Seth Doege Updates Arizona's Backup Quarterback Competition

Noah Fifita enters the spring as the unquestioned starting quarterback for the Arizona Wildcats. He's returning to the team for his third season as the starter, and big things are expected from him after garnering plenty of hype this offseason.

But what about those behind him? Who's serving as his backup? Those are questions and battles that will linger throughout the offseason.

"I don't want to look too much into spring as like who's ahead of who," offensive coordinator Seth Doege said earlier this week. "I wanted them to get acclimated to what we're doing and then figure out what they're good at and go through the summer and fall camp and try to really push the scheme toward their strengths and see how they elevate the unit."

That's the exact kind of player Fifita has become for the first unit, so the young group of quarterbacks on the roster has a clear example to follow.

Arizona's Backup QB Battle

𝙎𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘽𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙍𝙚𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙌𝙪𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙨

Offensive Coordinator @CoachDoege takes us inside the QB room this spring. pic.twitter.com/wZzYTDRtty
— Arizona Football (@ArizonaFBall) April 21, 2026

The top two candidates to win the backup quarterback job are redshirt freshmen Sawyer Anderson (Dallas, Tex.) and Luke Haugo (Scottsdale, Ariz.). Neither has played at the college level, but both bring upside to the position in ways different from Fifita.

Because of that, Doege is bringing the pair along slowly as they face looks and situations that may be foreign and challenging to them.

arizona footbal — Nov 28, 2025; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats quarterback Sawyer Anderson (7) 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

"I didn't want to make a decision through the spring because the spring is supposed to be hard," Doege explained. "Danny [Gonzales] is a really good defensive coordinator. He does some unique stuff, so there's times where we're not going to chase ghosts trying to block Danny because it's an adjustment that we'll never use again in the season."

"Putting a bunch of adjustments on these quarterbacks just didn't seem like a fair evaluation. I wanted to see them playing very confidently and then make a decision when they actually know exactly what they're doing."

Anderson and Haugo may still be on a short leash, but they've impressed Doege so far.

"If I look back at my freshman year, there's no way I'm making some of the throws and some of the plays they're making right now," he added. "I had a decent career in college football, so I think these guys are extremely talented. We've thrown a lot at them because I'm not going to slow down for Noah. ...There's a lot to what we're doing right now, and both those guys have handled it well, which has been exciting for me."

For now, they're neck and neck, but someone will eventually emerge from the competition. By the end, both Anderson and Haugo will be better players for it, and all that remains is acing the test if forced into action.

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