Arizona football training camp preview: receivers

Following a 9-4 season last year, the Wildcats kick off the 2026 season against in-state rival Northern Arizona on Sept. 5 at Casino Del Sol Stadium. Arizona begins fall training exactly a month before the season opener on Aug. 5.

Leading up to fall training camp, the Star is providing a position-by-position preview. Up next: wide receivers. 

Position coach: Bobby Wade

Returners: Chris Hunter (R-Sr.), Giovanni Richardson (So.), Tre Spivey (R-Jr.), Isaiah Mizell (So.), Brandon Phelps (R-So.), Jordan McCord (R-So.), Landon Kelsey (R-Fr.), Scotty Brennan (R-Fr.)

Departures: Kris Hutson, Javin Whatley, Luke Wysong

Newcomers: Rodney Gallagher III (Sr.), DJ Jordan (So.), Jordan Ross (Jr.), RJ Mosley (Fr.), Caleb Smith (Fr.)

The rundown: After going through four weeks of practices in the spring, Arizona star quarterback Noah Fifita said "people probably think I'm delusional, but I will go on and say that this is the best receiver room I've ever had from a depth standpoint." 

That's high praise for a position group that's losing its top two receivers from last season in Kris Hutson and Javin Whatley — two receivers who helped Arizona's offense that ranked fourth in the Big 12 in passing.

The Wildcats return a promising trio in Tre Spivey, Chris Hunter and Giovanni Richardson, who contributed as a true freshman in 2025. The aforementioned trio combined for 1,052 receiving yards and 12 total touchdowns last season. 

"You have speed and you have route-running," Fifita said. "More importantly, the relationship they have with each other, it's rare. There's only one football on the field and there's three receivers. To be able to have the selflessness and the genuine excitement for each other is special." 

Arizona head coach Brent Brennan said Arizona's wide receiver group "is a lot of fun because there's a lot of intense competition there."

"The exciting thing about that is we feel like we can go eight-deep in that room and everybody can play," Brennan added. "I think that's important. We want to play with tempo and push the ball down the field. You need to have depth at that position." 

Spivey, Richardson and Hunter are the obvious choices to crack Arizona's potential eight-man rotation at receiver this season. 

Arizona offensive coordinator Seth Doege said the 6-4, 213-pound Spivey could've contributed more as a redshirt sophomore in 2025, 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 of Spivey. "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." 

Spivey, after becoming one of Arizona's top receivers, emerged as one of Fifita's top pass catchers in the spring, high-pointing catches over multiple defenders and running through traffic in the defensive secondary. 

Spivey is "ready to make the next step as wide receiver," Brennan said. 

"That's how I see it for Tre Spivey, it's time for him to make a a big jump into one of the best receivers in the Big 12 and into a legitimate prospect for the NFL," Brennan said. "That time is now."

Fifita said Spivey is "going to turn some heads and prove that he's the best receiver in the Big 12."

"I think we've seen how explosive he is with the ball in his hands," added Arizona's quarterback. "I don't think people know how well he can attack the ball and play the ball in the air." 

Hunter, who is one of four players from Arizona's 2022 recruiting class still at the UA, is the elder statesman of the wide receivers. Hunter has displayed "incredible leadership" in 2026, said Brennan.

Arizona wide receivers coach Bobby Wade, who was promoted to passing game coordinator and assistant head coach this summer, challenged Hunter "to take a hold of the reins as the leader within the room, and be a guy that I can lean on to push this group if I'm not around."

"Not only that, but individually, he knows there's still growth there for him," Wade said. "He missed some time last season, so I know he has dedicated this winter to finding the imbalances in his strength to make sure he doesn't miss any time. We're seeing a different Chris Hunter. He seems to be fresh every practice, he's finishing every practice and he's back to where he can just run all day. That's where you need him to be."

Richardson, a Chandler Basha product, blossomed into one of Arizona's most promising freshmen last season, recording 21 catches for 299 yards and two touchdowns. His second touchdown was a crucial touchdown in the fourth quarter of Arizona's upset win over Cincinnati, which pushed Fifita ahead of Nick Foles for the most career touchdowns at the UA. 

Even though second-year wide receiver Isaiah Mizell played in pinches last season, "there's nobody on the field that can run with him, so he brings a threat in that aspect and is special," Fifita said of the Orlando native. 

Brandon Phelps, who's statistically one of the greatest Arizona high school wide receivers of all time, "had the best winter of the group," according to Wade, but was injured in the spring and didn't practice. The 6-3, 201-pound Phelps, along with freshman R.J. Mosley, will bolster Arizona's depth at "X" receiver. 

"Immediately post-bowl game, you saw a different Brandon," Wade said of Phelps. "He was spending time in the weight room. He was in the offices more, and he was really trying to lean his body out and put on the muscle that he needed. ... The numbers increased, his strength increased, his speed got better.

"Really happy with Brandon's focus on wanting to be the best version of himself. I know he's going to help us this year win games."

Arizona has five returning receivers who could conceivably play this season. The Wildcats added five newcomers at wide receiver — three from the transfer portal. 

In three years at West Virginia, Gallagher — nicknamed "Rod" — had 64 receptions for 605 yards and three touchdowns. The former four-star recruit, who has garnered comparisons to former UA wide receiver and punt returner Luke Wysong, and a Uniontown, Pennsylvania, native, had the second-most receptions (28) for the Mountaineers in 2025 — his only season under former Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez.

"He's fast, he's tough, he's played a lot of football, he gets it," Brennan said of Gallagher. "That part is going to be a lot of fun." 

Ross and Jordan were highly touted recruits from Los Angeles, but they only have 479 combined offensive snaps and "they haven't played a ton of football, but they're extremely talented," Doege said.

The 6-foot, 185-pound Jordan is "starting to get more comfortable in the scheme," Brennan said. Jordan and Ross made multiple noteworthy plays throughout the spring.

"Once they start to settle into the scheme, then you start to see the talent show up because they know what they're doing and they're playing with confidence and they're playing fast," Brennan said. "That's been fun to see." 

The next month could determine the pieces to Arizona's offensive puzzle in Doege's second year as the Wildcats' offensive coordinator. Doege said Arizona's "wideouts can be freaky" and "I know Noah is excited about the wideouts."

"Noah is extremely confident in Spivey, Gio Richardson and 'Sticks' (Hunter)," Doege said. "Then you have guys like Mizell, who has made a huge jump from his freshman year to what he is now. He's night-and-day a different person. He's got elite speed, and I don't know if anyone in the country — not just in the Big 12 — can run with him.

"Rodney Gallagher is a freaking dog. He's the perfect slot player. He's good in space, explosive, hard to tackle and tough as they come. ... We have some special talent in that receiver room. I'm really excited.

"It's the first time I've been excited about a receiver room since I was at USC, and that was with Michael Pittman, Amon Ra St. Brown, Drake London. We had some real ones in that room, and I'm not saying we have a bunch of first-rounders in our room, but we can be very, very explosive."