Arizona Football Preview, Best Players, Top Transfers, Season Prediction, Win Total 2024

Arizona College Football Preview 2024

So how real was that? Here’s the tougher question …

Was 2023 the outlier 2014 Rich Rodriguez season, or is this sustainable through a coaching change and a conference move?

For a very, very long time Arizona has been one of those “Why isn’t it better at college football?” programs.

Excellent recruiting base with LA and the southwest portion of the country a feeder into the school, decent proximity to a major metropolitan area, and it’s a University of (insert state here) that knows how to win in basketball but isn’t just a hoops school.

Jedd Fisch did a wonderful job of building the program up fast. He did it by building up the lines, brought in explosive playmakers, and it all kicked in after QB Noah Fifita took over early last season.

The 10-3 team really and truly was just a few plays from finishing the regular season 12-0 - it had Mississippi State, Washington, and USC in real trouble.

It also came just a few plays from finishing the regular season 6-6, barely getting past awful Colorado and Stanford teams, and fighting to get by Oregon State.

No excuses - you go on a seven-game winning streak in a major conference, you’re doing something right. But the Wildcats beat three teams that didn’t go bowling, took out Oregon State, UCLA, and Utah at home, and got an Oklahoma team in the Alamo Bowl that missed some major parts including QB Dillon Gabriel.

But here’s the plus side to any possible doubting of how strong last year was. It’s about to get a new infusion of energy.

New head man Brent Brennan is one of those coaches who just sort of figures it out.

You don’t succeed at a place line San Jose State without being a tad bit smarter than the guy on the other side of the field. Combine that with his always-forward style, along with a team loaded with enough good players coming back and some key transfers.

Now mix all that in with a move to the Big 12, and the place that has just four double-digit wins in its history might just make it two in a row.

Arizona Football Preview 2024: Offense

- Dino Babers was a really, really strong hire. The former Syracuse head coach made his name as a terrific offensive coordinator, including at Arizona in the late 1990s. Watch how he shows just off good he is returning to his old gig in Tucson.

He’s inheriting a loaded group of skill parts to play with, but it all starts up front.

It was the most important and impressive aspect of the Jedi Fisch era - the former head man turned the O line from a disaster to a relative plus. It allowed too many plays behind the line, and it wasn’t always a blasting force for the ground game, but that’s nitpicking - it’s impossible to overstate just how bad the front five was a few years ago.

Jonas Savaiinaea will be one of the Big 12’s best tackles, and he’s not alone. Josh Baker is back at center, Wendell Moore is a huge blocker at right guard, and Raymond Pulido should move from guard to tackle. The transfer portal is helping the depth.

- It’s not like the team started winning when Noah Fifita took over. Lost in the amazing run was that Arizona lost the first two games after Jayden de Laura was out and Fifita was in, but … the new guy almost beat Washington and USC.

Fifita isn’t big, and he’s not a runner, but he can throw the heck out of the ball. He doesn’t make mistakes and was amazingly accurate hitting 72% of his passes. It helps that …

- Fifita might have the nation’s best wide receiver to throw to. Tetairoa McMillan is a special talent who’ll soon be knee-deep in the NFL mix. The 6-5 Hawaiian averaged close to 16 yards per catch with 90 grabs for 1,402 yards and ten scores.

Old Dominion transfer Reymello Murphy is another deep threat, averaging 18 yards per catch for the Monarchs, and San Jose State transfer TE Sam Olson can get down the field, too.

The ground game wasn’t bad, but it got a whole lot better with Jacory Croskey-Merritt a special back coming in from New Mexico - more on him in a moment - Quali Conley was an 842-yard, nine-score rusher at San Jose State last year, and Ole Miss transfer Kedrick Reescano might be the most talented back of the bunch.

Arizona Football Preview 2024: Defense

- Duane Akina was a longtime key assistant at Texas, handled the Stanford secondary for years, and last year was part of the mix at Arizona. Like the move of getting Dino Babers for the offensive side, hiring him as the defensive coordinator was good.

The 2023 defense was in the middle of the pack and didn’t do much on third downs, but it didn’t break too much after bending. It had a good pass rush, was great when the back was against the wall, and it returns full of talent and …

- Transfers. Lots and LOTS of transfers, especially on the line. It’s not like this is a concern for the Wildcats, but all four starters are gone up front and almost all of the twos are coming in from somewhere else.
Pass rusher Tre Smith followed Brent Brennan from San Jose State, and there’s bulk with 347-pound Chubba Maae in from UC Davis and the quick Kevon Darton entering from Syracuse.

- The 1-2 linebacking punch of Jacob Manu and Justin Flowe is as good as any in the Big 12. Manu did a little of everything with 116 tackles with 6.5 sacks for the Wildcats, and Flowe is WAY overdue to bust out in the middle.

