NFL
By: Brock Vierra
It’s been a long time since the Arizona Wildcats have been a competitive force in college football. Their last winning season came in 2017 and their last bowl win was in 2015. However, there is no point in looking at the past, especially since the marks of failure that have scarred Wildcat fans are no longer visible. Yes, they haven’t won a conference title since 1993. Yes, they’ve never been to a Rose Bowl. Yes, they haven’t been a competitive force in the recruiting circuit but those are all things of the past. With a move to the Big 12 on the horizon and an explosive offense showcasing themselves as we speak, the stock has risen in Tucson, and for good reason. Here’s why you should be all in on Jedd Fisch and the Wildcats.
Let’s talk offense. Arizona was gifted a lifeline when Washington State decided to replace Jayden de Laura with Cam Ward, forcing de Laura into the portal. The 2021 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year ran the pass-happy Run N Shoot offense at St. Louis HS (Hawaii) and at Washington State. He has tremendous experience at the position and his work with QB guru Vinny Passas has paid off as de Laura has thrown for over 7000 yards and 53 touchdowns in just 28 games. He also has 9 rushing touchdowns. Passas has worked with Marcus Mariota, Tua Tagovailoa, Dillion Gabriel, and other D1 QBs from Hawaii in the past, QBs who have gone on to the NFL or have had incredible college careers.
A quarterback is nothing without weapons and Arizona has a bunch. Jacob Cowing is on several award watchlists including the Maxwell and Biletnikoff, Senior running back Michael Wiley is coming off of a career year highlighted by his 214-yard rushing performance to give Arizona the Territorial Cup over in-state rival Arizona State, Colorado transfer Montana Lemonious-Craig provides good depth and Jonah Coleman is a versatile receiving back that can hurt opponents on the ground or in the air. The big piece in this puzzle is the highest-ranked recruit in Arizona Wildcat history. From Waimanalo, Hawaii via Anaheim, California sits five-star WR Tetairoa McMillian. McMillian who enters his second year performed above lofty expectations as a true freshman, finishing 2022 with 39 receptions for 702 yards and 8 touchdowns. McMillian was an Oregon recruit that Fisch flipped, marking a huge moment for the program. For decades, Arizona couldn’t compete with Nike U…sorry I mean the University of Oregon in terms of recruiting so the acquisition of McMillian will most likely secure Fisch an extension.
Fisch wasn’t done with Oregon as he secured from Ducks’ linebacker Justin Flowe via the transfer portal. A stud in high school and a solid starter in Eugene, Flowe has the potential to be the best Wildcat linebacker since Scooby Wright III. Make no mistake, Flowe is not a gem in a pool of scrubs, this Arizona defense is talented and filled with tackling machines. Sporting players from all across the country, Johnny Nansen and his 4-3 defense is aggressive, hard-hitting, and flexible to address the various offenses they will see in 2023.
In 2022, Arizona had the 19th-ranked recruiting class in the nation. In 2023, Arizona had the 36th. Now that may look like a regression but when you look at how much attention they paid to the transfer portal, there’s a reason for everything. Now that Arizona has its conference future secure and is making strides in its NIL initiatives, expect Arizona to be much more active in recruitment. The best part for the Wildcats is that they’re in a recruiting hotbed. The talent in the Arizona High School area is grossly underrated, they’re within reaching distance of Texas and California, have an established history of taking in players from other current Pac-12 schools and their offensive and defensive philosophies are perfect for plug-and-play players from the JUCO ranks.
Arizona is on the rise and with the uncertainty that revolves around Arizona State in the post-Herm Edwards world, the Wildcats are the clear number one program in the state. The Big 12 will be an easier conference to compete in so expect the Wildcats to constantly hit the 8-9 win mark and be bowl eligible. As for right now, they are fun to watch. They let the ball fly, they put up points and they love to play hard. Arizona has a dude in Jedd Fisch and Fisch has a burgeoning program in the desert.
For more College Football Content, check out Team NBS Media’s weekly CFB recap show: The Last Word. New episodes every Sunday at 10 am Eastern/7 am Pacific.
