A big-time quarterback just entered the NCAA transfer portal on Christmas Day. Arizona Wildcats quarterback Jayden de Laura will transfer from the program.
247Sports’ Matt Zenitz reported the news on Monday afternoon.
“Arizona QB Jayden de Laura plans to enter the transfer portal,” Zenitz said. Zenitz added that de Laura made the announcement himself on social media.
de Laura’s message indicated that he made this decision late last week.
“On Friday, college football made a decision to allow a second undergraduate transfer. I appreciate my time at the University of Arizona, but the opportunity to return as a starter in my final year of college while also getting my degree is something I must explore,” he said. He indicated he will remain a member of the team through the Valero Alamo Bowl against the Oklahoma Sooners.
This season, Jayden de Laura and Arizona were a force to be reckoned with. Under the old Pac-12 rules, the Wildcats would have played for the conference championship against Washington. But since there were no divisions, there was no Pac-12 South for the Wildcats to lead. Still, they have a chance to end the season on a high note in the Alamo Bowl.
But they will, however, be doing that without their veteran quarterback. This season, Noah Fifita eventually took the helm at quarterback and went off. He threw for 2,515 yards, 23 touchdowns, and five interceptions while completing 73.6 percent of his 295 pass attempts. So obviously, de Laura felt he wouldn’t start over the rising junior quarterback Fifita next season.
Happy trails to Jayden de Laura, who will likely have a lot of suitors in the transfer portal.
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022