Three Arizona Wildcats were named to the Associated Press All-Big 12 teams on Thursday.
Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita and safety Dalton Johnson earned first-team honors, while defensive back Treydan Stukes received second-team honors. Arizona's standout trio received first-team All-Big 12 honors last week.
Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita, right, sits with teammate defensive back Treydan Stukes during Big 12 football media days in Frisco, Texas, July 9, 2025.
The Star's Justin Spears and Michael Lev were on the 17-person voting panel and selected Fifita as the AP Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, however, BYU running back LJ Martin took home the honor; he was also the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.
Other individual AP Big 12 honors include Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez (Defensive Player of the Year), BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier (Freshman of the Year), Texas Tech defensive end David Bailey (Transfer of the Year) and BYU head coach Kalani Sitake (Coach of the Year).
Rodriguez is one of seven Red Raiders on the AP All-Big 12 first team.
Fifita, who was recently named a finalist for Polynesian College Football Player of the Year, is the first Arizona quarterback to receive AP first-team all-conference honors.
Fifita became the third all-time Arizona quarterback to receive first-team All-Big 12 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 passed for a career-high 2,963 yards, 26 touchdowns and five interceptions in the regular season — a season after tossing 12 interceptions. He has the third-most passing yards in the Big 12 behind Baylor quarterback Sawyer Robertson and TCU's Josh Hoover, but has fewer interceptions (5) than Robertson (12) and Hoover (13).
Fifita's 26 passing touchdowns are a career-high and the fifth-most in a season by a UA quarterback. He needs three more passing touchdowns to set Arizona's single-season touchdown record.
Fifita currently owns Arizona's record for the most career passing touchdowns (70), which he set in Arizona's upset win over No. 25 Cincinnati last month.
Fifita is the first-ever Wildcat to receive Territorial Cup MVP honors multiple times since the award was first given out in 2001. If Arizona beats SMU in the Holiday Bowl, Fifita will be the only player to quarterback two 10-win teams at Arizona.
Arizona defensive back Dalton Johnson (43) against BYU in the first half, Oct. 11, 2025, in Tucson.
Johnson has the sixth-most tackles (97) in the Big 12 this season — the most by a defensive back. Johnson, Stukes and cornerback Jay'Vion Cole are tied for the second-most interceptions (4) in the Big 12 this season.
Johnson is on pace to become the first Arizona defensive back since Darrell Brooks in 2004 and '05 to lead the Wildcats in tackles in back-to-back seasons. Johnson's 97 tackles are more than his season total from last year.
Johnson ended the season earning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors twice. He had 18 tackles in Arizona's home finale against Baylor, the most tackles by a Wildcat since Scooby Wright III in 2014. Johnson also had an interception and forced fumble the following week against ASU in the Territorial Cup.
The sixth-year Stukes, who has been a part of three coaching staffs at Arizona, is in his final season at Arizona and has 52 tackles and four interceptions this season. Stukes' interception in the end zone sparked the Wildcats' three takeaways in the fourth quarter of the Wildcats' win over Baylor.
Arizona defensive back Treydan Stukes (2) jumps over Arizona State wide receiver Jaren Hamilton (16) to intercept the pass during the third quarter in the Territorial Cup game, Nov. 28, 2025, in Tempe.
Stukes and Johnson became the first Arizona defensive backs to receive all-conference first-team recognition since Antoine Cason. This year is also the first season that Arizona has produced multiple first-team all-conference defensive backs since All-WAC selections Jackie Wallace and Bob White in 1972.
No. 17 Arizona (9-3) faces SMU (8-4) for the 46th Holiday Bowl at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego on Friday, Jan. 2, at 6 p.m. on Fox.
