TUCSON, Ariz. — The Arizona Wildcats (5-3, 3-2), fresh off back-to-back ranked wins, host the UCLA Bruins (6-2, 3-2) for Homecoming this Saturday, Nov. 4 at Arizona Stadium.
Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. MST with a television broadcast on FS1 and a radio broadcast available on Wildcats Radio 1290 AM.
Arizona has toppled two consecutive ranked opponents, throttling No. 19 Washington State 44-6 on the road two weeks ago and returning from a bye week to outlast No. 11 Oregon State 27-24 last weekend at home. The Bruins represent the fifth straight ranked opponent the Wildcats will face.
A complete preview of the Wildcats Homecoming contest can be found below.
ARIZONA NOTES & NUMBERS
- Arizona hosts No. 20 UCLA for Homecoming at Arizona Stadium. The Wildcats and Bruins kickoff at 7:30 p.m. on FS1. Jeff Levering (PxP) and Mark Helfrich (Analyst) are the announcers.
- The Wildcats trail the all-time series 18-27-2 to the Bruins. Arizona came away victorious in the most recent matchup last season (34-28 W) in the final conference visit to The Rose Bowl.Â
- The win last season snapped an eight-game road losing streak against ranked teams and was the first win over an AP Top 25 win of Head Coach Jedd Fisch's career.Â
- The 2022 victory marked the Wildcats first AP Top 25 win since beating No. 19 Oregon in 2018, their first road AP Top 10 win since beating No. 10 Utah in 2015, and their first AP Top 10 road win since defeating No. 2 Oregon in 2014.Â
- Arizona is 13-11 all-time in Tucson against UCLA, outscoring the Bruins 632 to 590 at home. Over the last five games, UCLA leads 3-2 and over the last 10 matchups, UCLA holds a 7-3 edge.Â
- Arizona's last home win against UCLA came on Sept. 28, 2019 with a 20-17 victory. The Wildcats have won 2 of the last 3 meetings in Tucson. Arizona and UCLA have split the last six meetings (3-3) since 2017.Â
- Last Saturday marked the first time that the Arizona Diamondbacks won a postseason game (defeated Rangers, 9-1, in game two of the World Series) and Arizona Football won a game on the same day since Nov. 3, 2001. On that day, the Diamondbacks defeated the New York Yankees, 15-2, in game six of the World Series, while Arizona took down California, 38-24, on the road.
3 — The Wildcats now boast
three victories over teams ranked in the AP Top 25 under head coach
Jedd Fisch after going
three seasons without a ranked win.
7 — Arizona's
seven pass breakups against Oregon State are the most posted by a Wildcat defense since swatting seven passes against UCLA in week four of the 2019 season.
51 — K
Tyler Loop's 51-yard field goal late in the first quarter marked a career long, surpassing his previous best of 48 yards at Washington in 2022.
52 — WR
Jacob Cowing hauled in six receptions for 36 yards against OSU, extending his streak to
52 consecutive games with a reception, the second-longest active streak among all Division I players.
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ABOUT LAST WEEK: Noah Fifita threw two touchdown passes to
Michael Wiley in the fourth quarter and Arizona beat No. 11 Oregon State 27-24 Saturday night for its second-straight win over a ranked opponent. The Wildcats (5-3, 3-2 Pac-12) had a week off following a 44-6 win over then-No. 19 Washington State that matched their largest margin of victory over a ranked team. Arizona maintained its momentum against Oregon State (6-2, 3-2 Pac-12) behind Fifita. Fifita threw for 275 yards on 25-of-32 passing and three touchdowns, hitting Wiley on passes of 40 and 3 yards in the final quarter. The Wildcats also held Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei in check most of the night while limiting the Beavers' run game. Fifita has played well since
Jayden de Laura injured his ankle in Week 4, throwing for 924 yards and eight touchdowns in a little over three games. The sophomore was solid at the start, opening with a 7-yard touchdown to
Tetairoa McMillan in the back of the end zone, then set up
Tyler Loop's 51-yard field goal. Fifita threw an interception near midfield late in the first half, but Oregon State couldn't capitalize, leaving the game tied at 10-all at halftime. Fifita moved Arizona into position for another Loop field goal early in the third quarter, this one from 25 yards, and found Wiley on the three-yard score with 2:22 left. The Beavers made it look easy on their first drive, picking apart the Wildcats on a 75-yard drive capped by Uiagalelei's 22-yard touchdown pass to Jack Velling. The rest of the first half was a struggle against Arizona's vastly improved defense. Oregon State had to settle for a field goal after reaching Arizona's 12-yard line in the second quarter and tried an ill-advised fake field goal from the 16 on the final play before halftime. The Beavers had scored on all 27 of their trips into the red zone this season before the failed fake.
