Speaking to reporters on Monday, Arizona head coach Brent Brennan said they will not disclose which players are opting out before the Holiday Bowl. Brennan stated that it is a personal decision for the players and he does not want to give SMU an indication of who might sit out.
Brennan mentioned last week that Arizona could have opt-outs for the Holiday Bowl. No indication or inference was provided by Brennan during his meeting with reporters last week on anyone, or who might opt out for the Holiday Bowl versus SMU on Friday.
Other than players who have stated publicly that they intend to enter the Transfer Portal, no one from Arizona has said that they will opt out of the Holiday Bowl. Arizona appears to be mostly healthy for the Holiday Bowl on Friday.
Defensive tackle Tia Savea is expected to return for Arizona after missing the last three games following a leg injury against Kansas on November 8. Savea leads Arizona defensive linemen and set a career high with 30 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks.
Brent Brennan basically just said he will not announce opt outs for players before the bowl game. It’s a personal decision for the players and also doesn’t want to give SMU an indication of who may be sitting out
— Jason Scheer (@jasonscheer) December 29, 2025
Who could opt-out
Based purely on conjecture, Oddscheck.com lists cornerback Treydan Stukes and safety Genesis Smith as potential opt-outs for Arizona. Safety Dalton Johnson and Stukes are seniors whose eligibility expires at the end of the 2025 season.
As a junior, it would be surprising for Smith to opt out of the Holiday Bowl. Other projective Arizona seniors like running back Ismail Madhi and wide receiver Kris Hutson, who are in their only seasons with the Wildcats, are among the other potential opt-outs.
SMU redshirt junior quarterback Kevin Jennings will play, per Oddschecker. Wide receiver Romello Brinson and tight end RJ Maryland are among the potential opt-outs for SMU. Players opting out could leak throughout the week as the game gets closer to the 6 PM Mountain Standard Time kick-off on Friday.