Noah Fifita’s Case to Be the Big 12’s Best Quarterback
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Arizona Wildcats quarterback Noah Fifita has established himself as one of the better quarterbacks in all of college football, and he enters 2026 with a strong case as the best in the Big 12.
Fifita is now entering his fourth season with the Wildcats, and the third as their starter. Over the span of his career, Fifita has thrown for 9,183 yards with 73 passing touchdowns to 24 interceptions. He has become the driving force of Arizona’s offense and has helped shape the turnaround of the program.
Arizona With and Without Fifita
When Fifita joined the program in 2022, Arizona had struggled mightily in the years since. They hadn’t experienced a winning season since 2017, and were coming off a 1-11 season in 2021 and a 0-5 season in a shortened 2020 campaign. With Fifita in town, the Wildcats have won nine or more games in a season twice (2023, 2025), are 1-1 in bowl games, and have been ranked in the AP Poll at some point in each of the last three seasons.
His 2025 campaign was perhaps the best of his collegiate career so far, as he threw for 3,228 yards, with 29 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. Fifita also added four rushing touchdowns on the season, and led the Wildcats to a 9-4 record and an appearance in the Holiday Bowl, where they eventually lost to SMU. Despite that loss, it was largely a successful season for the Wildcats.
Fifita Returning to Arizona
Heading into 2026, Fifita is opting to return to the Wildcats. After a strong and surprising season last year, he and the Wildcats will surely be in contention for the Big 12 title, and potentially a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Being back in Brent Brennan’s system for next season should provide plenty of continuity, not just for Fifita, but also for the entire Wildcats’ offense. With a player like Fifita under center, Arizona should once again have an explosive offense in 2026. The Wildcats averaged 31.5 points per game in 2025, scoring a total of 410 points and 51 touchdowns.
The Big 12 has plenty of talented quarterbacks, such as Brendan Sorsby of Texas Tech, Drew Mestemaker of Oklahoma State, and DJ Lagway of Baylor, but few are as experienced and as talented as Fifita. Arizona will look to build off its strong season last year, and there aren’t many better options to do so with than Fifita.
Justin Backer brings a wealth of experience to his role as a college football and basketball general sports reporter On SI. Backer is a proud graduate of Florida Atlantic University with a Bachelor of Arts in Multimedia Studies, and has worked for such media companies as The Sporting News and the Palm Beach Post.