ARIZONA HOSTS NO. 20 UCLA ON HOMECOMING: Arizona (5-3, 3-2 Pac-12) hosts another ranked opponent at Arizona Stadium, with No. 20 UCLA (6-2, 3-2 Pac-12) traveling to Tucson for a pivotal conference clash. Â Arizona (5-3, 3-2 Pac-12) hosts No. 20 UCLA (6-2, 3-2 Pac-12) for Homecoming at Arizona Stadium. The Wildcats and Bruins kickoff at 7:30 p.m., on FS1. Jeff Levering (PxP) and Mark Helfrich (analyst) are the announcers. The Wildcats trail the all-time series 18-27-2 to the Bruins. Arizona came away victorious in the most recent matchup last season (34-28 W) in the final conference visit to The Rose Bowl. The win last season snapped an eight-game road losing streak against ranked teams and was the first win over an AP Top 25 win of Head Coach
Jedd Fisch's career. The 2022 victory marked the Wildcats first AP Top 25 win since beating No. 19 Oregon in 2018, their first road AP Top 10 win since beating No. 10 Utah in 2015, and their first AP Top 10 road win since defeating No. 2 Oregon in 2014. In 2022, the Wildcats jumped out to an early 14-0 lead with a pair of touchdown drives in the first quarter. At the time, it marked the first time the Wildcats led an AP Top 25 opponent by two or more scores since going up 16-0 on No. 19 Oregon in 2018. Arizona led 21-14 at the half in 2022. It was the first time leading an AP Top 25 team at the break since going to the locker room up 23-8 on No. 19 Oregon in 2018. QB
Jayden de Laura completed 22-for-28 through the air for 315 yards and two touchdowns. WR
Jacob Cowing finished the 2022 win with 118 receiving yards marking his fourth 100-yard game of the 2022 season. Arizona is 13-11 all-time in Tucson against UCLA, outscoring the Bruins 632 to 590 at home. Over the last five games, UCLA leads 3-2 and over the last 10 matchups, UCLA holds a 7-3 edge. The Wildcats longest win streak against the Bruins was a five-game run from 2007-11. Each team holds a series-long winning streak of five games with UCLA's longest streak running from 2012 to 2016.
FIFITA EARNS THIRD PAC-12 FRESHMAN OTW HONOR: Arizona Football quarterback
Noah Fifita has earned his third Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honor following the 27-24 win over No. 11 Oregon State Saturday. Fifita completed 25-of-32 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns as the Wildcats took down the No. 11 Beavers 27-24 on Saturday at Arizona Stadium. Fifita has earned Pac-12 Freshman of the Week for the third time this season. Fifita has earned this honor three times which ties for the second-most times in award history (since 2019), marking the most for the Wildcats since the award was created in 2019. Fifita has started a run of Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors that hasn't been rivaled at Arizona since Khalil Tate earned four Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week honors during the 2017 season. It marks the second time this season that Fifita has led a comeback victory after lifting Arizona past Stanford 21-20 on the road on Sept. 23. In the Pac-12 opener, the Wildcats trailed 17-14 in the third quarter before mounting the come-from-behind win. He is the first FBS quarterback to have each of his first four career starts happen against AP Top 25 teams since Stanford's Kevin Hogan in 2012.Â
RING OF HONOR: Arizona Wildcat great quarterback Bruce Hill will be inducted into the Arizona football Ring of Honor during a ceremony at halftime of the Homecoming matchup with No. 20 UCLA. Hill, who competed with the Wildcats from 1973-75, was the Western Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year in 1973, Back of the Year in 1975, and made the All-WAC First Team squad in his final season. His long list of accomplishments led to his induction into the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame in 1981. When his collegiate career ended in 1975, he stood as the Arizona career record holder with 5,090 passing yards, 45 touchdowns, and 6,054 yards of total offense, all records that remained intact for eight years and still rank among the top 12 in program history. The 1975 Wildcats team, captained and quarterbacked by Hill and led by head coach Jim Young, finished the year with a 9-2 record, a mark of 5-2 in WAC play, and a No. 18 ranking in the final Associated Press Poll. Over the course of Hill's career, the quarterback helped steer Arizona to 20 weeks ranked in the AP Top 20. One of Hill's most impressive performances came in a 1975 game against New Mexico, in which he threw for a then-school record 406 yards and set the program's single-game record with 451 yards of total offense. Both marks from that game remain in the Arizona Football all-time top 20. Over the course of his three-year career Hill led the Wildcats to a record of 26-7, including a 17-4 record in WAC play, and snapped a nine-game Territorial Cup losing streak for Arizona with a 10-0 victory in front of 40,782 Arizona fans in Tucson in 1974.
