One Key Area Standing Out for Arizona's Star Quarterback During Camp
Arizona fans are hoping to see their team put together the same type of performance they saw last season when they won 10 games which was capped off by a huge momentum win over Oklahoma in the Valero Alamo Bowl.
Doing so would be a rarity in the current era of college football.
Normally when a head coach leaves a program, like what occurred when Jedd Fisch bolted for Washington, it's hard for them to sustain success because players can depart for other options via the transfer portal.
Brent Brennan was able to keep many of their star players with the Wildcats, though.
Despite the change in philosophy on both sides of the ball, their overall talent level should be enough to help them compete during their first year in the Big 12 Conference.
To do so, they will need their star quarterback Noah Fifita to build upon what he did last season.
After taking over for the injured Jayden de Laura during their Week 4 game against Stanford, he never gave back the job. He finished with 2,869 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, six interceptions and a stellar 72.4 completion percentage that earned him the Pac-12 Freshman Offensive Player of the Year award.
Coming into this season, there are tons of expectations for Fifita.
While having to adjust to a new offense led by Dino Babers, there were some reports that suggested he hasn't looked sharp so far during practice, struggling to find his way in this scheme.
However, it seems like the talented signal caller is starting to figure it out.
According to Jason Scheer of 247Sports, Fifita put together another strong showing in practice on Wednesday, building upon what he did during their session on Monday. Without his elite offensive weapon Tetairoa McMillan available as he continues to recover from the injury he suffered in the spring, that is a great sign heading into this campaign.
But Scheer also noted there is one area that the star quarterback has improved on since his breakthrough performance in 2023-24.
"... one part of Fifita's game that has really stood out this camp is his arm strength," he wrote.
That is in reference to a deep ball he threw off one foot where he found one of his wide receivers streaking down the field.
If Fifita is able to bring some improved arm strength and accuracy to the mix on his deep balls, that should only enhance what this offense can do.
He put together an incredible season last year when averaging 8.6 yards per attempt, so if he's able to stretch the field even more, that will create tons of explosive play potential.
BRAD WAKAI