2024 was a season to forget for Dalton Johnson and the Arizona Wildcats, as the team went 4-8 in their inaugural season in the Big 12. A defense riddled with injuries, Johnson was forced to step outside of his usual safety role to play linebacker, but who else but him could do it?
Johnson prided himself on being a downhill safety who could not only cover, but stop the run and is unafraid of hard contact. 2025 was the perfect season for the Katy, TX native to end things on. His team leading 97 tackles showed just the kind of player he was and always had been.
This Saturday, his dreams were finally realized by being drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders in the fifth round with the 150th pick. He joins his teammate Treydan Stukes , who was drafted in the second round with the 38th pick.
Both safeties started in the Kevin Sumlin era and chose to stay with the Wildcats following his firing. After a single season with Jedd Fisch and an abysmal year in Brent Brennan's first season as head coach of the Wildcats, they still chose Arizona , sticking with the process that eventually led to a 9-4 season and the seventh-best passing defense in the NCAA.
Nov 8, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats defensive backs Treydan Stukes and Dalton Johnson celebrate a win against the Kansas Jayhawks at the end of the game at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images
Not only does Johnson get to realize his dreams and play in the NFL for the Raiders, but he gets to do it with a teammate with whom he has shared the field for the past five years. Johnson and Stukes were two players who made up an absolutely loaded secondary unit for Arizona.
The pair were not just teammates, they were two good friends and that camaraderie showed on the football field on Saturdays. Johnson even called Stukes his best friend and he cannot wait to once again share the field with him.
Nov 25, 2023; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats safety Dalton Johnson (43) celebrates a play with cornerback Treydan Stukes (2) against the Arizona State Sun Devils during the Territorial Cup at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports | Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
"I'm super excited," Johnson said. "That's my boy. We're best friends. And being drafted is onething but being drafted to a team that I get to go somewhere with my best friend and continue this Bear Down brotherhood, I'm super excited and ready to take that leadership and turn Las Vegas up."
Nov 28, 2025; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats defensive back Dalton Johnson (43) against the Arizona State Sun Devils during the 99th Territorial Cup at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
When Johnson realized he would be competing at the professional level with his good friend Stukes, one of the first things he did was contact him to share the excitement. For five seasons, the pair shared the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.
Special moments such as winning the Alamo Bowl in 2023 will be remembered in the hearts of Wildcats fans everywhere. So will the lowest ones, like losing to their greatest rival in the ASU Sun Devils 49-7 in 2024. No matter what those moments are what made them the players they are today and what got them to the position they are currently in.
"I called him (Stukes) real quick and he just couldn't believe it," Johnson said. "He was like, 'I think this the best day of my life.' Like I mentioned earlier, it's one thing to be drafted, and I'm so grateful to be a Raider. And then on top of that, I get to do it with Stukes. So, this is probably the best day of our lives for both of us."
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/arizona as Wildcats Duo "Super Excited" to Share the Field .
