For Arizona football, the biggest offseason theme has been keeping the core intact. Brent Brennan’s first depth chart of the year made that plain: 18 of the listed starters on offense and defense were already part of last season’s 9-4 team in Brennan’s second year in Tucson.
That group includes quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate Noah Fifita, wide receivers Chris Hunter and Tre Spivey, running back Ismail Mahdi, and linebacker Taye Brown, among others. Brennan pointed to that continuity on Monday.
"The fact that our kids are having a good experience playing at the UofA or being a part of this program speaks to the retention," Brennan said Monday. "I think that's why you see a lot of carryover from last year's roster to this in terms of what that opening day depth chart looks like."
The one spot that looks dramatically different is the secondary. Arizona is heading into Week 1 with almost a completely new defensive backfield, and the Wildcats are leaning on two transfer cornerbacks to help fill the void left by a wave of NFL departures.
Dwight Bootle II arrived from Charlotte, while Malcolm Hartzog Jr. came over from Nebraska. Together, they’re being asked to help replace Treydan Stukes, Genesis Smith, Dalton Johnson, and Ayden Garnes from last year’s group. Stukes went in the second round to the Las Vegas Raiders, Smith was a fourth-round pick by the Los Angeles Chargers, Johnson was taken in the fifth round by the Raiders, and Garnes went undrafted before signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The good news for Arizona is that Bootle and Hartzog already know each other well. They were teammates at Nebraska in 2024 before Bootle transferred to Charlotte for the 2025 season.
Danny Gonzales has gone as far as saying this year’s secondary could be even better, especially in man coverage, and a lot of that confidence traces back to Hartzog. After training camp last week, Gonzales said:
"He might be one of the best cover guys in man-to-man I’ve ever been around," Gonzales said after training camp last week. "And I thought Treydan Stukes was unbelievable in coverage."
Hartzog brings plenty of production with him, too. The 5'8, 175-pound Mississippi native spent four years at Nebraska, played in 38 games, and finished with 108 combined tackles, eight interceptions, and 13 passes defended.
Even though he was limited to two games last season before season-ending surgery, Hartzog still made a memorable impact in Week 1. His interception in the end zone on Cincinnati’s final play preserved Nebraska’s 20-17 win.
Now he’s settled in as Arizona’s F KAT, alongside Bootle, fifth-year returner Jay'Vion Cole, junior Quinn Olson, and senior Gavin Hunter. This group may not have the same collection of NFL talent that Arizona rolled out a year ago, but there’s still plenty for the Wildcats to work with back there.
Arizona opens the season Saturday, Sep. 5, at 7:30 PM MT against Northern Arizona at Casino Del Sol Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
In Other News...
Tre Spivey Is Giving Arizona Fans A Reason To Dream Bigger
Tre Spivey has spent the offseason doing more than just waiting for Arizona football to turn the page toward the next season. The receiver, whose family name is already familiar in Arizona circles thanks to his father, former Diamondbacks outfielder Junior Spivey, has been part of a summer that blended local pride with football purpose, including a recent UofA Night appearance at the ballpark that connected the two worlds in a personal way.
On the field, Spivey is building on a productive year and trying to take on more of a leadership role in the room. Coaches and teammates have pointed to his work ethic and the fact that he keeps showing up in practice with the kind of steady production that tends to matter once camp begins. For a Wildcats offense looking for reliable playmakers, that combination of preparation and consistency is exactly why Spivey is giving fans a reason to think bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Arizona Opens With A Test That Could Set The Tone
Arizona opens its home schedule in Tucson with a nonconference matchup against Northern Arizona, a game that brings a little more intrigue than the average early-season tune-up. The Wildcats are coming off a 9-4 season and again lean on quarterback Noah Fifita, who enters the fall within striking distance of the schools career passing yards mark.
Northern Arizona arrives at 1-0 and with a chance to make an early statement of its own behind quarterback Ty Pennington. For Arizona, the bigger issue is setting the right tone before the schedule tightens, while the Lumberjacks have a chance to test themselves against an FBS opponent in a spot that has carried upset potential before. [Read more 🡒]
Arizonas New-Look Offense Has A Big Chance To Set The Tone
Arizonas 2026 season opener offers an early chance to show what this new-look offense can look like when the games start counting. The Wildcats get Northern Arizona University at Casino Del Sol Stadium, a matchup that brings both a familiar in-state opponent and a chance to build rhythm right away after a year of continuity and added talent on the roster.
For a team trying to set a tone, the first week matters even when the opponent is not expected to provide much resistance. Arizonas staff outlook leans confidently toward a comfortable start, with the focus less on the final margin than on how cleanly the offense operates and how quickly key players settle into the plan. How much of that translates immediately is the real question, and it is one Arizona will answer on opening night. [Read more 🡒]