Arizona’s first depth chart of the 2026 season tells a pretty clear story: this is a Wildcats team built on continuity.
Brent Brennan’s group listed 23 players as starters or co-starters ahead of Week 1, and just five of them were not in the program last year. That’s a major shift from the roster shakeup that followed a rough 4-8 season in Tucson, when Brennan rebuilt the team from the ground up.
Now, after going 9-4 overall and 6-3 in the Big 12 last season, Arizona is bringing back the bulk of that winning core. The Wildcats open on Saturday, Sep. 5, against NAU at Casino Del Sol stadium.
On offense, the stability is obvious. Arizona returns nine of its 11 starters, with quarterback Noah Fifita, running back Ismail Mahdi, and wideouts Tre Spivey, Chris Hunter III and Gio Richardson all back in the mix. Richardson is in line to start after catching 21 passes for 299 yards as a true freshman last season.
The only new faces in the offensive first unit are Washington transfer Zach Henning at center and Illinois transfer Cole Rusk at tight end. Rusk has made a quick impression on the staff by picking up the offense fast and building chemistry with Fifita, and his reputation as a run blocker should help Arizona get its ground game rolling on early downs. Henning brings experience to the middle and has also earned praise in fall camp, with four returning linemen around him likely to ease the transition.
Defense brings a different kind of challenge. The secondary is the one place where Arizona’s continuity gets tested, especially after five players from last year’s team moved on to the NFL.
Jay’Vion Cole is back at right cornerback and Gavin Hunter returns at safety, but the Wildcats are also leaning on transfers Dwight Bootle II and Malcolm Hartzog Jr. A number of other transfer pieces are waiting on the second unit, including Tyrese Boss, Cam Chapa and Daylen Austin.
Bootle has stood out in camp after a strong 2025 season at Charlotte, while Hartzog arrives with a more established résumé, having played in 38 games and piled up 108 combined tackles over four years in the Big Ten at Nebraska.
There’s a lot of turnover in that group, but Arizona still has plenty to work with on the back end.
Special teams will look different too. Michael Salgado-Medina returns after making 47 of 48 extra points and 19 of 31 field goals last season, but the rest of the unit is getting a reset.
Chase Ridley is set to handle punting after coming over from Australia, Arkansas State transfer Drew Nicolson will snap, and Louisville transfer Carter Schwartz is listed as the holder. True freshman Caleb “Jet” Smith is the starter for both kick and punt returns, with senior running back Quincy Craig also an option on kickoff returns after bringing two back last season.
Arizona opens the year Saturday, Sep. 5, against NAU, with kickoff set for 6:30 PM on ESPN+.
In Other News...
Arizonas NFL Talent Pipeline Just Passed A Telling Test
NFL teams trimmed their rosters to 53 players ahead of the 2026 season, and Arizonas former players again showed up in a meaningful way. Seventeen ex-Wildcats made initial rosters around the league, a strong sign that the program continues to send pro-ready talent into the NFL, with a particularly notable cluster coming from the 2025 Arizona defense.
Among the most encouraging developments for the Wildcats was the survival of several young defensive backs at the next level. Rookie free agent Ayden Garnes stuck with Tampa Bay after camp, while other former Arizona defenders are still working through the final roster shuffle in different ways, with some heading toward practice squads and others starting the year on injured reserve. For Arizona, it is another snapshot of a pipeline that is producing real NFL opportunity, even if a few of the names are still waiting on their exact landing spots. [Read more 🡒]
Arizona's Opener Could Reveal Which Wildcats Are Ready To Matter
Brent Brennans third season in Tucson begins with a roster that looks far more settled than the one he inherited, and Arizonas Week 1 meeting with Northern Arizona should offer an early read on how much of that continuity can turn into production. With 18 returning starters back from last year, the Wildcats enter the opener with a chance to look organized, deeper and more comfortable right away, especially after adding newcomers who are expected to fit into meaningful roles.
The intrigue is not just whether Arizona can handle the Lumberjacks, but which of the younger names start to look like real pieces once the game gets rolling. Tight end Cole Rusk and cornerback Dwight Bootle are among the additions worth watching, while wide receiver Richardson and linebacker Dash Fifita are expected to factor in as well, and redshirt freshman Sawyer Anderson has already carved out the backup quarterback job. If the Wildcats get the kind of early cushion they hope for, the opener could turn into a useful glimpse at how many of those players are ready for more than just spot duty. [Read more 🡒]
Basha Just Sent Arizona Football Fans An Early Message
Arizona football fans did not have to wait long for a reminder of how loaded the states high school scene already looks. Opening week delivered a nationally televised showdown between Basha and Chandler, a rematch of last years Open Division championship, and the Bears came away with a 37-26 win. Elsewhere, Liberty rolled past Mesa with 58 points behind quarterback Jason Haines, who piled up more than 400 passing yards and four touchdowns, while Marco de Niza got a standout defensive play from Isaiah Valenzuela in a 49-28 win over Flagstaff.
For programs like Arizona, those early results matter because this is where a lot of the states next wave of talent starts to separate itself. Bashas win over Chandler carried the kind of weight that turns an opening-night result into an early talking point, and the broader slate only reinforced how much firepower Arizona high school football can put on display in one weekend. If the Wildcats are tracking the states future recruiting board, they already have a few names and one very familiar rivalry game worth keeping on the radar. [Read more 🡒]