The Juice County trio will remain in the desert.
Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita, wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan and linebacker Jacob Manu announced Saturday that they are staying with Arizona for the upcoming season.
Following a hectic week for Wildcats fans since head coach Jedd Fisch and many UA coaches left for Washington, and a multitude of players entering the transfer portal, the Cats faithful can exhale with the star trio picking up where they left off in the Old Pueblo.
Plus, there was an added bonus of offensive tackle Jonah Savaiinaea as part of the group that was announced as the 2024 roster.
Arizona fans were pushing for the former Servite stars to stay, even giving them, along with Jonah Coleman a standing ovation when they were shown on the big screen during the Arizona men's basketball game against USC, just two days before they announced that they were staying in the desert.
Fifita will be returning as a redshirt sophomore after an illustrious redshirt freshman campaign that saw him go 7-2 as the starting signal-caller last season.
The California native was one of the main catalysts who engineered a seven-game win streak for the Wildcats, the current second-largest win streak in the FBS. Throughout these 10 games, Fifita threw for 2,847 yards, 25 touchdowns with an average QBR of 165.9, earning him numerous awards including Pac-12 Freshman Player of the Year.
Fifita has been put in the Heisman Trophy conversation for this next season with ESPN analyst Louis Riddick saying he will be a Heisman candidate next year after his school record 527 passing yard performance in the Territorial Cup.
The 5-foot-11 signal-caller said that the connection he had with the people on the team was a big reason he was able to succeed last season.
“The thing that I have emphasized the most is trust,” Noah Fifita said following the win over Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl. “The biggest blessing for me is my coaches, my teammates trusting in me the way they did.”
Fifita’s lifelong friend McMillan, who teammates and fans refer to as “T-Mac”, was a major contributor in revamping the Wildcats’ offense the past two seasons, helping it become a top-8 passing offense in the nation in 2022 and 2023.
McMillan finished last season hauling in 90 catches for 1,402 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Like Fifita, McMIillan also emphasized the importance of trust in the team, a reason why he was able to perform the way he did.
“The [past] year I had was all because of my teammates and coaches,” McMillan said. “The year that I had is just a reflection of them and without them I wouldn’t be here, just the trust that had me in me to make plays, to be there when I need to be, is the reason why I’m here.”
Brennan told GOAZCATS.com that he has been impressed with what he has seen from both McMillan and Fifita in just a few days of being the head coach.
"Their energy, their commitment to the university, it feels sincere," Brennan said Thursday. It feels like they really love this place and they really love this team."
Manu, a high school teammate of McMillan and Fifita at Servite has improved each season he has been with the UA program. From starting his freshman year on the scout defense team to becoming an integral part of the Wildcats' Territorial Cup win over ASU in Tucson, and then an AP First-Team All-Pac-12 player the following season, the 5-foot-11 Mike Linebacker has the potential to flourish and improve once again in his junior season.
New Arizona head coach Brent Brennan told GOAZCATS.com that Manu "has been amazing, just his confidence you can tell he's got a great feel for the team."
Entering their third year at the UA, Fifita, McMillan, Manu and Savaiinaea will have the ability to retain this trust with the staff with Brennan and Duane Akina, along the upcoming coaches the team brings in next season, in hopes of getting their team to the promise land.
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