There do not appear to be any magazine covers featuring Noah Fifita and the words “Hand Him the Heisman.”
The lack of national buzz for Arizona’s senior QB, or really for Arizona in general, is understandable. While both passer and team are coming off a very good — and surprising — 2025 season, few look at either and feel like they are among the very best in the country.
Five or so months from now when the regular season has come to a close the perception may be correct. But with regards to Arizona and the 2026 season, the hope is it’s wrong.
This could be a now or never kinda deal.
That Arizona is hyping up Fifita makes total sense. He is the face of the program and someone who should be promoted as much as can be. Passing out the QB’s “resume” at Big 12 Media Days was a nice touch.
“I think we’re incredibly blessed to have a quarterback like Noah Fifita that definitely has a Heisman resume, and some of you all can check that data in front of you, because I think we passed out a resume to everybody in the building,” Arizona coach Brent Brennan said. “Noah Fifita is the best story in college football.”
That story comes to an end after this season.
You have to go back to 2021 to find the last time Arizona went into the season with uncertainty at the QB position. This will be Fifita’s third consecutive season as the unquestioned starter and by the time he leaves, health permitting, should hold the program records for career passing touchdowns, passing yards and, hopefully, wins.
Add in what he does in the locker room and off the field, and Arizona has absolutely benefited from a special player and person who will be incredibly difficult to replace.
Which again, Arizona will have to after this season.
No pressure? There’s a little pressure. Maybe even a lot.
“We want to go out there and get him that Heisman,” receiver Tre Spivey told the Arizona Daily Star’s Justin Spears at Big 12 Media Days. “That’s all we can talk about, making sure that Noah gets the Heisman this year.”
Added fellow wideout Chris Hunter: “He’s the greatest quarterback in the nation. We believe that. We do everything we can to make sure the whole world knows that.”
This is the type of stuff you’d expect to hear from teammates. And hey, if the receivers and rest of the team play a little harder or are a bit more focused because of what they want for their QB, that’s cool.
But while Fifita’s Heisman odds are justifiably on the low end—FanDuel Sportsbook has him at +10000—the mere fact that Arizona’s coaches, players and football staff can even talk about the idea without it being simply ludicrous shows even more how unique a situation this is for the program.
Heisman or not, Arizona has itself a high-level senior QB. And according to some, he’s the best QB in the conference.
The last time Arizona went into a season with a QB of this level of experience and production was in 2011, when a senior Nick Foles came back and led a team that went on to win four games. Though no fault of Foles’, it was an incredibly disappointing season and one that led to the firing of head coach Mike Stoops.
That team began to show its faults with a long losing streak to end the prior season. Now 15 years later, Arizona’s QB leads a team that finished the prior campaign rather strong. There is no concern of a big step back, which is a big reason why the program is so willing to push its current QB forward, in front of all who have any interest in college football.
Fifita is poised for a big season, and hopefully he carries the Wildcats to an historic one. It may be their last, best chance for a bit.
Besides breaking in a new and likely unproven QB next season, the Wildcats will lose plenty of key contributors to graduation and/or the professional ranks. It’s true that college football, and college sports in general, are more of a year-to-year proposition nowadays, but next season’s Wildcats figure to look very different on the field and potentially also off it, as coordinators Seth Doege and Danny Gonzales are prime candidates to be poached.
For now while Arizona does not have the most talented roster, at least on paper, the general consensus is that it is good enough to at least compete with the best the Big 12 has to offer. With a couple of bounces or breaks, it’s not unreasonable to think the team could be at least in the running for a conference title and playoff berth late in the season.
That belief, insomuch as it exists, is directly attributed to the team’s QB. Where the Cats may be at least competitive at most positions on the field, quarterback is one where they can feel comfortable in having an advantage most times out. Fifita is not and will not be perfect, but he’s proven there is not a throw he can’t make and when you combine his ability to scramble with even more comfort in the offense you have the makings of an incredibly dynamic player.
The best player in the country? That’s a tougher ask, but the best version of Noah Fifita will be plenty good enough to win a lot of games and cement his legacy as an Arizona great.