7 Arizona players named Athlon Sports Preseason All Big XII

Seven Arizona players were named to the four Athlon Sports preseason All-Big XII teams, with the summary written by Steven Lassan. Arizona representatives on the Athlon Sports preseason All Big XII teams are led by kick returner Jeremiah Patterson and safety Genesis Smith on the second team.

Patterson led Arizona with 27 kickoff returns for 596 yards and 14 punt returns for 78 yards in 2024 to earn his spot on the Athlon Sports preseason second-team All-Big XII. Patterson also had 26 receptions for 196 yards and two touchdowns after transferring from the College of San Mateo.

Smith finished third on Arizona with 63 tackles, had 4.0 tackles for loss and tied for the team lead with three interceptions, six pass breakups and two forced fumbles in 2024. Arizona should have one of the best secondaries in the Big XII in 2024, led by Dalton Johnson, Smith and Treydan Stukes.

Offensive lineman Alexander Doost, Johnson and Stukes were all named third-team preseason All-Big XII by Athlon Sports. Johnson is the only returnee for Arizona in 2025 who earned All-Big XII in 2024 after being named honorable mention all-conference.

Doost played in all 12 games with nine starts in 2024. Pro Football Focus graded Doost fourth on Arizona in 2025 with an offensive grade of 66.4 and third with a run block grade of 63.2. Doost played 634 snaps and allowed three sacks, one quarterback hit and 10 hurries as a redshirt freshman in 2024.

Johnson led Arizona with 94 tackles, had 5.0 TFLs, had two passes defended and tied for the team lead with Smith, forcing two fumbles. Johnson had 86 tackles, 6.0 TFLs, 2.0 sacks, one interception, one pass defended and four forced fumbles in 2023 after playing sparingly in 2021 and 2022.

Stukes had 18 tackles, 3.0 TFLs, one interception and two passes defended in four games before suffering a season-ending injury in 2024. Stukes has 154 career tackles, 12.0 TFLs, three interceptions and 23 interceptions in 42 career games from the 2020 through 2024 seasons.

Texas State transfer Ismail Mahdi, who is projected to be the 2025 Arizona starting running back, was named as an all-purpose player to the Athlon Sports preseason All-Big XII team. Mahdi had 2,322 rushing yards and 14 TDs and 44 receptions for 470 yards and three scores, plus 760 return yards in the last two seasons.

Edge rusher Tre Smith is the final Arizona player on the Athlon Sports preseason All-Big XII team. Smith was fourth on Arizona with 53 tackles and led the Wildcats with 8.0 TFLs and 5.0 sacks and had one pass defended and one forced fumble after transferring from San Jose State.

Arizona should improve from a 4-8 2024 season with the core returning in 2025 and the new players on the roster. Johnson, Smith and Stukes staying healthy would be a big boost for Arizona in 2025 after injuries decimated the Wildcats in 2024, particularly in the secondary.