247 Sports’ Composite Ratings<\/a>, which capture the talent rankings of both incoming freshman and incoming transfers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n2026 Arizona Football Outlook<\/h2>\n\n\n\n Webster\u2019s dictionary defines a mulligan as\u2026 \u201ca free shot sometimes given to a golfer in informal play when the previous shot was poorly played.\u201d In football parlance, there is another definition of a mulligan which was deployed by Arizona after the 2024 season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the Wildcats, and specifically head coach Brent Brennan, it was a \u201cgridiron\u201d mulligan\u2026forgiveness (though most likely only partial) for a season gone bad. \u201cFootball mulligans\u201d are usually limited to first-year coaches (in Brennan\u2019s case two years ago) or for a rash of injuries that might deplete a squad. The catch with \u201cfootball mulligans\u201d is that a coach usually gets only one of those per job assignment\u2026and sometimes, not even that much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brent Brennan’s Future<\/h3>\n\n\n\n In Brennan\u2019s case, he might have been lucky to receive one after his first Wildcats edition in 2024 sagged to 4-8, and even that was flattering considering the way Arizona football performed for much of that autumn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the heels of a 10-3 breakthrough campaign in the preceding 2023 that former head coach Jedd Fisch parlayed into the head coaching gig at Washington, Brennan, who arrived after good success at San Jose State (not the easiest place to win), was under fire for the Wildcats\u2019 dramatic drop-off that also included just two spread covers in 12 tries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By the time rival Arizona State got done chewing up the Cats by a 49-7 count in the Territorial Cup finale, some in Tucson were recalling the very short tenure of hoops head coach Ben Lindsey, who had won at lower-level Grand Canyon, including an NAIA title, but struggled in his one season in charge for the Arizona hoopsters in 1982-83.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After a 4-24 mark, Lindsey walked the plank, to be replaced by\u2026Lute Olson, and the rest is history for Arizona hoops. Some oldtimers in the desert were thinking a football version of Olson might appear if Brennan got the same treatment as did Lindsey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yet Brennan was able to hang onto his job last year and then some after the promise of a staff shake-up, which cost several of his assistants from San Jose an invitation back for a second tour of duty with Arizona.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An Improving Offense<\/h3>\n\n\n\n The most important add to the assistant ranks last year might have been offensive coordinator Seth Doege, whose roots go back to Mike Leach\u2019s last two years at Texas Tech where Doege played QB. Plucked from Marshall, where his first stint as an OC in 2024 resulted in some big numbers for the Sun Belt champion Thundering Herd, Doege hit the ground running in Tucson as the offense perked up noticeably last season to 31.5 points per game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Cats also more than doubled their projected win total last fall, up to nine wins, with only one real subpar effort at Iowa State. Indeed, Arizona was a play away from beating both BYU and Houston, and avenged the 2024 blowout to the Sun Devils by whipping them 23-7 in Tempe. Many regional observers thought the Wildcats would have provided better opposition for Texas Tech in the Big XII title game than did BYU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Comfy running the Doege uptempo is fourth-year QB Noah Fifita, whose continuing presence on the Wildcats\u2019 roster speaks to some level of NIL support in Tucson as Fifita could have commanded a very nice price in the marketplace had he decided to leave the Cats at any time the past three offseasons. Though a bit pocket-sized at 5-foot-10 and only 190 pounds, Fifita has proven fearless and quite durable in his three years as a starter, passing for better than 9,000 yards and with 73 TD passes (vs. only 24 picks).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Drill a bit deeper, however, and will note similarities between his stats in his year under Fisch (25 TD passes and just six picks in 2023) and Doege (29 TD passes and just six picks last year). In the disappointing 2024 in Tucson, Fifita\u2019s numbers dropped noticeably (18 TD passes and 12 picks). Indeed, that Fifita and Doege have been on the same page since the start of last season bodes well for Noah going out with a bang as a senior this fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fresh Faces in Tucson<\/h3>\n\n\n\n There is familiarity within the receiving corps as returnees Tre Spivey III, Chris Hunter and Giovanni Richardson combined for 1,052 yards worth of receptions in 2025. Balance is likely to be provided by returnee RB Kedrick Reescano, who