Dear Wildcats,

The calendar has flipped to August, which means a new school year is nearly upon us and the sights and sounds of Arizona Athletics have returned to campus.

Our soccer and volleyball teams have already started practice and Brent Brennan’s football squad kicks off fall camp on Wednesday. It won’t be long before the Wildcats are in action as we look to build upon a record-setting season for our athletics department.

Commissioner’s Cup

On July 7, the Big 12 announced Arizona as the winner of the 2025-26 Allstate Commissioner’s Cup, which recognizes the conference's top program on and off the field. I had the honor of accepting the Cup from Commissioner Brett Yormark on stage at Big 12 Football Media Days in Frisco, Texas. It was an extremely proud moment for our entire athletics department, from student-athletes to coaches to staff. 

Our competitive success has been well documented, from men's basketball and men's golf advancing to the NCAA Final Four, men's tennis earning its first-ever NCAA Elite Eight berth, football improving by five wins and going to the Holiday Bowl, women's track and field posting its highest NCAA outdoor finish in 13 years, and women's triathlon capturing its second straight Women's Collegiate National Championship.

But winning the Cup not only reflects competitive success in one of the nation's top conferences but also our staff’s commitment to academic excellence and community engagement. 

Our student-athletes twice broke their semester grade point average during the 2025-26 school year, registering a 3.412 GPA in the fall before eclipsing that mark with a 3.413 GPA in the spring. And as part of Arizona's pioneering C.A.T.S Program (Commitment to an Athlete's Total Success), our student-athletes contributed 3,335 hours of community service.

The Cup now sits on display in the Jim Click Hall of Champions for all to see. Our plan is for it to be the first of many!

Fall Camp Kickoff

After leading the Wildcats to nine wins a season ago, Brent Brennan enters his third season as head coach with a talented veteran roster. Arizona is one of just 11 FBS programs to return its head coach, both coordinators and starting quarterback.

That quarterback is Noah Fifita, who was named preseason first-team All-Big 12 -- and for good reason. Noah is the nation's active career passing touchdowns leader with 73 and threw for 3,228 yards and a school-record 29 touchdowns in 2025. Noah has plenty of offensive firepower surrounding him, including running backs Kedrick Reescano and Quincy Craig as well as wide receivers Chris Hunter and Tre Spivey. The defense, which forced 31 turnovers last season, returns 10 players who registered double-digit tackles in 2025 led by linebacker Taye Brown, who racked up 93 stops. 

“Team 123” is poised to build upon last year’s outstanding campaign and compete for a conference crown in what promises to be another wide open and exciting Big 12 race. 

Football Gameday

The Wildcats kick off the season on Saturday, September 5, against Northern Arizona, which will give our fans the first opportunity to see several upgrades to Casino Del Sol Stadium for the 2026 campaign.

We have relocated our home bench from the east sideline to the west sideline, placing the visiting team directly in front of the Arizona student section and reinforcing our home-field advantage by channeling the crowd's energy more directly into the gameday environment. 

The new Cat’s Corner section features two-top, four-top and drink rail seating in the lower level. This premium option offers unmatched comfort, and the swivel seats allow fans to face the action and turn to chat with friends, giving it the feel of a social outing at an event. Click here to find out more information.

We have also upgraded our lighting and sound systems. Plans for a new videoboard are in the works for future seasons.

We want to create the best home field advantage in the Big 12, and your tremendous support is helping us make that a reality. Football season tickets sales are already up 20 percent over last year. Season tickets are still on sale and single-game tickets went on sale Saturday. If you haven’t yet purchased your 2026 tickets, click here or call 520-621-CATS. We have a terrific slate of home games, including Cincinnati, Iowa State, TCU, Utah and the 100th edition of the Territorial Cup against Arizona State.

Meet the Cats

Our football team’s annual Meet the Cats event will take place at the Cole and Jeanne Davis Sports Center on Saturday, August 15, kicking off an action-packed day for Arizona Athletics (more on that later).

