Offense
The quarterback room is led by one of the best in the country, Noah Fifita. The first team All-Big 12 signal caller will own every UA passing record after this season. His off-schedule playmaking sets him apart and could lead to him being a darkhorse Heisman candidate.
The running back room will feature Kedrick Reescano and Quincy Craig. Reescano had nine touchdowns last season at almost five yards per carry. Craig averaged 5.6 yards per carry. This duo will be a solid one-two punch.
The wide receiver room is loaded with playmakers. Tre Spivey, Chris Hunter, and Giovanni Richardson all have experience. The additions of DJ Jordan (USC), Jordan Ross (Colorado State), Rodney Gallagher III (West Virginia), and tight end Cole Rusk (Illinois) are massive.
The offensive line room returns experience in Tristan Bounds, Alexander Doost, Matthew Lado, Rhino Tapalatoutai, and Isaac Perez. The additions of Jake Griffin (BYU) and Zach Henning (Washington), among others, are massive.
Defense
The defensive line room returns plenty of experience in Tre Smith, Leroy Palu, Mays Pese, Dominic Lolesio, and Zac Siulepa. The addition of Victory Johnson (Cal Poly) will provide added pop off the edge.
The linebacker room returns future pro Taye Brown, along with Chase Kennedy. Brown had nearly 100 tackles last season and is always around the football. The additions of Everett Roussaw Jr. (Memphis) and Cooper Blomstrom (Georgetown) are massive.
The secondary lost a ton of fire power to the NFL. Jay’Vion Cole and Gavin Hunter return. The additions of Lee Molette III (UConn), Malcom Hartzog (Nebraska), Dwight Bootle II (Charlotte), Tyrese Bass (Wyoming), Daylen Austin (Oregon), Cam Chapa (Northern Colorado), and Zuri Watson (Howard) are massive for this unit.
Specialists
Kicker Michael Salgado-Medina struggled with consistency, and bad snaps, last season, but he has one of the strongest legs in college football. Punting duties will see a battle into fall camp.
2026 Schedule
9/5 Northern Arizona
9/12 at BYU
9/19 Northern Illinois
9/26 at Washington State
10/3 Cincinnati
10/10 at West Virginia
10/24 Iowa State
10/31 at Texas Tech
11/6 TCU
11/14 Utah
11/21 at Kansas State
11/28 Arizona State
Final Analysis
The Wildcats have a lot returning as far as their coaching staff and a top flight quarterback. With the Big 12 Conference being wide open, expect UA to make a lot of noise. This is my darkhorse Big 12 Champion.
