FRISCO, Texas – Noah Fifita has been nothing short of confident in his aspirations for Arizona this upcoming season. Big 12 Football Media Days just served as another platform to amplify his message.
“This is about a Big 12 championship,” the fifth-year quarterback said Wednesday. “This is about a Rose Bowl. We’ve got unfinished business.”
As Fifita took the podium, Arizona representatives passed around a resume headlined with the phrase, “Noah Fifita for Heisman.” The literature was accompanied by sections on his experience, skills, awards, references and community service, making it clear that the belief in one of the nation’s top quarterbacks isn’t limited to the guy behind center.
Wideout Tre Spivey and offensive tackle Tristan Bounds, occupying the two positions most familiar with the quarterback, furthered that agenda.
“We want to go out there and get him that Heisman,” Spivey said. “That’s been our goal, that’s all we’ve been talking about, making sure that Noah gets the Heisman this year.”
In Bounds’ mind, “He’s the best quarterback in the country.”
Despite the high praise, Fifita’s journey at Arizona hasn’t always been straightforward. Bursting onto the scene as a freshman in 2023 after taking a redshirt year in 2022, Fifita led the Wildcats to a 10-3 record, earning Pac-12 Freshman Offensive Player of the Year honors and capping off the season with a 38-24 win over No. 12 Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl.
However, everything came crashing down the following year as Fifita threw double-digit interceptions while sporting the lowest completion percentage of his career. Arizona ended the season 4-8, and Fifita’s ability and fit came into question.
As the noise mounted, Fifita announced his return to Tucson, and in doing so delivered a bounce-back season that earned him 2025 First Team All-Big 12 honors. On the back of Fifita’s 29 touchdowns and 3,228 passing yards, Arizona finished last year with a 9-4 record, losing to SMU in the Holiday Bowl.
Coach Brent Brennan, who took over the Wildcats ahead of the disappointing 2024 season, noted that Fifita’s path isn’t uncommon
“I think that Noah’s journey is more typical of a college football player than people want to admit,” Brennan said. “There are people that want to think that college football is just awesome from start to finish. For most players, it’s not like that.”
A career of highs and lows, Fifita is more confident than ever, and his collegiate experience has led him to where he is today. Reflecting on his role with the team and his growth this offseason, Fifita noted his experience as a key factor.
“I think naturally you have to be a leader as a quarterback,” Fifita said. “I’ve always had kind of my way of leadership, always by example and trying to do the right things all the time so that people can see that. But I think as you kind of naturally grow older, you kind of progress.”
Linebacker Taye Brown sees it in the way Fifita commands the squad in conditioning reps.
“He’s definitely been improving on his leadership,” Brown said. “I hear him being more vocal out there on our team runs and team workouts. It’s not natural for him to be this overly loud person, so I feel like we’ve all seen that. We all really appreciate that, him stepping into that leader role.”
However, this sentiment didn’t materialize on its own, and is in big part due to offensive coordinator Seth Doege, the former Texas Tech quarterback who arrived last season and immediately connected with Fifita.
“Coach Doege’s the best offensive coordinator in the country and the best offensive coordinator I’ve ever been around,” Fifita said. “He had seasons where he threw for over 4,000 yards. He’s played this game at a high level. He’s played this position at a high level. We’ve had a lot of talks going into year two; there’s a trust, and there’s a belief within that the plays are going to work.”
Brennan sees the same thing.
“Coach Doege is a very assertive leader, and that’s helped Noah grow in that leadership department,” Brennan said. “This is the first time he’s had the same coordinator in his college football career. My expectations for both Noah and Seth Doege could not be any higher.”
Brennan went on to acknowledge Fifita’s impact off the field.
“Noah Fifita is the best story in college football,” he said. “He’s an incredibly good football player, but he’s also this rare human being that chooses the right things every day. He’s a man of great faith. He’s a great teammate. He’s a great leader. He doesn’t only kick a** on Saturdays, he kicks a** every single day of the week.”
On the field, Fifita’s growth is just as visible, and defensive end Tre Smith sees it every day in practice.
“It’s tough sometimes, making quick reads and getting that ball out,” Smith said. “He’s slippery, and then obviously he’s extremely intelligent.”
Fifita touted the system in place as a vessel in which he can flourish.
“You’ve got to trust the scheme,” he said. “You’ve got to play on time, trust that the plays are going to work. And then I think when things naturally crash, you’ve got to be able to just go make plays.”
Whether he’s laden with pads or draped in street clothes, Fifita is the heartbeat of the Wildcats, and Brennan sees it in the way the program gravitates toward him.
As the quarterback enters his final collegiate campaign, he understands the weight on his shoulders.
“This is my last opportunity to finish the job,” Fifita said. “Whatever it takes, I’m kind of all in.”
While most teams take the season one game at a time, there are games circled for Fifita, BYU chief among them. But the quarterback who once led quietly doesn’t shy away from any of it anymore.
“Preseason rankings have never mattered to me,” he said. “The only rankings that matter are the postseason.”
And for Arizona, if they want to find themselves in those rankings, it all hinges on the bold claims set forth by Fifita coming to fruition.
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