Arizona's Treydan Stukes Remains Leader While Rehabbing

Arizona's defense suffered many brutal injuries to key players last season with one of them being to CB Treydan Stukes who suffered a torn ACL in the win over Utah early in the year. He was one of the captains on the defensive side of the ball, making his injury an even bigger loss on the field for the Wildcats. 

What it did do is allow Stukes to medically redshirt and preserve another year of eligibility. He had initially entered the transfer portal, but ultimately withdrew and returned to Arizona.

Stukes once again enters this season as one of the leaders on the defensive side of the ball for the Wildcats. He was off to the side continuing to rehab during spring camp, but he remained a key leader for the secondary despite not participating in drills.

“Stukes is a great leader,” DB Ayden Garnes said back in April. “Obviously he has been here. He knows what the (Beardown) brotherhood is about, so me and (Jay’Vion Cole) being new to it, he brought us in. Now, it’s like I knew these guys for six months.”

Stukes has been through a lot during his five years in Tucson from multiple head coaches to some of the highs and lows of football on the field at Arizona. He remains one of the most experienced players on either side of the ball for the Wildcats and will look to take that into his final season coming up. 

“I wish we had more like him. I wish we could keep him here forever, but we can’t,” cornerbacks coach Chip Viney said with a smile during spring camp.

“It has been awesome. I think sometimes things can be a blessing in disguise where I think being on the sideline and I think we all remember the stories around that Utah week. Here is a young man that knew his knee was blown out and he’s fighting off the training staff to get out to help us coach and help lead his team.”

Stukes embraced the rest of the season as a leader and coach on the sideline while also rehabbing his way back from a torn ACL. 

“(Stukes) has been all of that,” Viney said. “It has been awesome to have him lead from the sideline, especially with a lot of new faces in the secondary. Once we add him back to the fold, I think we’re going to have something special.”

Stukes enters his final season in college and at Arizona looking to finish on a high note following last year’s disappointing campaign.