scored nine TDs on his 84 carries last fall, while Marshall transfer Antwan Roberts, familiar to Doege from his days with the Thundering Herd, motored for 512 yards rushing and a brisk 5.7 yards per carry last fall in the Sun Belt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is also experience on the offensive line augmented by Washington transfer Zachary Henning, penciled in at center. One area where Brennan would like to see improvement is at place kicker, where returnee Michael Salgado-Medina missed 12 of 31 field goal tries a year ago, and could face competition in fall camp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It wasn\u2019t all offense that jump-started the Wildcats last year, however, as the defense made a big jump as well under defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales, a Rocky Long disciple who was promoted from linebackers coach after 2024. Gonzales, the head coach at New Mexico prior to joining Brennan\u2019s staff, has past experiences as a defensive coordinator at San Diego State (for Long) and Arizona State under Herm Edwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Wildcats attacked on defense last year for Gonzales, recording a Super Bowl-shuffle Bears-like 31 takeaways, key to a nation\u2019s second-best +18 turnover margin and a defense that improved to 19th overall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gonzales rotated his defensive line all season as almost all of the returnees saw meaningful snaps last fall, with DE Tre Smith granted a sixth-year of eligibility after last October\u2019s shoulder surgery. Along with bruising 292-lb nose tackle Leroy Palu and linebackers Taye Brown and Chase Kennedy, there are plenty of experienced playmakers in the front seven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Where Gonzales will have to shuffle is in a secondary that would form an effective no-fly zone last season when Arizona ranked 7th nationally in pass defense (only 163 passing yards per game allowed). Three of those defensive backs – Dalton Johnson, Genesis Smith, and Treydan Stukes – would be taken in the NFL Draft, however, and reinforcements likely come from the portal. One of those, safety Malcolm Hartzog Jr, started 32 games the past three seasons at Nebraska, and has eight career picks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Arizona Wildcats Win Total Prediction<\/h3>\n\n\n\n We admit to wondering about the Brennan hire in 2024, and consider last season as a Mariano Rivera-like save job for the Arizona football coach, who is back on secure footing after the nice recovery a year ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Optimistic sorts in Tucson think the Wildcats might be a worthwhile longshot bet to make the 12-team College Football Playoff, as we note that the selection committee hasn\u2019t gone two-deep in the Big XII either of the past two years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With Fifita running the Doege offense, the Wildcats have a puncher\u2019s chance against anyone on the schedule, though it would help if the defense finds some new ballhawks to replace the turnover mavens in the secondary who have departed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019ll find out quick if Arizona is serious about making a real run. Week 2 has a revenge date at BYU with the winner likely to emerge as Texas Tech\u2019s biggest challenger in the loop. Arizona also must travel to Lubbock to face the Red Raiders on Halloween, and, as always, there\u2019s old, nasty rival Arizona State in the Territorial Cup on Thanksgiving weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It wouldn\u2019t surprise us if the Wildcats and Texas Tech meet twice, the second time in the Big XII title game, though it\u2019s the latter that Arizona is probably going to have to win to get invited to the postseason party. We expect the Wildcats to have long since cleared this 7.5 win total. OVER 7.5 Wins<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n2026 Arizona Football Schedule<\/h3>\n\n\n\nDate<\/th> Day<\/th> Home\/Away<\/th> Opponent<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> September 5<\/td> Sat<\/td> Home<\/td> Northern Arizona<\/td><\/tr> September 12<\/td> Sat<\/td> Road<\/td> BYU<\/td><\/tr> September 19<\/td> Sat<\/td> Home<\/td> Northern Illinois<\/td><\/tr> September 26<\/td> Sat<\/td> Road<\/td> Washington State<\/td><\/tr> October 3<\/td> Sat<\/td> Home<\/td> Cincinnati<\/td><\/tr> October 10<\/td> Sat<\/td> Road<\/td> West Virginia<\/td><\/tr> Bye<\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td><\/tr> October 24<\/td> Sat<\/td> Home<\/td> Iowa State<\/td><\/tr> October 31<\/td> Sat<\/td> Road<\/td> Texas Tech<\/td><\/tr> November 6<\/td> Fri<\/td> Home<\/td> TCU<\/td><\/tr> November 14<\/td> Sat<\/td> Home<\/td> Utah<\/td><\/tr> November 21<\/td> Sat<\/td> Road<\/td> Kansas State<\/td><\/tr> November 28<\/td> Sat<\/td> Home<\/td> Arizona State<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n
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