Fans will have the opportunity to meet the players and coaches, get autographs, pose with the Territorial Cup, enjoy some great food and drink options and more. It’s always a fun event to get everyone fired up for football and we look forward to seeing you there!

Globe Trotting

Our men’s basketball team will be traveling to Lithuania later this month, playing three exhibition games against the Lithuania B Team, the Lithuania Senior National Team and the Ukraine Senior National Team. 

Over nine days, the team will spend time in the cities of Kaunas and Palanga, with the three games taking place near Kaunas, which is the second-largest city in Lithuania. 

This trip is a wonderful opportunity for our men’s basketball student-athletes to face international competition while immersing themselves in the culture of Lithuania and making memories to last a lifetime. Thank you to all the staff members and supporters who are making this trip possible! 

Success in the Classroom

Arizona recently had 90 student-athletes named to the Academic All-Big 12 team, 54 freshmen named to the Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team and 33 student-athletes earn the Gerald Lage Award, which honors student-athletes who have 90 hours of earned credit with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.80. The Wildcats had the third-most Lage Award winners in the conference.

Congratulations to our student-athletes and thank you to our coaches and academic support staff for continuing to place an emphasis on classroom excellence. 

Protect College Sports Act

The Protect College Sports Act, a bipartisan bill introduced by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Ted Cruz (R-TX), advanced out of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation in June. Each of the Power 4 conferences support the bill, which is now set to be filed for a full Senate vote before Congress takes it August recess this Friday. If Senate ratification is successful, the bill would next go to the House of Representatives.

We believe the PCSA would help build a more sustainable future by stabilizing the current system, supporting competitive balance, and protecting women’s and Olympic sports. The bill also promotes student-athlete health and wellness and strengthens guardrails to combat tampering, while still preserving student-athletes’ ability to benefit from their name, image, and likeness.

Cats Corner

• Our athletics department was honored to participate in the “Wildcats in La Jolla” reception last week at the La Jolla Country Club. Five head coaches – Jim Anderson (men’s golf), Brent Brennan (football), Becky Burke (women’s basketball), Chip Hale (baseball) and Tommy Lloyd (men’s basketball) -- joined me on stage for an engaging panel discussion. It was a special night connecting with so many Wildcat supporters from Southern California. Thank you to the University of Arizona Foundation for putting on such a terrific event. 
• The entire football team attended the Arizona Diamondbacks’ “U of A Night” game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Chase Field on July 17. Wide receiver Tre Spivey threw out the first pitch and was joined by his father, Junior, who played second base for the Diamondbacks squad that won the 2001 World Series. What an incredible father-son moment for the Spiveys!
• Noah Fifita is not just a leader on the football field but also a leader in his community. He was recently named to the Southern Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2026 for his outstanding work with he and his brother Dash’s non-profit organization, Empowering Youth Through Faith. Noah and Dash work directly with young people through community service initiatives, youth mentorship opportunities, youth camps, faith-based speaking engagements, and partnerships with local organizations and schools. 
• Our baseball team had two players selected in the MLB Draft last month – pitchers Owen Kramkowski (fifth round, Tampa Bay) and Collin McKinney (ninth round, Baltimore). In all, we had 11 of our Wildcats selected across the NFL, NBA, MLB, AUSL and MLV Drafts. We wish them the best of luck in their professional journeys.
• As mentioned earlier August 15 will be a busy day on campus. In addition to Meet the Cats, our volleyball team will host its annual Red-Blue Scrimmage at McKale Center at ALKEME Arena at 2 p.m. Then our soccer team will face New Mexico State in its home opener at Murphey Field at Mulcahy Stadium at 7 p.m. We hope to see you on campus for all three events!

Thank you again for your support and belief in our mission to help our student-athletes excel academically, compete at the highest level and grow as leaders prepared to make an impact long after graduation. Enjoy the rest of your summer and we will see you on campus soon.

Bear Down and Go Cats!

Desireé Reed-Francois

R. Ken Coit Director of Athletics

University of Arizona