HEATING UP IN ARIZONA: The Wildcats have won back-to-back games for the second time this season after taking down UTEP and Stanford in consecutive weeks (9/16-9/23). It is the second time in the
Jedd Fisch era that the Wildcats have won two straight games, both coming this season. Saturday marked the first time that the Arizona Diamondbacks won a postseason game (defeated Rangers, 9-1, in game two of the World Series) and Arizona Football won a game on the same day since Nov. 3, 2001. On that day, the Diamondbacks defeated the New York Yankees, 15-2, in game six of the World Series, while Arizona took down California, 38-24, on the road. Arizona took down their second ranked opponent in as many games on Saturday, marking the first time the Wildcats have beaten back-to-back ranked opponents while unranked since 2006 (#25 WSU, W 27-17; #8 California, W 24-20). The Wildcats now boast three victories over teams ranked in the AP Top 25 under head coach
Jedd Fisch after going three seasons without one. Arizona's win over Oregon State was also the program's first home victory over an AP Top 25 team since defeating #19 Oregon, 44-15, in 2018.
TOP PERFORMANCES AGAINST TOP-20 TEAMS:Â
- Arizona committed zero penalties in the first half against No. 11 Oregon State, the first time they posted a penalty free half of football since the first half against Oregon in 2022. The Wildcats four penalties are their fewest since being tagged with just three at UCLA in 2022, while their 20 penalty yards are their fewest since recording 11 against Oregon in 2022.
- Arizona's seven pass breakups against No. 11 Oregon State are the most posted by a Wildcat defense since swatting seven passes against UCLA in week four of the 2019 season.
- The Wildcats 94-yard touchdown drive against No. 11 Oregon State to take the lead in the second quarter was their longest drive of the season (previous: 92 yards, twice, last, at USC). Arizona now has four scoring drives of 90+ yards this season; they had one last season (92 yards, at California).
- The Wildcats now boast three victories over teams ranked in the AP Top 25 under head coach Jedd Fisch after going three seasons without one.
- WR Malachi Riley's 40-yard reception in the second quarter against No. 11 Oregon State was the longest of his career, more than quadrupling his previous long catch of six yards.
- QB Noah Fifita finished the game against No. 11 Oregon State 25-for-32 through the air for 275 yards and three touchdowns. Fifita is now Arizona's season leader in completions, attempts, passing yards, and passing touchdowns.
- Fifita has thrown 11 touchdown passes in the last four games: three against No. 7 Washington, five against No. 9 USC, zero at No. 19 Washington State (10/14), and three against No. 11 Oregon State (10/28).Â
- Fifita made his second career start at No. 9 USC. Both of his first two career starts have come against AP top 10 ranked teams. Per ESPN research, Fifita is the 10th quarterback in the past 20 seasons to make his first two career starts against AP top 10 opponents.Â
- Fifita's five passing touchdowns and 303 yards were both career-high marks. It was Arizona's first five-plus passing touchdown performance since Jayden de Laura threw for six against Colorado in 2022. Fifita's five touchdown passes are the most ever thrown by an Arizona quarterback against a ranked opponent.
- Fifita is the first Arizona QB on record to throw for multiple touchdowns in each of his first two starts (3 vs. No. 7 Washington and 5 at No. 9 USC). It's the third time in the Pac-12 era that an Arizona quarterback has thrown for 300-plus yards against a ranked USC team.
- RB Jonah Coleman had another career day, rushing for a career-high three touchdowns at No. 19 Washington State. Coleman also rushed for 70 yards on 11 carries and caught four passes for a career-high 98 receiving yards on the road.Â
- WR Jacob Cowing set a program record against No. 9 USC (10/7) with four touchdown receptions. The previous record of three was accomplished 10 times, including once by Cowing in week one of the 2022 season at San Diego State.Â
- Coleman finished the game with a career-high 143 rushing yards. It was the Wildcats first 100+ yard rushing performance since Michael Wiley went for 214 on the ground in the 2022 Territorial Cup.Â
- WR Tetairoa McMillan recorded his third career game with 100-plus receiving yards (138 yards on 6 receptions) against No. 9 USC (10/7).