The superstar recruit for Oregon was hurt early on, started to come through in 2022, and last year made a career hight 44 stops for Arizona.

- There’s a lot to like about the secondary. WR Tetairoa McMillan might be the team’s best pro prospect, but CB Tacario Davis might not be terribly far behind coming off a big year breaking up 15 passes.

The Wildcats are loaded at safety. Dalton Johnson and Gunner Maldonado combined for 167 tackles, and Treydan Stukes made 55 stops with nine broken up passes.

Key To The Arizona Football Season

Pass protection.
The Arizona offensive line was terrific at times, but it gave up 26 sacks - Noah Fifita isn’t built to take a pounding.

Again, Dino Babers is a great call at offensive coordinator, but at Syracuse one of his biggest problems EVERY year was a line that offered little more than a polite suggestion in pass protection.

30 sacks allowed last season. 43 in 2022. 33 in 2021, 38 in 2020, 50 in 2019, 37 in 2018, and keep on going.

Arizona Key Player

Chubba Maae, DT Sr.
Just about everything appears to be in place, but Arizona needs an anchor with all four starters on the D line likely to be transfers.

Maae isn’t necessarily huge, but he’s strong and bulky in the middle. He’s a true nose tackle who made 59 tackles with two sacks over the last four seasons at UC Davis. Stats don’t matter here - his job is to sit in the middle and not be moved.

Arizona Football Top Transfer, Biggest Transfer Loss

Top Transfer In: Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB Sr.
There are several outstanding transfers going in - including at running back - but Croskey-Merritt could be an instant Big 12 star if he can keep the momentum of 2023 rolling. He ran for 1,190 yards and 17 touchdowns - and caught a touchdown pass - for New Mexico last year.

Top Transfer Out: Ephesians Prysock, CB Jr.
The 6-4 was one of the Pac-12’s best-tackling corners last season with 61 stops to go along with seven broken up passes. The Wildcats are more than fine in the secondary, but Prysock might be the toughest loss to Washington.

Arizona Key Game

at Kansas State, Sept. 13
Is Arizona for real? Is the team that was so good last year really ready to keep it all going after all of the changes?

The date at Kansas State isn’t technically a Big 12 game, but call it the soft opening. It’s a chance to establish who the real Wildcats are this season (rim shot).

With a week off and a trip to Utah up next, win this, be 3-0 after beating New Mexico and Northern Arizona, and the college football world will be really, really interested in the real Big 12 opener in Salt Lake City on September 28th.

10 Best Arizona Football Players

1. Tetairoa McMillan, WR Jr.
2. Tacario Davis, CB Jr.
3. Noah Fifita, QB Soph.
4. Jacob Manu, LB Jr.
5. Jonah Savaiinaea, OT Jr.
6. Treydan Stukes, S Sr.
7. Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB Sr.
8. Dalton Johnson, S Jr.
9. Justin Flowe, LB Sr.
10. Tre Smith, DE Jr.

Arizona 2023 Fun Stats

- 4th Quarter Scoring: Arizona 128, Opponents 53

- Fumbles: Opponents 21 (lost 10), Arizona 7 (lost 3)

- 4th Down Conversions: Arizona 10-of-15 (67%), Opponents 6-of-20 (39%)

Arizona Football 2024 Win Total Prediction: What to Expect This Season

What more could you want, Arizona?

Five of the last seven games - all in the Big 12 - are against teams that didn’t go bowling last season, the date with Kansas State is counted as a non-conference matchup, and there’s no Oklahoma State or Kansas - that offense is scary - to deal with.

Actually, Arizona could not have to go to K-State, and it would really prefer to not have to go to Utah. But with the starting 22 in place, the expectations, and a schedule that doesn’t have a national title-level Washington like it had to face last year, or a trip to USC, getting to nine regular season wins again is a must.

Fans might be hoping for even more than that, but TCU will be better and BYU should be stronger - both are road games. It’ll be asking for a lot to get more than a split against Kansas State and Utah, Texas Tech and West Virginia will be dangerous, and …

More Big 12 teams will be worrying about Arizona rather than the other way around.

Set The Arizona Win Total At … 8

Likely Wins: New Mexico, Northern Arizona

50/50 Games: Arizona State, at BYU, Colorado, Houston, at Kansas State, Texas Tech, at TCU, UCF, West Virginia

Likely Losses: at Utah

2024 Arizona Football Schedule

Aug 31 New Mexico
Sept 7 Northern Arizona
Sept 13 at Kansas State
Sept 21 OPEN DATE
Sept 28 at Utah
Oct 5 Texas Tech
Oct 12 at BYU
Oct 19 Colorado
Oct 26 West Virginia
Nov 2 at UCF
Nov 9 OPEN DATE
Nov 15 Houston
Nov 23 at TCU
Nov 30 Arizona State

Missing: Baylor, Cincinnati, Iowa State, Kansas, Oklahoma State