Noah Fifita’s patience and persistence are being rewarded. The redshirt junior quarterback stuck with Arizona through a coaching change and seemingly regressed in 2024. In 2025, however, he has not only reached the level he did amid his 2023 breakout; he’s built upon it.
Noah Fifita Is Finding His Footing
Fifita is leading a 7-3 team that’s on a three-game win streak, and he just set Arizona’s all-time record for passing touchdowns (68) on Saturday. His PFSN QB Impact Score has risen to 85.0 (B grade) this season after starting at a promising 82.6 (B-) in 2023 and dropping to 74.3 (C) in 2024.
“First of all, that pass was such a dime,” Arizona head coach Brent Brennan said of Fifita’s record, which put the Wildcats ahead 27-17 in the fourth quarter. “Good lord. Awesome to see Gio Richardson, a freshman, make that [catch] for us. Noah’s really special. You know what I mean? I can’t speak to how unique he is, but the young man continues to choose the University of Arizona.”
After taking over the starting job five games into the 2023 season, Fifita threw for 2,869 yards with 25 touchdowns and six interceptions on a sterling 72.4% completion rate.
His Arizona Wildcats won 10 games in the final year of the Pac-12 Conference, ending the 2023 season on a seven-game win streak that included five victories over ranked teams. Their final two games featured a 36-point win over rival Arizona State, in which Fifita amassed a career-high 527 passing yards, and a win over then-No. 12 Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl.
Soon after the season, head coach Jedd Fisch left Arizona to take the same job at Washington. Fifita stayed, but his production suffered in his first full year as a starter, which coincided with current Arizona head coach Brent Brennan’s first year in Tucson.
Fifita threw for 2,958 yards but just 18 touchdowns and 12 interceptions on a 60.5% completion rate in 2024. Arizona fell to 4-8 overall in its first season in the Big 12, a conference that was less loaded than the 2023 iteration of the Pac-12.
That was even with Tetairoa McMillan (the No. 8 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft) returning alongside Fifita and accounting for nearly half (44.34%) of Arizona’s receiving yards in 2024.
Are Fifita and Arizona Set for Another 10-Win Season?
Now, the Wildcats are getting hot late, similar to 2023. They’ve won three consecutive conference games, including two on the road, the latest of which came against a ranked team in Cincinnati. Arizona’s two losses immediately before this month came in double overtime and by three points to top Big 12 teams.
Despite being without his safety blanket in McMillan, Fifita has been a primary catalyst in the Wildcats’ revival. He’s thrown for 2,494 yards with 24 touchdowns to just four interceptions (on a solid 64.9% clip) through 10 games in his comeback season.
Fifita is second in the Big 12 in passing touchdowns and third in passing yards per game (249.4). He’s also added another element with enhanced mobility, rushing for a total of 98 yards and three touchdowns this season, up from his previous highs of 17 yards and one touchdown last season.
He has a diversified receiving core with six pass catchers between 225 and 525 receiving yards (only one Arizona receiver met that designation last season). With bowl eligibility secured for the first time as a member of the Big 12, Arizona has a chance to reach double-digit wins for the second time in the past three seasons.
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The Wildcats’ next game is senior day against Baylor on Saturday, Nov. 22, at 1 p.m. ET. Arizona is currently about a touchdown favorite for the game, which will be streamed on TNT.
The ‘Cats conclude the regular season with the Territorial Cup at rival Arizona State on Friday, Nov. 28.