SUPER SOPHOMORES: Sophomores are at the top of the team tallies in the following statistical categories this season: Rushing yards (1st;
Jonah Coleman, 496), rushing touchdowns (1st; Coleman, 3), receiving yards (1st;
Tetairoa McMillan, 672), receiving touchdowns (2nd; 6 – McMillan), tackles (1st;
Jacob Manu, 66.0), interceptions (1st;
Ephesians Prysock and
Tacario Davis, 1), tackle for loss (2nd; Manu, 6.5-33), sacks (2nd; Manu, 3.5-28), quarterback hurries (1st; Manu, 7), and pass breakups (1st;
Tacario Davis, 10 – 1st in Pac-12). The 2022 recruiting class which was ranked 22nd in the country and 3rd in the Pac-12 has made a big impact on the field during the 2023 season.
STEADY HAND: Redshirt Freshman QB
Noah Fifita continues to guide the Wildcats with a steady hand, throwing for 11 touchdowns in four starts and completing 75.8 percent of his passes for 1,221 yards with just three interceptions. Fifita completed 25-of-32 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns against No. 11 Oregon State to mark another impressive performance against a top-20 team. He now leads the Wildcats in completions (119), passing yards (1221), passing touchdowns (11), and passer rating (160.4). The Wildcats are 5-2 in games that Fifita appears in this season. Fifita is the first Arizona quarterback to make his first collegiate start against a team ranked in the AP top 10 since Richard Kovalcheck made his starting debut against No. 7 California in 2004 (L, 0-38). All four of Fifita's starts have come against Top-20 opponents, and Fifita has been named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week after two of those starts. He has posted the second-best completion percentage (119-157, 75.80%) in the Pac-12 during that time, trailing only Oregon QB Bo Nix (78.33%) in the conference. Fifita's 75.8 completion percentage is fourth in the nation.
FIFITA ADDED TO 2023 POLYNESIAN CFB POTY WATCH LIST: Redshirt freshman quarterback
Noah Fifita has been added to the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame Watch List as announced by the organization yesterday. Fifita has been stellar in his first four starts with the Wildcats, throwing 11 touchdowns compared to just three interceptions and posting the second-highest completion percentage (75.8) in the conference during that time. Among CFB freshman (redshirt and true freshman), Fifita is 8th in passing yards (1,221), 1st in completion percentage, 5th in touchdown passes, has thrown the second-fewest interceptions (3), and second in QBR (160.4). Fifita joins
Jayden de Laura on the 2023 Polynesian CFB POW Watch List after de Laura was selected to the list back in August. This is the first selection to this list for Fifita in his collegiate career.
CAREER HIGHS:Â
- RB Michael Wiley matched his career high with a pair of receiving touchdowns against the Beavers. Wiley now has nine career touchdowns through the air. He extended his margin at the top of the program leaderboard for career receptions by a running back; Wiley has 115 career catches, 30 more than second place Nic Grigsby (85, 2007-10).
- DE Taylor Upshaw increased his team lead with another sack on Saturday, giving him a career-high 7.5 sacks.
- DB Gunner Maldonado paced the Arizona defense with 10 tackles against No. 11 Oregon State (10/28), a career-best mark.
- K Tyler Loop's 51-yard field goal late in the first quarter marked a career long, surpassing his previous best of 48 yards at Washington in 2022. It was also Arizona's first 50+ yard field goal since Lucas Havrisik connected from 50 yards against Washington in 2021.
- Sophomore DBs Ephesians Prysock and Tacario Davis each made an interception at Washington State (10/14) marking the first interceptions of their career.Â
- RS Freshman QB Noah Fifita completed 79.1 (34-for-43) percent of his passes marking a career high (at Washington State, 10/14).Â
- Sophomore RB Jonah Coleman rushed for a career-high three touchdowns at No. 19 Washington State (10/14).Â
- Sophomore RB Rayshon Luke notched the first rushing touchdown of his career early in the second quarter, going 40 yards for the score. The attempt doubled as the longest rush of his career (previous: 28 yards, twice, last, at Utah, 2022). It was the longest rushing score by an Arizona running back this season.
- Fifita's five passing touchdowns and 303 yards against No. 9 USC were both career-high marks. It was Arizona's first five-plus passing touchdown performance since Jayden de Laura threw for six against Colorado in 2022. Fifita's five touchdown passes are the most ever thrown by an Arizona quarterback against a ranked opponent.
