Arizona Football Preview 2026: Can the Wildcats Push in the Big 12 Race?

For being one of the most fun schools in America, the Arizona football program isn't great at keeping the party going.

After a few years of rebuilding, the Wildcats won ten games under Jedd Fisch in 2023, and followed it up with (cue the sad trombone) four wins in the first season in the Big 12 under current head man Brent Brennan.

Arizona has won nine football games or more just eight times in its history, and the 9-2 1975 team was the only one that ever maintained the success after a nine-win season - and then everything crashed in 1976.

So you'll be forgiven if you're a tad bit skeptical that the Wildcats can be even better after a great 9-4 season.

Can Brent Brennan Keep Arizona Winning?

Here's the problem with the big 2025 season. Arizona lost at home to BYU and Houston - the two best teams on the slate - didn't play Texas Tech or Utah, and Arizona State took a step back.

Brennan has a good team returning with plenty of experience and talent on both sides of the ball, plenty of help from the transfer portal, and no real losses.

Now he has to prove the success in the desert wasn't a mirage.

- 2026 Arizona Schedule Analysis

Arizona Quick Hits

• Head Coach: Brent Brennan (3rd year, 13-12; 10th year overall, 47-60)
• Best Case / Worst Case: Wins the Big 12/Seventh losing season in nine years
• Key Player: Noah Fifita, QB Sr.
• 2025 Record: 9-4
• Biggest Question: Can the offensive line not only hold up, but do even more?

Arizona Key 2025 Stats

• Third quarter scoring: Arizona 102, Opponents 48
• Interceptions Thrown: Opponents 22, Arizona 8
• Sacks: Opponents 31 for 223 yards, Arizona 21 for 133 yards 

Offense

Offensive coordinator Seth Doege bombed away for over 8,600 yards and 69 touchdowns in his four seasons at Texas Tech, and he did wonders in his first season at Arizona.

The Wildcat offense didn't make too many big mistakes, the attack averaged 407 yards and 32 points per game.

He has the pieces back to do it all again, except better.

What’s Working

It only seems like Noah Fifita has been in Tucson for 13 years. The veteran 5-10, 190-pound baller is going into his fifth season with the program and his fourth as a starter, throwing for over 9,000 yards with 72 touchdowns in the last three years, and last year he showed he could run a little bit.

There's a lot to like at running back. Kedrick Reescano is a tough runner who led the way with nine touchdowns and was second on the team with 396 yards.

The quick Quincy Craig is also returning after running for 364 yards. Helping the cause is Antwan Roberts, a good all-around back from Marshall.

The offense didn't screw up enough to matter even without top back Ismail Mahdi. Arizona led the nation in turnover margin mostly because the defense took it away a ton, but the offense did its part with just 13 giveaways.

Nine of the turnovers came in four games, and oddly enough, Arizona won three of the four. 

What Needs Work

The offensive line has to be better. The experience is there, and enough help is coming in through the portal to provide a few options, but it's coming off an up-and-down year in pass protection. Getting center Zach Henning from Washington should help.

Overall, the skill players are good, but it stings a bit to lose leading rusher Ismail Mahdi and top receivers Kris Hutson and Javin Whatley - all three are out of eligibility - who combined for 101 catches and nine scores. 

Score - a lot. Of course, that's what you're supposed to do on offense, but really, it's a big deal when Arizona doesn't put up big points on the board.

In an odd quirk with a defense that was so good at keeping most teams under wraps - more on this in a moment - Arizona was 0-2 when scoring fewer than 20 points. 

Under Brennan, Arizona is 0-7 when scoring fewer than 20, and the program is 0-12 going back to late 2021 when failing to get past 20.

Player to Watch

Matthew Lado, OT Soph.
The line has to be stronger, and it starts with all the young players from last year playing like veterans.

The 6-6, 318-pound Lado wasn't a big-time recruit, but he grew into a right tackle job last year, and now should get a long look at taking over on the left side.

Defense

Former New Mexico head coach Danny Gonzales joined Arizona as a key assistant two years ago under Brennan. Last year he was elevated to the defensive coordinator role.

The move worked.

Arizona went from 13th in the Big 12, averaging 413 yards allowed per game, to second last season, giving up 308.5 yards an outing. And now ...

What’s Working

More than enough talent is back to do even more. Not only do the Wildcats get back a slew of returning talent up front, but they went big through the transfer portal to reinforce the secondary. 

After the team forced 16 turnovers in 2024, one of the biggest changes under Gonzales was ...

The takeaways. Not only did the offense keep the giveaways to a minimum, but the other side took it away in bunches.

