The upcoming college football season is filled with excitement and anticipation for the Arizona Wildcats as they look to build off a 9-4 season. While the defense has a few unknowns because of departures, especially in the secondary, the offense, led by (year) quarterback Noah Fifita, has created plenty of buzz.
Not only is Fifita one of the nation's best and most dynamic quarterbacks, but he has an exciting group of receivers to which to throw, whether it's returning players or guys added through the transfer portal or high school recruiting, which, contrary to popular belief, does still exist in some form.
"We kind of replaced some skill with guys that we're really excited about," offensive coordinator Seth Doege said as he met with the media on Thursday. "Now, I'm not ready to crown them yet because we've still got a lot of development and work to do, but for the most part, the guys that we added fit us. I'm excited about those guys, but I'm really excited about the returners because those guys, in year two, have made major, major jumps."
The "Year Two" in Doege's comment refers to his second season, not having a bunch of second-year players. The Wildcats have three of their top six receivers from last year's team returning in 2026, led by redshirt junior Tre Spivey. Spivey transferred from Kansas State before last season and had 381 yards with seven touchdown catches in his first season in Tucson.
Nov 8, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Tre Spivey (12) against the Kansas Jayhawks at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
"I think I was ready for the moment when I was out there," Spivey told the media about his 2025 season. "It was really good for me, andf I think it's allowing me to go into this season more confident in my abilities. I know what I can do on and off the field, so I'm just focusing on understanding the whole game so I can help the team out."
Gio Richardson and Chris Hunter are the other two receivers coming back from the top six, and Brandon Phleps has earned high praise from his coaches and teammates for the improvements and the work he's done throughout the offseason so far, instilling more confidence in the group before adding the new players.
Sep 6, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Brandon Phelps (18) celebrates after he scores a touchdown during the second quarter of the game against the Weber State Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images
"I think that, with time, he's going to be a baller," Spivey noted of Phelps. "I'm excited for what he does this season because he's going to get opportunities."
Another returning player who will have opportunities is Isaiah Mizell , a former four-star recruit who rarely saw the field as a freshman. He's a speedster who was just not quite ready to debut last season.
Aug 30, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Hawaii Rainbow Warriors defensive back Elijah Palmer (4) reaches to tackle Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Isaiah Mizell (17) as he catches the ball during the third quarter at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images
"Skill-wise, he's fast enough. Yes," Doege said of Mizell. "Mentality-wise, he was a freshman. When you approach him now, [it's] a totally different type of mentality. He looks better, he looks thicker, he's stronger, and he's still fast. That's just called development."
But above all, what these returning players have that will help Arizona the most is familiarity with their quarterback and their offensive coordinator, having played at least one season with both and building trust with the man who distributes the football.
"I think the trust comes with just knowing that he's comfortable with knowing how bad we want to win, and we know how bad he wants to win," Spivey added. "We're all competitive, and that allows us to gel well together."
Helping the new players gel just as well in the offense will be a big factor this offseason.
Oct 18, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers wide receiver Rodney Gallagher III (24) runs the ball in the first half against the Central Florida Knights at Acrisure Bounce House. Mandatory Credit: Russell Lansford-Imagn Images | Russell Lansford-Imagn Images
With the experience returning on the team, Arizona wasn't necessarily trying to add experienced players to its roster at the receiver position. Yes, that's a tantalizing feature of the transfer portal , but the Wildcats opted for high-upside instead, landing a couple of former four-star recruits in Rodney Gallagher (West Virginia) and DJ Jordan (USC).
Gallagher has played more college football, but neither has been a major factor for a college offense so far in their careers.
Nov 28, 2025; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Brent Brennan celebrates against the Arizona State Sun Devils during the 99th Territorial Cup at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
"They haven't played a ton of football yet, but they're extremely talented," Doege said of the overall group. "I also felt okay bringing in talented guys that haven't had that much experience because of what we're bringing back."
That talent must translate on the field this fall because it is clearly going to make up a large chunk of the Wildcats' offense.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/arizona as Key Position Group Impresses Offensive Coordinator Seth Doege .
