Arizona quarterback Jayden de Laura, who lost his starting job to Noah Fifita following an injury, will enter the transfer portal, he announced Monday on social media.
A fourth-year junior, de Laura wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that he will remain with the No. 14 Wildcats (9-3) for their game against No. 12 Oklahoma (10-2) in the Alamo Bowl on Thursday in San Antonio, Texas.
“On Friday, college football made a decision to allow a second undergraduate transfer,” de Laura posted on X, formerly Twitter. “I appreciate my time at the University of Arizona, but the opportunity to return as a starter my final year of college, while also getting my degree, is something I must explore.
“I want to thank Coach (Jedd) Fisch and Mrs. Fisch for (all) they had done for me these past two years,” he added. “Thank you guys for helping me not grow as just a football player, but also as a student and a man.”
De Laura was the starter through the fourth game Sept. 23 at Stanford, when he sustained an ankle injury. Redshirt freshman Noah Fifita came in and Arizona won to improve to 3-1.
Though listed as the starter, de Laura played behind Fifita and appeared in seven games, completing 89 of 128 passes (69.5 percent) for 1,120 yards and 10 touchdowns along with five interceptions.
Fifita has played in 11 games and completed 217 of 295 (73.6 percent) for 2,515 yards, 23 TDs and five picks. He was named the Pac-12 Freshman Offensive Player of the Year.
An All-Pac-12 honorable mention as a sophomore in 2022, de Laura started all 12 games in his first season with the Wildcats and threw for 3,685 yards (14th in NCAA FBS) and 25 touchdowns.
He had played two seasons at Washington State, where he was the 2021 Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year.
