in three games, allowing him to redshirt and have a final season of eligibility in 2025.
1️⃣3️⃣ Wildcats on the @ShrineBowl watchlist‼️ pic.twitter.com/w5ApEN690L
— Arizona Football (@ArizonaFBall) August 3, 2025
In 25 games with 10 starts in two seasons, Smith has 87 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, four interceptions, six pass breakups and two forced fumbles. Smith had a breakout 2024 season with 63 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, three interceptions, nine passes defended, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
Stukes has 154 tackles, 11.0 TFLs, three interceptions and 25 passes defended in five seasons for Arizona. Stukes earned two extra seasons due to the 2020 Covid season, when he played three games and a medical redshirt in 2024 after missing all but four games after suffering a torn ACL.
Tre Smith has 141 tackles, 24.0 TFLs, 14.0 sacks, two passes defended and two forced fumbles playing for San Jose State from 2021 through 2023 and Arizona in 2024. Smith played under Arizona head coach Brent Brennan during his first two seasons at San Jose State.
None of the five Arizona defensive players who were named to the Shrine Bowl watchlist were named preseason All-Big XII, but they should compete for all-conference honors in 2024. The return of Johnson, Genesis and Tre Smith and Stukes was important for the foundation for Arizona defensively in 2025.