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The Arizona Wildcats redshirt sophomore quarterback and two-year starter is returning to the UA for the 2025 football season.

Despite the Wildcats’ disappointing 4-8 season in head coach Brent Brennan’s first season at the helm, along with a plethora of UA players entering the transfer portal, Fifita is doubling down on Arizona.

“For me it’s about the coaches and the people in that building,� Fifita told the Star Wednesday evening. “I still believe in the coaches.�

Fifita said the Tucson community and UA fanbase “is one of the main reasons why we’re coming back, because Tucson has done so much for our family.�

“The love and support for me has been nothing short of spectacular,� Fifita said. “I’m so appreciative of Tucson and the University of Arizona. Even when things weren’t going well, I still get a lot of love and support — and I appreciate it.

“We know Tucson is used to winning and wants a winning football program. We’re going to work our asses off to give them that. We’re so grateful for Tucson. Tucson and the community is one of the reasons why we didn’t want to leave here.�

Fifita also cited his relationship with new offensive coordinator Seth Doege, who was hired last Friday, as an essential factor in his decision to return. Doege, the former offensive play-caller at Marshall “was a great hire for us,� Fifita said.

When Doege was an assistant at USC from 2019-21, he recruited Fifita and his Servite High School (California) teammates, including tight end Keyan Burnett, who recently entered the transfer portal.

“This is somebody who believed in me before others did,� Fifita said of Doege. “Getting to know him the last couple of days, we have a lot of similarities, not just in football and playing quarterback but as people; the people who had a chip on their shoulder and was overlooked for a lot of our lives. That’s someone I resonate with and someone I’m looking forward to playing for.�

During his introductory press conference last week, Doege said he’s “excited about being able to have the opportunity to coach (Fifita).�

“I’m really excited about the quarterback,� Doege said. “He makes this thing go.�

Doege, a former standout quarterback at Texas Tech, sees “the game through the same lens and we speak the same language and we’re cut from the same cloth when it comes to how we want to attack winning and attack playing the (quarterback) position,� Arizona’s offensive coordinator said on ESPN Tucson’s “Spears & Ali.�

“There’s a lot of similarities with me and him,� Doege said. “There’s no doubt we are way better with him behind center. Personally, I think he’s an elite thrower. He plays the game the way a quarterback should play it. His skillset fits what we do and the system. I’m very excited to coach that dude.�

With Doege as a first-time play-caller at Marshall, the Thundering Herd averaged the 40th-most points in college football with an average of 31.8 points per game. Arizona was second-to-last in the Big 12 with 21.8 points per game this season. The Wildcats “didn’t score enough points,� Brennan said, and Arizona scored more than 30 points in just one game in 2024, which was the season-opening win over New Mexico.

“In the simplest offensive football terms, we needed to be more productive that way,� Brennan said. “It was challenging for Noah because we had issues running the football and we had issues protecting him. If you can protect him, then he can deliver the ball and we’ve seen how awesome he is at that.�

Under Doege’s direction “there’s a different mentalityâ€� with the ÃÛÌÒÓ°ÏñAV offense.

“One, that we expect to score every time we touch the ball,� Fifita said. “It’s a great mindset from our leader. He’s confident, he knows his scheme, he was very successful as a player and successful as a coach in his short time. We look forward to learn from him and build the offense with the pieces we have from the portal and the pieces we have returning.�

Fifita also wants to “make amends for what happened last year,� he said.

The Wildcats received their highest ranking in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll since 1999 and were considered an upper-half team in the Big 12, but tied for 13th place in the 16-team conference standings. The Wildcats were plagued with injuries at various positions, mostly on defense. Injuries contributed to Arizona deploying seven different starting offensive lines in 2024.

Arizona’s offense dropped from 18th nationally in total offense in 2023 to 115th this season. After producing 53 touchdowns last season, the Wildcats only scored 30 this season and had 15 red-zone touchdowns. Marshall had 14 rushing touchdowns and 15 passing touchdowns in the red zone under Doege’s direction.

“I don’t want to speak too much on last season, but it’s no secret it didn’t go remotely close to how we wanted it to,� Fifita said. “For me, I’ve never been one to run from adversity. We said that we were going to accomplish something here and we didn’t do so. We’re here to make amends and do everything we can to fix what we didn’t do last year.�

Although Fifita eschews using social media during the season, “you can’t escape what people are saying about (Brennan) and I don’t think it’s fair to say anything about him.�

Fifita, speaking on the behalf of players, shouldered the blame for Arizona’s letdown season.

The Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year had a 23:5 touchdown-to-interception ratio last season; this year, he finished with 18:12. A season after Fifita became the only Wildcat in school history to have a completion rate (73.6%) higher than 70%, he dropped to 60.5% in the new system under passing game coordinator Matt Adkins and former offensive coordinator Dino Babers. Fifita had the most throwaways (37) in college football this season, according to Pro Football Focus.

“Players, especially me, we’re the ones playing on the field. You can’t blame the head coach when your quarterback is struggling the way I struggled last year,� Fifita said. “Way too many turnovers on my part. The year didn’t go the way we wanted to but we have an opportunity to change all of that regardless if the world thinks we can or not. For us, it’s right back to work.�

This past season was a humbling experience for Arizona’s players, especially after the 2023 rendition of UA football became one of four teams in program history to win at least 10 games. Arizona’s 10-win season capped by a win over Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl came just two year after the Wildcats’ 1-11 season.

A year after Arizona lost three games by a combined 16 points, the Wildcats lost eight games by a combined 191 points.

“I think it made us appreciate the process more,� said Fifita. “We got too used to winning and we didn’t appreciate winning enough, me especially. It’s about getting back to loving the game and loving the process. My relationship with Christ grew in this time, because that’s the only constant. Stats and wins, all of that comes and goes. Fans, all of that comes and goes. The only constant for us is our lord and savior Jesus Christ.

“My faith grew tremendously this year, as well as my love for the game and love for the process because when things aren’t going right, you fall right back into the work and process. That’s the only thing you can do.�

Added Fifita: “There’s nothing to be content about or nothing to look back to in terms of doing something good. For us, it’s about getting back to work and working on the discipline piece now, then bring in these new pieces and work on the winning culture and the mentality where we win every time we step on the field.�

Last year, when former Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch left for the same role at Washington, Fifita and longtime teammate and wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, in sync with several others, announced their decision to return for the 2024 season during a media timeout of an Arizona-UCLA basketball game at McKale Center.

For the first time in nearly a decade, Fifita won’t be teammates with McMillan, a projected first-round pick in the NFL Draft, who is Arizona’s all-time receiving yards leader after three seasons. Not having McMillan as a target “is going to be hard, for sure,� Fifita said.

“The (49-7 loss to Arizona State) was emotional for both of us and for our families,� Fifita said. “That game didn’t go how we wanted it to but I’m extremely grateful for him. Obviously the best player I’ve ever played with and is the best player I’ve ever seen and the best person, as well. Everything I’ve ever said about him rings true: he’s a Top 10 pick, but the way he carries himself is so inspiring because of his humility. I’m extremely grateful for him. I love that guy.

“That’s my best friend, so it’s going to be hard to play without him but it’s going to be very rewarding to watch him on Sundays. He came to Arizona because of me. He kept everyone together, including myself, when Coach Fisch left and now I’m here to finish the business that we started. I look forward to carrying that legacy and do what we set out to do together.�

The Wildcats are also losing NFL-bound offensive lineman Jonah Savaiinaea, center Josh Baker, left guard Wendell Moe Jr., who just transferred to Tennessee, and several others. Including Fifita, the Wildcats have six starters returning on offense: offensive linemen Alexander Doost and Rhino Tapa’toutai, tight end Sam Olson and wide receivers Chris Hunter and Jeremiah Patterson.

“For me, that’s why I wanted to make the decision sooner than later because I want to be able to start building this team (in the transfer portal),� Fifita said. “Obviously we lost some key pieces. Losing your two best players (McMillan and Savaiinaea) on offense is never easy.�

Doege is eager to build Arizona’s offense via the transfer portal.

“Yeah, we’re a little thin but instead of creating doubts, I’m thinking, ‘This is perfect. Let’s go pick the right guys.’ When we pick the right guys, we can create and change the mentality of what winning offensive football looks like,� said Arizona’s offensive coordinator.

With the transfer portal period in full swing, “it’s not going to be holly-jolly this holiday season,� Fifita said.

“It’s going to be a lot of work from me and a lot of work from these coaches to get on the phone to get guys,� said Fifita. “I look forward to doing that.