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.
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.
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.
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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