Three Players to Watch: Arizona Players Looking for Snaps

The long offseason finally came to an end and the Wildcats’ were back in action looking to start the season on a high note and wash away the memories of the underwhelming 4-8 season in the first year of Brent Brennan as head coach.

After a first drive stop of Hawaii and forcing them to go 3-and-out, Arizona’s offense directed by Doege went to work and put together a balanced 4-play drive that was capped off by a 13-yard rushing touchdown from running back Kedrick Reescano.

From that point on, it was all Arizona as both sides of the ball were clicking and setting the tone early in the game. The Wildcats were able to take care of business in an impressive 40-6 win over the Rainbow Warriors

The energy that Gonzales’ unit brought was something that really wasn’t seen last season. Defenders were flying to the ball and making things difficult on the Hawaii offensive line.

Arizona was able to have its way with the offensive line and got into the backfield and recorded five sacks and 10 tackles for loss. In comparison the Wildcats totaled 28 sacks during the 12-game season averaging 2.3 per game.

As a team, the defensive had five players get in on the sack party.

Offensively, the Wildcats were led by quarterback Noah Fifita, who was coming off an underwhelming 2024 season. Against Hawaii, Fifita was able to get on track, tossing for 161 yards on 13 of 23 and recorded a touchdown pass.

Although there was some passing success for the Wildcats with Fifita finding eight different targets on the night, it was the running game that took control for Arizona.

The Wildcats saw their top three running backs go off for 199 yards on 23 rushing attempts and logged a touchdown each. Overall, Arizona finished with 183 yards on the ground and it was RB Quincy Craig, who led the way with his 125 yards and a touchdown run of 55 yards on just seven touches.

The offensive line was highly successful in the running game and allowed just two sacks against the Hawaii defensive unit.

Aug 30, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats quarterback Noah Fifita (1) points up to the sky after scoring a touchdown during the third quarter of the game against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

In comparison, Fifita was sacked 28 times last season. So, if the Wildcats line holds the two per game number, that would be four less than the 2024 season.

Not only did the Wildcats cause issues in the backfield for Hawaii, they were able to create chaos on the field and came up with five turnovers and five different players in Jack Luttrell, Chase Kennedy, Taye Brown, Julian Savaiinaea and Gavin Hunter getting their hands on the ball.

However, when you are able to walk away with a 34-point season opening win, it was a good day for the program.

Now, Arizona will be focusing its attention on Weber State as the Wildcats prepare for their second game of the season and looking to start the year on a two-game winning streak.

In this game, there is potential for Arizona to play guys in the second half that didn’t get any playing time, or very little against Hawaii.

Here are three players to watch when Arizna takes on Weber State that might get more playing time:

Three Players to Watch

Arizona RB coach Alonzo Carter getting ready for the Wildcats season opener against Hawaii. | Arizona Athletics

Wesley Yarbrough

Throughout training camp one of the most impressive freshmen on the field was running back Wesley Yarbrough, who was able to have success during 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills where he became hard to tackle with his size and ability to run through would-be tacklers.

Yarbrough seemed to get better as camp went along and was able to get some time with the first-team offensive unit.

Despite the impressive training camp, Yarbrough didn’t see any playing time against Hawaii even with the Wildcats up 34 points in the fourth quarter.

Riley Wilson

One of the top defensive performers of training camp was outside linebacker Riley Wilson, who was able to make an impact in drills and saw a good amount of his time on the field with the first-team defensive unit.

Every time you watched training camp, Wilson was in the backfield making plays against both the run and passing game. He was one of the hard guys to block for the offensive line.

Wilson was battling an injury, which caused him to miss the Hawaii game. Now against Weber State, it will be interesting to see how Gonzales uses him in his scheme.

Aug 30, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats defensive lineman Tre Smith (3) tackles Hawaii Rainbow Warriors quarterback Micah Alejado (12) during the third quarter of the game at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Braedyn Locke

One of the top additions to the Wildcats’ 2025 roster during the offseason was transfer quarterback Braedyn Locke, who came over from Wisconsin where he played in 16 games where he tossed 18 touchdown passes for 2,713 yards and 11 interceptions.

Last season, Arizona had no depth at the quarterback position with very little talent and players you couldn’t put into game situations. Now with Locke, the Wildcats have a legit option at the backup position.

Locke had a great spring and training camp showing off his strong arm and was able to develop in the Doege system. The game against Weber State could feature him getting significant playing time in the second half with the game out of control.

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