Former Heisman Trophy Winner Has High Praise for Arizona Wildcats Star
The Arizona Wildcats had one of the most impressive offensive displays in college football in Week 1 of the 2024 season. They defeated the New Mexico Lobos 61-39, as their opponents had no answers for their explosive offense.
Coming into the year, a lot of attention was on their star quarterback/wide receiver duo of Noah Fifita and Tetairoa McMillan. Last season, the two hit it off instantly once Fifita was thrust into the starting lineup because of an injury.
That duo picked up right where they left off. Fifita completed 19-of-31 passes for 422 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. A large majority of that production was courtesy of McMillan.
The star receiver caught 10 passes for 304 yards and four touchdowns. He is quickly moving up the program’s all-time list in all three categories and set several records with that performance.
It was a historic performance that has garnered a lot of praise around the football world. Another player who is getting in on giving McMillan his flowers is former Texas A&M Aggies star, Johnny Manziel.
During a recent appearance on the Action Network, the former Heisman Trophy winner spoke very highly of what the Wildcats star was able to accomplish in Week 1.
“I think there were a lot of guys who played really, really great in the 1st opening week of the season, but the guy who stuck out to me the most was T Mac, Tetairoa McMillan from the University of Arizona,” Manziel said while on Action Network's BBOC YouTube Channel.
McMillan now holds the single-game receiving record along with the No. 3 most yards. The four touchdowns also tied him with Jacob Cowing, who now plays for the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL, for most in a game.
Manziel made mention of how many records were broken with this performance, putting into perspective just how rare it is for a player to dominate at that level.
“It's a new school record. Anytime you do anything that takes 91 seasons of your football's history and you come and break something like that, I think it's truly a special week.
It's the first 300-yard performance that we've had in college football since 2022. It doesn't happen a lot whatsoever, and it's really only 1 of 6 receivers who could do this in the last decade.
So anytime you're doing something for the first time in school history, something that hasn't been touched throughout the FBS in an entire decade of play.
Anytime you're able to go and do something like that, really come out and make a statement, I think this guy is gonna be something to watch throughout the rest of the year and definitely one to keep an eye on."
If he wasn’t on your radar already, McMillan certainly is now. He is one of the best players in college football this season and is projected to be a very high draft pick in the 2025 NFL draft should he declare early.
KENNETH TEAPE