Wildcats Wide Receiver Making a Splash in New Home
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Arizona has gotten off to a red-hot start in the first two weeks of the season, overpowering both of its opponents by a combined score of 88-9. The Wildcats started the two-game domination off by dismantling the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors 40-6 and continued that trend by dominating Weber State 48-3.
Quarterback Noah Ffitia has only improved through the first two weeks of play and by the looks of it, he hasn't reached his full potential yet.
Fifita's upward trend can largely be attributed to a group of experienced receivers, some of whom returned to the program after a disappointing 4-8 season in 2024, and some of whom were acquired through the transfer portal and recruited out of high school.
One of the receivers signed through the portal was Tre Spivey, a redshirt sophomore from Chandler, AZ.
- "Once he settled in, you really could see his skill set," Offensive coordinator Seth Doege said. "Like he said up here and told you, he wants to be more than just a big body receiver, I believe he is, because he can really, he can really accelerate. And I think you saw that on the touchdown that we threw him this past weekend, where it was just a little flat throw, but when he caught the ball, he accelerated through the end zone and I think that's a skill set that most people don't see in him."
Spivey's background
Spivey was a three-star recruit coming out of Chandler Hamilton High School in 2022 and picked Kansas State to spend his collegiate career at.
Spivey signed with Arizona on December 23, 2024, after playing two seasons at K-State. He redshirted in his first year in 2023 and appeared in 12 games the next.
Spivey credits his time at K-State for helping him mature in the game of football and become a better player than he already was.
- "I look back at those days, and I smile, because I feel like I grew a lot there and I've grown a lot here, too, but just coming from high school, going straight into a program like Kansas State, they pride themselves on hard work and responsibility," Spivey said. "I had a lot to learn just making it to places on time. I had to really grow up at Kansas State. So I think that was huge for me. It was just a setting that kind of gave me a formula for how to become a man. And I think that me coming to Arizona has helped me grow and expand off that."
By the end of time in Manhattan, Spivey had 15 receptions for 174 yards and one touchdown. He averaged 11.6 yards per reception and about 13 yards per game. His longest reception was for 26 yards.
The adjustment period
Spivey had a bit of growing pains when it came to learning the Arizona offense during spring sessions, but once he was able to settle in over fall camp, it became clear that he would be a useful weapon in the Seth Doege offense.
- "I think just honestly, adjusting to the playbook, getting comfortable, and just building that relationship with Noah, building relationships with the rest of my team, and just gaining trust overall," Spivey said on what he had to adjust to. "I struggled a little bit in the spring, just with different things on the field, and I think that over the summer, I took a lot of time to to adjust and look into the plays and look into the playbook, just understand more about what's going on the football field in general, and allowed me to be more comfortable and confident on the field during summer or different fall camp."
Spivey has shown true athleticism and playmaking ability in his first two games donning the red and blue. He has caught two receptions for 37 yards and a touchdown.
Playing against his former team
The defense will have a true test in shutting down the highly talented dual-threat quarterback Avery "Sunshine" Johnson, with whom Spivey played last season.
- "I think that he's really, he's a fast thinker," Spivey said. "He's good on his feet. You know, it makes good decisions. I believe that he's also a good leader. He takes control of the offense when he needs to and he just instills confidence in the rest of the players. So I think that that's one thing to always keep in mind about him, when we're going against his, is just knowing that he's smart on the field."
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Nathaniel Martinez and a set of shoulder pads at 7 years old. He later graduated from Pima Community College in 2023, where he began writing for the Pima Post. He is working to achieve a Bachelor’s in Mass Communication and Media Studies.