Only Texas Tech forced more turnovers - 32 to Arizona's 31 - with the Wildcats forcing five in three wins, and two or more in nine games.

They went 7-2 when forcing multiple takeaways.

The staff wasn't kidding around with its portal pickups for the secondary. They all have to prove it can mesh, but landing Daylen Austin (Oregon) and Malcolm Hartzog (Nebraska), and corners Tyrese Boss (Wyoming) and Dwight Bootie (Charlotte) restocked the shelves fast.

What Needs Work

The Wildcats lost a ton of producers. Taye Brown is back in the middle of the linebacking corps after finishing second on the team with 93 tackles, but he's the only one of the top seven tacklers back in the mix.

It was sort of simple for the Arizona defense - keep teams from putting up a ton of yards. The Wildcats went 9-0 when allowing fewer than 390 yards, and went 0-4 when allowing more. 

In the two years under Brennan, Arizona is 1-11 when opponents came up with at least 390 yards. The one win came in the 2024 season opener against New Mexico. It also helps to ...

Keep teams from scoring. It was the odd thing about Arizona's season. It didn't win close games when the offense struggled to score, and it didn't win a whole lot of shootouts when the defense didn't buck up.

The Wildcats were 0-3 when allowing 31 points or more, and under Brennan, they've gone 0-10 when doing so after opening the era with that 61-39 win over New Mexico.

Player to Watch

Taye Brown, LB Sr.
One of the best defensive players in the Big 12 over the last two seasons, the 6-2, 228-pound Brown followed up a 69-tackle season with 93 stops and 8.5 tackles for loss from his spot in the middle of the linebacking corps.

Keys to the Season

• All of the transfers in the secondary have to be good out of the box.
• The offensive line needs to be stronger overall.
• Keep winning the turnover margin.

Player Who Needs To Shine

Tre Spivey, WR Jr.
The transfer portal helped the receiving corps, and getting Chris Hunter back is big, but Spivey needs to be even more dangerous.

He came over from Kansas State last season and led the Wildcats on the deep plays, averaging 16.6 yards per catch on 23 catches for 381 yards. He was consistently okay, but now the volume grabs have to come.

Biggest Concern

Can the secondary come together quickly with all the new players?
It's not just that several starting defensive backs have to be replaced, but the depth is almost all coming in from the portal.

Again, Arizona was fantastic at taking the ball away, and this year's new bunch of talents have to attack just as hard.

Biggest Game

at BYU, September 12
It's a monster moment for both teams. BYU is in big, big trouble if it doesn't win the Big 12 home opener, and Arizona can announce to the world that it's a major player in the conference title chase with a win.

Cincinnati, at West Virginia, and Iowa State are up next in Big 12 play.

Transfer Portal

It didn't get the national play of other Big 12 schools, but Arizona made a huge push and pulled in a whole slew of good prospects.

There weren't any big losses that should matter, and those who did take off mostly left for Group of Six schools. They can be replaced, and the Wildcats did.

Best Signing

Cole Rusk, TE (Illinois)
It's been an interesting career for the 6-5, 250-pound senior.

He started out at Eastern Michigan and didn't do anything. Went to Murray State and was terrific, left for Illinois, blew out his knee, and then last season came back and caught 19 passes for 217 yards and a score.

The size, talent, and upside are there to be a major factor for the Wildcats.

Biggest Loss

Braedyn Locke, QB (Tarleton State)
This is a problem if anything happens to Fifita. 

Locke stepped into a bad situation at Wisconsin in 2024 and did what he could as an emergency option, and last year he got in a few throws with Arizona. Now he'll get a shot to wing it all around the yard at Tarleton State.

Other Names to Know

• DJ Jordan, WR (USC)
• Antwan Roberts, RB (Marshall)
• Daylen Austin, S (Oregon) 

CFN Season Prediction

This appears to be another good Arizona team, and it shouldn't go into the tank unless a slew of injuries hit - particularly to Fifita - but there's one massive issue ...

The schedule.

The 2025 team played five Power Four programs that won eight games or more, and went 1-4 - Arizona State was the lone win.

CFN Prediction: 7-5

There was no Texas Tech, TCU, or Utah to face - Arizona plays all three in the second half of the season.

It has to go on the road to face the Red Raiders, the Big 12 season opens up at BYU, and going to Kansas State and West Virginia will be far more dangerous this season.

Who do the Wildcats miss? Baylor, Colorado, Houston, Kansas, Oklahoma State, and UCF. Five of those six didn't go to bowl games last season.

It'll be a very good season, but with a harder schedule, it'll be a struggle to make a big push for anything more.

Related: Big 12 Football Win Totals 2026: Spring Predictions for All 16 Teams