Meet the Arizona Wildcats who will be at Big 12 Football Media Days

FRISCO, Texas — Big 12 Football Media Days kicks off at "The Star" in Frisco, Texas, otherwise known as the global headquarters of the Dallas Cowboys, on Tuesday.  

Some of the attention of the two-day event, which ends on Wednesday, will be on the Arizona Wildcats following their nine-win season in head coach Brent Brennan's second year at the helm. 

Arizona is entering its third season under Brennan — also its third season in the 16-team Big 12.

Eight programs will be featured each day, and Arizona will begin the second day on Wednesday. Brennan takes the main stage for a press conference at 9 a.m. 

The Wildcats will have seven representatives at Big 12 Football Media Days this year. Here's who they are: 

Tristan Bounds

Position: Offensive tackle

The rundown: The Wildcats lose three reliable starters on the offensive line in left tackle Ty Buchanan, left guard Chubba Maae and center Ka'ena Decambra, but return the entire right side in guard Alexander Doost and Bounds.

Bounds, who transferred from Michigan prior to last season, evolved into one of the Wildcats' top offensive linemen and started eight games at right tackle in 2025, allowing three sacks in 372 pass-blocking snaps, before suffering a broken ankle in the Wildcats' win over Cincinnati in 2025. 

Since Bounds had limited playing experience, playing 669 offensive snaps over five seasons (628 at Arizona), coupled with the ankle injury, Bounds was granted an additional year of eligibility by the NCAA. Bounds' return "was like the biggest sigh of relief in the office," Arizona offensive line coach Josh Oglesby said in April.  

"For all of the things Tristan is, the biggest part is the experience," Oglesby said. "We don't have to break someone completely new at that position. The experiences that he brought with him from his previous school, as well as the things he learned and took from this past season, it has been invaluable for the room and for him. Once we got word that we were good there, it was a giant sigh of relief. 'Alright, let's push forward.'"

Arizona offensive coordinator Seth Doege said the 6-8, 306-pound Bounds is "one of our vocal leaders on our unit and holds a high standard." 

"Getting him back was huge," Doege added. "You're just crossing your fingers because you just don't know when it comes to applying for waivers, if it's going to get passed or not.

"As soon as it got passed, we were ready and had a package for him. Sign, sealed and delivered. He didn't want to go anywhere else. He believes in Coach Oglesby, he believes in what we're trying to do."

Taye Brown

Position: Linebacker

The rundown: Brown is entering his third season as Arizona's starting middle linebacker — fourth overall at Arizona. After a mild sophomore season, Brown had a career-high 93 tackles last season — the second-most tackles behind NFL-bound safety Dalton Johnson.

The 6-2, 228-pound Chandler product has 168 tackles, 12.5 stops for loss, four sacks, five pass deflections, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and an interception in his career.

"Taye Brown is one of the best linebackers in the Big 12, if not the best," Arizona defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales said in the spring. "I've tried my tail off to out-recruit him, and I can't. That is fantastic."

Brown will lead a linebacker corps that also returns redshirt senior Chase Kennedy, redshirt sophomore Jabari Mann, sophomore Myron Robinson and redshirt senior Leviticus Su'a, among others. 

Transfers Everett Roussaw (Memphis) and Cooper Blomstrom (Georgetown) are expected to have significant roles in Arizona's three- and four-linebacker packages this upcoming season.

Jay'Vion Cole

Position: Cornerback

The rundown: How will Arizona replace a secondary that loses five NFL defensive backs? That's one of the most asked questions for the Wildcats entering this season.

Four Arizona defensive backs were selected in the NFL Draft, which ties an NFL record for the most in a single draft. Treydan Stukes (Raiders), Genesis Smith (Chargers), Dalton Johnson (Raiders) and Michael Dansby (Seahawks) were all drafted, while cornerback Ayden Garnes signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent. 

The aforementioned players led one of the best defenses in college football in 2025 and finished seventh in college football in passing defense and first in turnover margin. The Wildcats had more takeaways (31) than touchdowns allowed (28) and led the Big 12 in interceptions (22), which ranked second nationally. Arizona led college football in takeaways per game (2.5) last season. 

Arizona added reinforcements via the transfer portal and signed eight defensive backs this offseason. 

However, one of the Wildcats' top defensive returners is Cole, who's entering his second and final season at Arizona after previously moving around between Cal Poly, San Jose State and Texas. 

The senior cornerback, who was limited this spring due to injury rehab, returns to Arizona as one of the top ballhawks in the Big 12. Cole had the second-most interceptions (four) in the conference last season and "is the best corner in this league," Gonzales said. 

"When you look at it, you know there are a couple guys that are in recovery from postseason surgeries and are established, good football players," Brennan said. "That's going to be exciting when we get the full force of that group on that field. What we saw from the guys we added in the offseason, I'm encouraged."

Noah Fifita

Position: Quarterback

The rundown: Much of the attention Arizona receives at Big 12 Football Media Days will be directed towards the Wildcats' QB1, who's going into the final season of his historic career in Tucson. 

Fifita needs just over 800 passing yards to pass Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles for the program's career passing yards record. Fifita passed Foles for career touchdowns (73) last season. Fifita also set the single-season passing touchdowns (29) record in 2025. 

