Legends.
The heart of Arizona’s 10-3 team – quarterback Noah Fifita, wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, linebacker Jacob Manu and offensive lineman Jonah Savaiinaea – announced today they are returning to the Wildcats in 2024.
They officially broke the news on social media during the first media timeout of the Arizona-UCLA basketball game.
And there was much rejoicing.
Legends.
The Brent Brennan era of Arizona Wildcats football is off and sprinting.
Once again, as it appeared only a week ago when Jedd Fisch was still ensconced as the head coach (what a wild ride!), all things seem possible for Arizona. Unlike what I wrote upon Fisch’s abrupt departure to the University of Washington, we actually CAN have nice things.
Before Fisch’s flight to Seattle, Arizona was considered the favorite to win the new-look Big 12 next season. Now, it’s still game on.
Others will be transferring, but Brennan was the right guy to hold the core together. That was job No. 1. He gets it. He gets the family-first culture that Fifita, T-Mac and Manu, helped create the past two years.
And it’s also ironic that because of the way Fisch left (after making private and public comments that he would stay for 2024, followed by a cursory “I’m gone” meeting with his players), it galvanized some big-money boosters to do a full-on blitz to make sure Arizona was in the right ballpark when it came to name, image and likeness compensation.
I’m not sure how much young ‘uns worry about legacy, but, well, let’s crank up the comparisons, and I don’t throw out these all-sports comps lightly – Elliott, Kerr, Bruschi, Cecil. Absolutely beloved.
It all starts with Fifita.
His commitment ignited the flame of Arizona’s brilliant and still mostly intact 2022 recruiting class, including Servite High School teammates Manu and McMillan, the latter of whom decommitted from Oregon.
Fifita (the 2023 Football Writers Association of America’s National Freshman of the Year as a redshirt), McMillan (a likely 2024 preseason All-American and 2025 first-round pick), Manu (a 2023 first-team All-Pac-12 performer) and Savaiinaea (another potential first-rounder) gave the Wildcats hope, on-field results and hope again with Saturday’s announcement.
There is still, thankfully, a lot of football left to be played by them at Arizona, but, uh, is it too early to start thinking about locations for the statues?
PHNX Wildcats talked to Brennan on Friday about Fifita and McMillan, and about he how he is able to connect to the Polynesian community.
Because of his previous ties to Arizona, Brennan watches as much Wildcats football as he can during the season.
“I was just talking to him about how he plays with joy and enthusiasm,” Brennan said of Fifita. “I was like, when I watched you play, it’s so obvious that you like playing. And for a young player, he played with incredible amount of poise. That part of it was really impressive.
“He played in big high school games in Southern California and all that stuff, but nothing really gets you prepared for college football. All of a sudden, you’re in that position in those big moments. And the poise he handled it with the high level of execution was incredible. Absolutely incredible.”
Brennan was the position coach for Oregon State wide receiver Brandin Cooks, a first-round draft pick in 2014 and now a 10-year NFL veteran. So Brennan knows what he’s talking about when he raves about McMillan.
“He’s one of the best ones I’ve seen,” Brennan said. “He has a rare combination of size and speed and catch radius. Like, he’s unbelievable.
“I’m just getting to know him. I’ve known him for two and a half days. He also seems like a really good leader. Really hard worker. He’s just really impressive on all fronts. And I think that’s been kind of a cool part of it for me, because I watch almost every game, so I was always interested to see his development since he chose to come here.
“He was such a heavily recruited player. Kevin Cummings (wide receivers coach who followed Fisch to Washington) did a good job coaching him, and the scheme worked well. And quarterback play was really, really good. When you have those things combined great things can happen and we’re going to do the same thing.”
Arizona’s new receivers coach reportedly will be ex-Wildcat Bobby Wade, who holds the Arizona school record for receiving yards.
We’ll see what happens.
But these three players in particular – the core, the heart, the soul – have set themselves up for a chance to do something rare, to do something special at and for Arizona football. They decided that THEY were the culture. Not the former coach.
They stayed.
And they just might become legends.
Top photo: QB Noah Fifita and the Arizona Wildcats capped a season-ending seven-game winning streak with a win over Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl. (Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports)
