Arizona’s opening depth chart says a lot about where this program is heading, and maybe even more about what it managed to keep.
A year after Brent Brennan’s first roster makeover leaned heavily on transfers, the Wildcats are heading into their opener with far more continuity. The school released its season-opening depth chart Monday, and only five of the 23 offensive and defensive players listed as starters or co-starters are newcomers. That’s a sharp contrast from the start of last season, when 15 transfer additions were named starters or co-starters and 10 of them started the first game.
The biggest difference now is retention. Arizona is expecting as many as 18 returners from the 2025 team that went 9-4 to be in the starting lineup Saturday against NAU, including 12 players who started at least four games a year ago.
“The I think 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 the you know a lot of carryover from last year’s roster to this in terms of what that opening day depth chart looks like.”
Noah Fifita sits at the center of it all. The quarterback is set to make his 35 th consecutive start, the headliner among Arizona’s returning core. Alexander Doost is projected to make his 23 rd straight start, and linebacker Taye Brown is on track to start for the 19 th game in a row.
Arizona also brings back several veterans with major starting experience: receiver Chris Hunter III, defensive end Tre Smith and linebacker Chase Kennedy each have at least 10 career starts in Tucson.
The new faces on the offensive and defensive depth chart are spread across key spots. Center Zach Henning arrived from Washington, tight end Cole Rusk from Illinois, linebacker Cooper Blomstrom from Georgetown, and cornerbacks Dwight Bootle II from Charlotte and Malcolm Hartzog Jr. from Nebraska are all listed as projected starters.
Two players are in position to make their first career starts: sophomore receiver Giovanni Richardson and junior safety Quinn Olson.
Special teams is where Arizona has the most turnover. Outside of kicker Michael Salgado-Medina, every projected starter there is new to the program.
Chase Ridley, an Australian, is listed as the starting punter. Arkansas State transfer Drew Nicolson is handling long snapping, and Louisville transfer Carter Schwartz is the holder on kicks.
For punt and kickoff returns, freshman Caleb ‘Jet’ Smith is the starter, with senior Quincy Craig also an option on kickoffs.
Smith and receiver RJ Mosley are the only freshmen listed on offense, both at No. 3 at their positions. On defense, four freshmen made the depth chart: defensive linemen Keytrin Harris, Kaisi Lafitaga and Prince Williams, along with linebacker Dash Fifita.
In Other News...
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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 🡒]
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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 🡒]