Noah Fifita refusing to let Heisman buzz be a distraction for Arizona

FRISCO, Texas — After leading the Wildcats to nine wins last season, and tying for eighth nationally in touchdown passes, the senior quarterback is approaching fall camp as a Heisman contender.

Although Noah Fifita appreciates the national recognition, and isn’t afraid of the spotlight, he’s making sure Arizona gets the exposure too. On paper the Wildcats appear to be Big 12 Title contenders, and Fifita happens to be one of the top gunslingers in the country. However, early Heisman hype puts a lot of pressure on a player, and can often times divide locker rooms if egos aren’t in check.

Fifita understands what comes with the territory when trying to live up to high expectations, and trusts that the right pieces are in place for the Wildcats to shine this fall.

“This isn’t about me, but is a dream I’ve had my whole life, so if it happens, it happens,” Fifita said. “To be able to make that happen we have to have a great team around me, and I think I got a great coaching staff that’s been able to support me in so many ways.”

The Californian’s journey up to this point is truly inspirational. The undersized Fifita was the 2023 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, but followed it up with a lackluster redshirt sophomore campaign. Last year he flew under the radar, rebounded and earned first-team, All-Big 12 honors. After all, Fifita ranked 21st in the FBS in passing yards per game, and 33rd in total offense.

Now he has 72 touchdown passes, and 24 interceptions over the past three seasons with the Wildcats. Fifita just needs 829 passing yards this fall to become the program’s all-time career leader. That’s more than enough motivation for Fifita to get physically, and mentally ready for the road ahead.

“The reason I came back is to do something that has never been done in Arizona history, and that’s to win a Big 12 Championship,” he said. “I said we got unfinished business after the bowl game, and that’s our goal and mission as a team.”

There might already be a bullseye on his jersey after making the 2026 Preseason All-Big 12 team. Fifita welcomes the competition though, knowing he’ll be getting the absolute best from everyone when Arizona navigates through the Big 12 gauntlet. The former three-star prospect is at peace with himself, and even cut his hair short back in January.

The journey will be challenging, but Fifita has the support from his teammates, including senior offensive lineman Tristan Bounds, who now views the signal-caller as a veteran.

“The biggest area of growth that I’ve seen from him (Fifita) is his vocal leadership,” Bounds said. “Noah is great in leading by example, but after all of the older guys left last year, he stepped into a bigger role as a vocal leader.”

Fifita can operate Seth Doege’s system with ease, despite his 5-foot-10 stature, and he expects the supporting cast around him to do the same. Doege insists that the Wildcats be explosive offensively, and Fifita wants to make everyone around him better. Fifita and Doege are the perfect ingredients for a successful recipe on offense. After all, Arizona averaged 31.5 points per game in 2025, which was third-best in the Big 12. There’s no reason why the fans shouldn’t expect better results, and Fifita doesn’t want to disappoint.

“At the end of the day the University of Arizona wants a good football team, and we’ve been labeled a basketball school for as long as I can remember,” the 22-year old said. “So we want to give them a good football team, give them something to come to the stadiums for, and we gotta go prove that we’re worthy.”

Coach Brent Brennan is grateful for the value that Fifita brings to his team overall, and feels the quarterback is only starting to crack the surface of his potential. He’s also proud of what Fifita is accomplishing off the field, and in the classroom. Not only is Fifita an Academic All-Big 12 performer, but he’s a Humanitarian as well, with his own non-profit. Brennan feels it’s making him the face of the program, and the best is yet to come.

“We’re very blessed to have a quarterback like Noah Fifita that definitely has a Heisman resume.”