Brent Brennan enters his third season at Arizona after the Wildcats finished 9-4 in 2025. Noah Fifita returns for his senior season at quarterback with 73 career touchdown passes, while the other quarterbacks on the roster enter 2026 without previous college game experience. Ismail Mahdi is back after a court order granted members of the 2022 class an extra year of eligibility. He led Arizona with 859 rushing yards last season. Kedrick Reescano and Quincy Craig also return in the backfield. Marshall transfer Antwan Roberts joins the group. Cole Rusk joins the program at tight end, while Chris Hunter and Tre Spivey return in the receiving corps. The offensive line returns Alexander Doost and Tristan Bounds, while it will feature new starters at several positions.

Arizona returns five of its top eleven tacklers from last season in linebackers Taye Brown, Max Harris, and Chase Kennedy, along with defensive lineman Leroy Palu and linebacker Jabari Mann. The Wildcats must replace leading tackler Dalton Johnson and several other contributors from last season’s defense. Nebraska transfer Malcolm Hartzog joins the secondary, which will feature several new contributors.

Arizona will feature several new contributors on special teams under Craig Naivar in 2026, including Australian punter Chase Ridley, West Virginia transfer Rodney Gallagher in the punt-return game, and Michael Salgado-Medina at placekicker. Ismail Mahdi and Quincy Craig will handle kickoff-return duties. The Wildcats enter 2026 with continuity at quarterback while working several new contributors into roles on the offensive line and throughout the defense.