- Coleman rushed for a career-high 143 rushing yards at USC (10/7). It was the Wildcats first 100+ yard rushing performance since Michael Wiley went for 214 on the ground in the 2022 Territorial Cup. It marked Coleman's first game with over 100 rushing yards.Â
- DE Russell Davis II tallied career-high marks in tackles (5), sacks (1.5), and tackles for loss (2.5) vs. USC (10/7). His 1.5 sacks were the first of his career.
- Safety Dalton Johnson's team-leading 10 tackles against Washington were a career-high mark (previous: 7, twice, last, at Mississippi State 2023).
- LB Daniel Heimuli's 1.5 tackles for loss against Washington were a career-high (previous: 1.0, twice, last, vs. Colorado 2022).
- Senior tight end Tanner McLachlan reeled in a 36-yard touchdown grab at Stanford (9/23) marking the longest touchdown reception of his career.Â
- Junior QB Jayden de Laura posted his highest completion percentage (79.3%, 23-of-29) as a Wildcat against UTEP (9/16), only surpassed by his performance in 2021 (84.4%) with Washington State at Washington. Â Â
- Coleman broke off a career-high 59-yard run in the third quarter against UTEP, the longest rush by a Wildcat this season. His previous high was 43 against Oregon in 2022.Â
- Sophomore wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan reeled in a 55-yard reception for the longest catch of his career and recorded 161 receiving yards on eight receptions marking career highs against Mississippi State (9/9).Â
- Sophomore linebacker Jacob Manu set a career-high with 12 total tackles and matched a career-high with 2.5 tackles for loss against Mississippi State.Â
- Coleman made a career-high three receptions for a career-high 59 yards and his first-career touchdown reception in the win over NAU (9/2). Coleman now has five-career touchdowns (4 rushing, 1 receiving).Â
- Sophomore tight end Keyan Burnett reeled in a 17-yard reception late in the first quarter against NAU, marking the longest reception of his career (previous: 5 yards vs. Oregon, 2022). Like Coleman, he recorded more receiving yards on the play than he did during the entire 2022 season.Â
- QB Jayden de Laura rushed for a 53-yard touchdown against NAU marking the longest rush and rushing touchdown of his career. De Laura finished the NAU game with a passer-by rating of 207.7, the third best mark of his career (first: 211.2, at Washington, 2022).
DESERT FURY: Arizona's seven pass breakups against No. 11 Oregon State are the most posted by a Wildcat defense since swatting seven passes against UCLA in week four of the 2019 season. Arizona's defense has allowed one passing touchdown to the following quarterbacks of Top 20 teams; USC QB Caleb Williams (1 TD), Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. (0 TD), and Washington State QB Cam Ward (0 TD), while producing two interceptions during that span of three games. The defense allowed 67 pass completions in those three games while holding reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams to a career-low 14 pass completions (min: 20 attempts). The Wildcats surrendered two passing touchdowns to Oregon State DJ Uiagalelei marking just the second time this season that the defense has allowed more than one touchdown pass in a single game (1st; 3 at Miss. State, 9/9). The Wildcats 38-point margin of victory over Washington State (10/14: 44-6) ties their largest margin of victory over a ranked opponent in program history (also: No. 7 UCLA, 2005). It is the largest margin of victory in a road game against a ranked opponent in program history. The Arizona defense held the Washington State offense to season-low marks in points (6) and passing yards (199) (10/14). Arizona's four sacks against USC (10/7) are the most the Trojan offense line has surrendered all season and doubles their previous high. The Wildcats six tackles for loss are also a season-high mark by a USC opponent. The Wildcats limited USC QB Caleb Williams to just 205 yards on 14-of-25 passing. It was his lowest passing yards total since throwing for only 180 at Oregon State in week four of the 2022 season. Arizona's four sacks against USC are the most the Trojan offense line has surrendered all season and doubles their previous high. The Wildcats six tackles for loss are also a season-high mark by a USC opponent. Arizona's two sacks against Washington were the most surrendered by the Huskies this season. It marked the first time since Oct. 22, 2022, that Washington allowed more than one sack in a game. Arizona's defense held Washington to season-low marks in passing yards (363; next: 389 vs. Cal), total offense (474; next: 529 vs. Cal), points (31; next: 41 at Michigan State) and passing yards per attempt (9.08; next: 11.35 vs. Tulsa). Safety
