After finally getting the program back on track last year, Arizona football seemed to have a bright future under head coach Jedd Fisch.
Then legendary Alabama head coach Nick Saban retired in January, which wound up having an impact in Tucson. Alabama replaced Saban with Washington’s Kalen DeBoer. The national runner-up, Washington plucked Fisch from Arizona.
While that halted the momentum that Fisch had built at Arizona, the Wildcats appear to be in good hands with his replacement, Brent Brennan.
This summer, BuffZone will preview each of Colorado’s opponents for the 2024 season and in this installment we look at Arizona, which is making the move from the Pac-12 along with the Buffs. Arizona will host the Buffs in Tucson on Oct. 19.
Brennan spent the previous seven seasons as the head coach at San Jose State, turning that program around. From 1991-2019, the Spartans went to three bowl games. Brennan took them to bowls in three of the last four seasons.
The task will be different at Arizona, but he picked up a victory early on when star quarterback Noah Fifita and receiver Tetairoa McMillan chose to stay at Arizona, while many of their teammates hit the transfer portal.
“I think we’ve got a great group,” Brennan said in a recent interview with 365 Sports. “I give these players all the credit in terms of they were the ones that were so committed to each other and so connected that they wanted to continue on this journey at Arizona together. They love the city of Tucson, they love the U of A.”
Teammates at Servite (Calif.) High School, Fifita and McMillan are among the best QB-receiver duos in the country. Fifta took over as the starting quarterback early last season and exploded, throwing 25 touchdown passes.
McMillan ranked fifth nationally with 1,402 receiving yards in 2023 and is considered by many as a preseason All-American.
Around them, the Wildcats have three full-time and one part-time offensive lineman returning, as well as starting receiver Montana Lemonious-Craig. The Wildcats loaded up through the transfer portal to fill holes at running back and elsewhere.
Defensively, Arizona made a huge jump last year. For eight years in a row, from 2015-22, the Wildcats gave up at least 31.4 points per game every season. Last year, they sliced that down to 21.1, ranking fourth in the Pac-12 and 30th nationally.
Several key players from that unit are gone, however, especially up front. The Wildcats have filled those holes in the transfer portal, but will need that group to come together.
There’s plenty of talent left on defense, though, led by last year’s leading tackler (linebacker Jacob Manu) and most of the secondary, including all-conference cornerback Tacario Davis.
Despite some turbulence early in the offseason, Arizona could be a contender in the Big 12. Led by Fifita, the Wildcats have a potentially high-powered offense. If the defense comes together, Arizona has a chance to keep the momentum going and post back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in a decade – and possibly make a run at a conference title.
“I think we’re in a great spot,” Brennan said recently to News 4 in Tucson. “I really believe in our strength and conditioning staff and I think they’re doing a great job with our players right now. This team is really committed and (there is) some great leadership really in all classes.
“We feel great about where we’re at. We’re excited for it and we’re excited for the new conference.”
Arizona Wildcats
Head coach: Brent Brennan, 1st season (34-48 career)
2023 season: 10-3, 7-2 Pac-12; beat Oklahoma in Alamo Bowl, 38-24
Series with CU: Colorado leads 16-10
The Game
Who: Colorado Buffaloes at Arizona Wildcats
When: Saturday, Oct. 19, time TBA
Where: Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Ariz.
5 Guys to Watch
CB Tacario Davis: Finished second in the Pac-12 last year with 15 pass breakups (six more than those who tied for third on the list) and earned second-team all-conference honors. He also had 25 tackles and one interception.
QB Noah Fifita: Came off the bench early last year but when he got the starting job, he didn’t let go. He was the Pac-12 offensive freshman of the year, completing 72.4% of his passes (school record) for 2,869 yards, 25 touchdowns and only six interceptions. Arizona went 7-2 in his nine starts.
LB Jacob Manu: As a sophom*ore last year, he led the Pac-12 in tackles, with 116, and earned first-team all-conference honors. He also had 9.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, 13 quarterback hurries and an interception.
WR Tetairoa McMillan: Caught 90 passes for 1,402 yards and 10 touchdowns last year, averaging 15.6 yards per catch and earning third-team All-American honors from the Associated Press. In two seasons of college football, both at Arizona, he has 129 catches for 2,104 yards and 18 touchdowns.
DE Tre Smith: A transfer from San Jose State, he earned first-team All-Mountain West honors last season as a redshirt sophom*ore. He had 66 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. He had 89 tackles and 9.5 sacks in his collegiate career.
Good to know
• Arizona comes into the season riding a seven-game winning streak. It’s the second-longest active winning streak in the country, trailing only defending national champion Michigan, which has 15 in a row.
• Dino Babers was hired the offensive coordinator after spending the past eight seasons as head coach at Syracuse. Babers is making a return to Tucson, as he was an assistant for the Wildcats from 1995-2000, including the last three years as coordinator. Brennan was a graduate assistant under Babers in 2000 at Arizona.
• New defensive coordinator Duane Akina also has a lot of experience with the Wildcats. From 1987-2000, he was on the staff in various roles, including coaching defensive backs and working four years (1992-95) as the offensive coordinator. He coached defensive backs at Texas from 2001-13 and at Stanford from 2014-22 before returning to Tucson last year as an analyst.
• The Buffs are 9-4 all-time against the Wildcats in Tucson, but most of that came long before the teams became conference rivals in the Pac-12. During the Pac-12 era (2011-23), the Buffs were just 2-4 at Arizona Stadium.
• Former CU receiver Montana Lemonious-Craig returns for his second year with the Wildcats. A starter last year, he caught 28 passes for 296 yard and three touchdowns. In three years at CU, he had 33 catches for 482 yards and five touchdowns.
• Kicker Tyler Loop is one of the best in the country and was a Lou Groza Award semifinalist last year. In his career, he’s made 49-of-57 field goals (86%) and all 103 extra point attempts.
Portal movement
Typical of a team that went through a coaching change, Arizona had a lot of activity in the portal this offseason. The Wildcats lost 28 players, 10 of which followed former head coach Jedd Fisch to Washington, including last year’s leading rusher Jonah Coleman, starting cornerback Ephesians Prysock and starting edge Isaiah Ward. Arizona also lost starting nose tackle Bill Norton (Texas) and part-time starting linebacker Daniel Heimuli (Georgia State). Former starting quarterback Jayden de Laura is now at Texas State. The Wildcats have brought in 24 transfers, including two of the best running backs in the Mountain West last year in Jacory Croskey-Merritt (New Mexico) and Quali Conley (San Jose State). Shancco Matautia, who played three years at New Mexico and spent the spring at Arizona State, could be the starter at right guard. He played with Fifita and McMillan in high school. Receiver Reymello Murphy (Old Dominion) and tight end Sam Olson (San Jose State) could also make an impact on offense. On defense, edge players Tre Smith (San Jose State) and Lance Keneley (Stanford) and lineman Stanley Ta’ufo’ou (USC) could all make an impact.
