Former Indiana defensive lineman Sio Nofoagatoto’a commits to Arizona

Arizona’s commitment to re-open the Polynesian pipeline isn’t just limited to prep recruiting. There’s also a junction in the NCAA transfer portal.

The Wildcats have earned a pledge from former Indiana defensive tackle Sio Nofoagatoto’a, their eighth transfer pickup this offseason and eighth defensive portal addition.

The 6-foot-3, 315-pound Nofoagatoto’a started 12 games for Indiana last season, playing 324 total snaps and registering 18 tackles with 2.5 for loss. He appeared in 42 games in four seasons for the Hoosiers and has one season of eligibility remaining.

From American Samoa, Nofoagatoto played high school football in Florida where he was a 3-star prospect in the 2019 recruiting class. He picked Indiana over offers from Boston College, Maryland, NC State, Nebraska, Virginia and both Arizona and ASU.

Nofoagatoto’a is the fourth defensive lineman Arizona has added from the portal, joining ex-Georgia tackle Bill Norton, ex-UCLA tackle Tyler Manoa and former Cal edge rusher Orin Patu. The Wildcats return only one DL who started any games last season, as Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei started the final five games of 2022.

The Wildcats have four defensive linemen from the 2023 recruiting class set to join the team in June, including junior college transfer Keanu Mailoto.