In his first season under offensive coordinator Seth Doege, Fifita finished third in the Big 12 with 3,228 yards, 29 touchdowns and just six interceptions — two interceptions in the final seven games of the 2025 season. 

Fifita, a Polynesian College Football Player of the Year finalist and first-team All-Big 12 selection, became the third all-time Arizona quarterback to receive first-team all-conference honors — the first in 50 years. He joined Bruce Hill, who was an All-WAC first-team selection in 1975, and Ted Bland, a three-time All-Border Conference selection from 1933-35.

Fifita led the Wildcats to their second bowl appearance in three seasons and became the first UA quarterback since Foles to win the Territorial Cup twice as a starter.

Fifita is becoming "more and more vocal and willing to step out in front and lead from the front," said Brennan. 

"Noah doesn't seek the limelight. He never tries to make it about him. His success is about everybody else, and I think that's what makes him special as a leader," Brennan added. "He's pushing this team right now, and the guys who've been here and have gone through the fight with him, they know what they're going to get out of Noah Fifita.

"They know how special he is, how tough he is, they know what kind of competitor he is."

Said Doege: "That guy is different. In my opinion, he doesn't get the national attention he deserves. This guy is a Heisman Trophy candidate, there's no question about it. There's only one guy selected first-team All-Big 12, and that was Noah Fifita, and I feel like people forgot about that. ... He's a warrior. That's the best way to describe him, he's a warrior." 

Chris Hunter

Position: Wide receiver 

The rundown: Just four players from Arizona's 2022 recruiting class remain at Arizona: Fifita, tight end Tyler Powell, backup center Grayson Stovall and Hunter, who was a late addition in '22. 

Hunter, a New Orleans native, became a mainstay in the offense in 2024 and has 62 catches for 695 yards and five touchdowns the last two seasons and had the fourth-most receiving yards last season behind Kris Hutson, Javin Whatley and Tre Spivey.

In the 275 pass plays Hunter was a part of last season, the 6-1, 195-pound receiver lined up out wide for 246 of them (89.5%), according to Pro Football Focus; he was lined up at slot receiver for 29 snaps (10.5%). 

Hunter, who played through injuries last season, will be one of the leaders of an Arizona wide receivers room highlighted by Spivey, second-year receivers Giovanni Richardson and Isaiah Mizell and transfers Rodney Gallagher (West Virginia), DJ Jordan (USC) and Jordan Ross (Colorado State), among others.

"Adding those other additions, already having a strong culture in the room, it gives the room a chance to connect quickly and really find that healthy competition, so they can push each other," said Arizona wide receivers coach Bobby Wade. "I'm excited about where we're going." 

Tre Smith

Position: Defensive end 

The rundown: Smith is known around the UA football offices as "Mr. Redline."

The redshirt senior from Mesa was supposed to play his last season in 2025, but a season-ending shoulder injury allowed him to redshirt and return for another year at Arizona. 

Smith recorded 60 tackles, 4.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss as a starter at Arizona before his injury, which he suffered in the Big 12 home opener against Oklahoma State in October. 

The 6-5, 262-pound Smith could be on a similar path as Stukes, who had a season-ending knee injury in what was supposed to be his senior season in 2024 and then returned to Arizona and became a first-team All-Big 12 selection, a third-team Associated Press All-American and a second-round NFL Draft pick.

A healthy season and another year working with defensive line coach Joe Salave'a could position Smith into becoming a legitimate NFL prospect.  

"If we can get Tre Smith healthy, with a full year and a half of development under Coach Joe, I'm super excited for what that can do for our front next year," Gonzales said. 

Tre Spivey

Position: Wide receiver 

The rundown: If anyone established themselves as a breakout star during spring practices, it was Spivey, a fourth-year junior from Chandler. 

Last year, Spivey transferred to Arizona following two seasons at Kansas State. In the first season of the post-Tetairoa McMillan era, Spivey scored eight touchdowns and caught 23 passes for 381 yards (198 yards after catch).  

Spivey, listed at 6-4, 213 pounds, was one of the Wildcats' top big-bodied receivers in 2025 and was a consistent playmaker in the spring — high-pointing catches over defenders, maneuvering through the secondary for yards after catch.

Even though Spivey has two years of eligibility, it's conceivable this season could be his last at Arizona.  

Doege said Spivey "is probably an NFL Draft pick." Doege said Spivey could've played more as a redshirt sophomore last season, but "there were too many inconsistencies." 

"Lining up, running the right route at the right depth, on the right time, the right split — everything matters in Big 12 play," Doege said. "It's been fun to watch a guy like Spivey truly master that.

"He's gotten to the point where he's consistently lining up correctly, consistently getting to his depth (on routes), he's consistently winning on routes, he's consistently attacking the football. Because of that, in my opinion, he's had one of the most explosive camps out of anybody. I'm excited about him." 

Added Brennan: "One of my favorite things about Tre is that he's an incredible practice player. Like, he really goes — he goes hard. It doesn't matter if he's feeling a little bit under the weather, he likes to compete. That part is a lot of fun."