Dalton Johnson's team-leading 10 tackles were a career-high mark (previous: 7, twice, last, at Mississippi State 2023). The Wildcats' 19 sacks through seven games surpassed 16 total sacks in 2022. Arizona's defense is sixth in the Pac-12 with 19 sacks. Saturday (9/30) marked the first time that Washington hasn't logged a passing touchdown in 12 games (last: at Arizona State, 2022). Arizona's five sacks against Stanford (9/23) are the most recorded by the team since notching five against Colorado in 2018. The Wildcats are 7-0 during the Pac-12 era when notching at least five sacks. DE
Taylor Upshaw recorded a career-high 2.0 sacks at Stanford. He is the first Arizona player with 2.0+ sacks in a game since
Kyon Barrs logged 2.5 against California in 2021. The Wildcats defense logged 11 tackles for loss against the Cardinal, their most since posting 12 on the road at UCLA in 2018. Arizona limited UTEP to 1.9 yards per carry for a total of 49 rushing yards. UTEP's QB Gavin Hardison was held without a touchdown for the first time in 2023. Arizona held NAU to three points marking the fewest allowed by the Wildcats defense since holding California to three points during a 10-3 victory in 2021. It was also the fewest points allowed by the Wildcats in a season opener since shutting out NAU 35-0 to kick off the 2013 season. The 35-point win was Arizona's largest margin of victory since beating UTEP 63-16 in 2017. Arizona has held opponents scoreless in home openers 40 times and held opponents to three points seven times in home openers dating back to 1899. The Wildcats limited UTEP to just 49 yards on the ground, marking the 24th time that an Arizona opponent has gone for 50 or fewer yards since 1996. The Wildcats defense held the Cardinal to just 20 points, the fewest Arizona has allowed on the road to a Pac-12 opponent since 2018 (W, 35-14; at OSU).
DEFENSIVE STANDOUTS: Taylor Upshaw has posted a career high 6.5 sacks this season, leading the Wildcats and sitting third in the Pac-12 in sacks. He has posted six solo sacks and one assisted sack this season.
Dalton Johnson leads the Pac-12 in fumbles forced with three, marking a career best.
PAC-12's LEADING TACKLERS: After recording eight tackles against No. 11 Oregon State on Saturday (10/28). Sophomore linebacker
Jacob Manu is third in the Pac-12 with 67.0 total tackles (24 solo, 43 assist) for an average of 8.38 tackles per game.
HE'S BACK: Michael Wiley returned to the field for the Wildcats against the No. 11 Beavers and made five receptions for 58 yards and two touchdowns. Wiley's two touchdown grabs ties a single-game career-high matching his two scores against Colorado on Oct. 1, 2022. He is the second Arizona running back with 100 career receptions (115) The other is Vance Johnson, who had 104 from 1981-84. Wiley's career-high in receptions was 36, which was posted in 2022. He made six receptions for 57 yards against NAU in the season opener. His 115 career-receptions are the most of any Arizona running back dating back to at least 1996 and his 1,034 receiving yards are third among active FBS running backs.
WILDCATS IN THE NFL: The Wildcats are once again well represented in the National Football League this year with eight former letterwinners across the league. One of Arizona's most prestigious alumnus, tight end Rob Gronkowski, retired following the 2021 season after winning the fourth Super Bowl of his career. Gronk was a five-time Pro Bowl selection, a four-time First Team All-Pro selection, and was selected to the NFL's 2010s All-Decade Team and NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. Over 11 seasons with New England and Tampa Bay, Gronkowski recorded 9,286 yards (5th all time) and 92 touchdowns (3rd all time). The most recent Wildcat to make an NFL roster as an undrafted free agent is defensive lineman
Jalen Harris (Chicago Bears). Recently
Christian Young signed a free agent deal with the Green Bay Packers and was assigned to the practice squad. For a complete list of former Wildcats in the NFL, see the comprehensive chart below. *Practice squad
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Current Wildcats on NFL Rosters (as of 10/29/2023)
Player |
Position |
Team |
Gary Brightwell |
RB |
New York Giants |
Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles |
LB |
San Francisco 49ers |
Nick Folk |
PK |
Tennessee Titans |
Roy Lopez |
NT |
Arizona Cardinals |
Jalen Harris* |
DE |
Chicago Bears |
Lucas Havrisik |
PK |
Los Angeles Rams |
Dane Cruikshank* |
S |
Tennessee Titans |
Christian Young* |
ILB |
Green Bay Packers |
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