Arizona football training camp preview: running backs

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: running backs.

Position coach: Lyle Moevao

Returners: Kedrick Reescano (Sr.), Quincy Craig (R-Sr.), Wesley Yarbrough (So.), Cornelius Warren III (R-Fr.), Anthony Wilhite (R-Sr.)

Departures: Ismail Mahdi

Newcomers: Antwan Roberts (R-Sr.)

The rundown: If there's any position group that wasn't impacted by roster turnover, it's running back. 

The Wildcats will have a new leader in the room in first-year running backs coach Lyle Moevao, who succeeds Sacramento State head coach Alonzo Carter. 

Carter coached running backs under Brennan at San Jose State and Arizona from 2017-25, before becoming the head coach of a Sacramento State program that's entering the Mid-American Conference (MAC) after competing at the FCS level for the last three decades. 

Moevao was Arizona's assistant running backs coach under Carter last season and will now take the reins of a position group that returns two players who played a significant amount of snaps for the Wildcats last season. 

The hiring of Moevao "was a relief for us," Arizona senior running back Kedrick Reescano said in the spring. 

"We've put in all this time with him already, extra meetings, drawing up offensive plays," Reescano said. "We've already spent that time with him, so him coming in and filling that role was a no-switch transition. It was seamless."

Despite losing leading rusher Ismail Mahdi, who rushed for 859 yards and four touchdowns last season, Reescano and Quincy Craig return for another season — the third season at Arizona for Reescano, who started his career at Ole Miss.

Craig's 24-yard touchdown in Arizona's 24-20 win over Kansas lifted the Wildcats to bowl eligibility in 2025; he also caught a touchdown in the first half, which moved Fifita to a tie for the most career passing touchdowns. The following week, Reescano had a 50-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter of Arizona's upset win over No. 25 Cincinnati. 

Reescano led the Wildcats with nine rushing touchdowns, the most by a UA running back since Zach Green in 2017. Seven of Reescano's touchdowns were inside the red zone.

"His ability run through guys is something that has been a part of his identity since high school," Moevao said of Reescano. 

Arizona's rushing attack hit a midseason lull, and the Wildcats were outrushed seven times and had fewer than 100 rushing yards collectively in two games. In the second half of the season, Arizona had 13 rushing touchdowns, including four in the home finale against Baylor. 

The power-and-speed tandem of the 6-foot, 217-pound Reescano and the 5-10, 189-pound Craig gives Arizona a versatile and experienced one-two punch at the top of the depth chart — and a combination that was productive and didn't accrue bodily hits after playing a combined 207 offensive snaps in 2025.

"We've got a great group of men and leaders," Moevao said. "When you've got guys that are experienced and are veteran guys that have played a lot of college football and really taking on that role, it's like having two assistant coaches in the room. The expectations aren't just from me, it's also from the guys in the room. I think that raises the level of competition, it raises the level of expectations, as well as the standard." 

Both Reescano and Craig were limited in the spring due to offseason injury recovery, which allowed second-year running backs Wesley Yarbrough and Cornelius Warren III and Marshall transfer running back Antwan Roberts to have more practice and scrimmage reps. 

Yarbrough, a 5-10, 210-pound Houston-area native, rushed for 77 yards on 21 carries last season. Warren, a 5-9, 177-pound Dallas-area product, had seven carries for 32 yards and a fumble late in Arizona's blowout win over Colorado in Boulder. Both Yarbrough and Warren are in line for elevated roles this season.

"It's exciting to see them flourish," Reescano said. "They didn't have that opportunity last year. Seeing them break long runs or catch passes or understanding how to pick up protection, it's amazing to see."

Roberts is the newest — and only — addition to the room this season. 

The 6-foot, 204-pound Roberts reunites with Arizona offensive coordinator Seth Doege, who was Marshall's offensive play-caller in 2024. Roberts didn't play in 2024 due to injury. 

"He was an unbelievable teammate," Doege said of Roberts. "This guy is one of the most liked guys on the team right now. I knew that. The reason I felt OK about taking him is I knew that. Two, right before he got hurt at Marshall, I remember telling our running backs coach Telly Lockette, 'Hey, man, this guy might have something.' I saw him four or five days into camp, and he was starting to flash, then all of a sudden he gets hurt, so I never saw him truly develop into what he is.

"He's a big back that has some athletic ability and can run. Like I said, he's smart, tough and he's an unbelievable teammate. Whatever role it is, whether it be the starter or the third back, he's going to come in and be a part of what we're trying to do." 

In 2025, the Nashville native had 90 rushes for 512 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 5.7 yards per carry. Roberts joined Marshall in 2023 after starting his collegiate career at Independence Community College in Kansas. 

Roberts "has been a great addition to the room and to the program overall" and is a "natural-born leader," Moevao said. 

"It's as if he's been here for three years in a row as far as the chemistry they've built in the short time," added Moevao.

As a unit, Doege is "super confident in them."

"I think we can be really explosive," Doege said. "Ked and Quincy were limited, and now you see those two running around, and we have two explosive and powerful running backs that we feel confident in."