Scottie Young Jr. enters transfer portal, and the Arizona Wildcats' secondary is now a primary concern

The Arizona Wildcats’ dwindling safety corps has suffered another blow.

Scottie Young Jr., who has started 29 games over the past three seasons, has decided to transfer. Young tweeted Thursday that he has entered his name in the NCAA transfer portal.

Young is the fourth safety to transfer this offseason, joining Troy Young (no relation), Xavier Bell and Chacho Ulloa. Scottie Young’s departure leaves Arizona with only four full-time scholarship safeties, and only two of them have any substantial experience.

Young had an up-and-down career at Arizona. He started as a freshman in 2017 but was arrested that September in connection with a domestic-violence incident. Young was charged with misdemeanor assault. The charge eventually was dismissed by Pima County prosecutors after Young completed a diversion program.

He didn’t miss any game time because of the incident in ’17 and finished the season with 53 tackles and an interception. He was suspended from team activities the following offseason under first-year coach Kevin Sumlin and had to sit out the ’18 opener. Young notched career highs in passes defensed (six) and interceptions (three) that year but had a career-low 38 tackles.

After his first full offseason in the strength and conditioning program, Young seemed poised for a breakout campaign last year. Although he finished with a career-high 66 tackles, he struggled at times, particularly in coverage. Young played better toward the end of the season, by which time three UA defensive assistants had been fired.

Sumlin had three-fourths of the defensive staff in place by the start of spring practice on March 2. But Arizona didn’t have a secondary coach until the following week after the 11th-hour departure of Demetrice Martin. New defensive backs coach Greg Burns never got to work with the players; the remainder of spring practice was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Young finishes his UA career with 157 tackles, 12 passes defensed and five interceptions, including one he returned for a touchdown, in 32 games.

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The most experienced returning safeties are senior Jarrius Wallace, who has nine career starts, and junior Christian Young, who has eight. Redshirt junior Rhedi Short has yet to appear in a game. Sophomore Jaxen Turner played in six games last year before his season ended because of injury.

Arizona didn’t sign any full-time safeties in its 2020 recruiting class. However, graduate transfer Brenden Schooler has experience at the position and has expressed interest in playing both ways at receiver and safety. That task could become more difficult with a condensed offseason.

Incoming freshman Majon Wright, the younger brother of former NFL safety Major Wright and current Alabama DB Daniel Wright, played receiver and safety in high school.

The Wildcats also could move a cornerback to safety after adding two corners in their ’20 signing class.

When the newcomers arrive on campus remains to be seen. The start of the season is in jeopardy while the U.S. practices social distancing amid the pandemic.

Players have been working out at home while participating in online classes. Scottie Young is from San Diego, where he attended Helix High School, the same school that produced UA legend Chuck Cecil. Young wore Cecil’s No. 6 last season, with his permission, an act that was supposed to represent a fresh start.

“I just felt like I needed something new,” Young said in August 2019. “Everybody was saying … I matured. I feel like I blossomed into something different.”