Arizona football star Jacob Cowing's No. 2 jersey meaningful throwback to his UTEP career

After a productive, if not somewhat muted, first two outings of 2023, Arizona preseason All-American wide receiver Jacob Cowing was back to his usual high-volume self Saturday against UTEP — the program he starred for through the 2021 campaign before he transferred to Arizona ahead of last season.

On Saturday, Cowing, who had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2021 (at UTEP) and 2022 (at Arizona), caught 10 passes for 84 yards and a touchdown against his former Miner mates in Arizona’s 31-10 win at Arizona Stadium.

Cowing has only ever worn jersey No. 2 since trekking west on Interstate 10 to Tucson to join the Wildcats. At UTEP he wore No. 6.

But it’s been reported that he likely would have switched to No. 2 in El Paso, Texas, if he’d stayed at UTEP in 2022 — and that he chose that number at UA for the same deep-rooted reason.

At UTEP, No. 2 previously belonged to former tight end Luke Laufenberg, who played junior college ball in Arizona at Mesa Community College before joining the Miners.

Laufenberg, the son of former NFL quarterback Babe Laufenberg, died in August 2019 at 21 years old after a multi-year battle with cancer.

As reported by El Paso television station KTSM, Babe Laufenberg shared last year on X (Twitter) that Cowing “talked to me and asked if he could wear (No. 2) at Arizona. Of course, I said yes, that Luke would be honored.”

After Cowing’s departure from UTEP, Luke Laufenberg’s No. 2 went to current Miners starting quarterback Gavin Hardison. What’s more: Hardison, uniquely, doesn’t wear the jersey with his own name on it. His kit says “Laufenberg” across the nameplate on his back.

That’s how he appeared in his white jersey, with blue lettering, Saturday in Tucson, to go along with UTEP’s orangish-gold helmets and matching pants.

"For me it's representing everything this number means: Babe, all the people I talked to, and Luke,” Hardison said last year, as reported by the El Paso Times. “Representing (Luke) to the best of my ability on and off the field, it's a blessing to get to wear this number and what it means to me."

Cowing shared similar Sentiments, as the Times reported in 2021 when he first learned he’d get No. 2, should he have been around in El Paso the next season: “I want to continue the Laufenberg legacy. I never met him personally, but hearing about Luke, what he had done, how many people he had impacted, I wanted that to live on.

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"This is bigger than football. I wanted to do something for him and his family,” Cowing added. “I want to continue to bring positive energy to the team, be a selfless person like he was. I'm going to try to live up to his name."

Face in the crowd: NBA forward Rui Hachimura

From megastar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to hip-hop’s Master P and Offset, to even the UA's own NFL legend Rob Gronkowksi, the stars — and national network pregame shows from ESPN and Fox, no less — were certainly out in force in Boulder, Colorado, Saturday for the so-called game of the day between No. 18 Colorado and Colorado State. (The Buffaloes stayed unbeaten, defeating the Rams 43-35 in two overtimes).

That game also included some big NBA names in attendance, including Khawi Leonard, Kyle Lowry and Chauncey Billups.

While hardly the same level of national anticipation as the showdown in the Rocky Mountains, the matchup in Tucson Saturday had an NBA connection of its own. Rui Hachimura, a forward with the Los Angeles Lakers, was seen on the sidelines of Arizona Stadium leading up to kickoff (future Wildcat Elijah Rushing, a standout on the defensive side of the ball for Salpointe Catholic High School, posted a photo of Hachimura at field level before the game).

Hachimura’s possible connection to Tucson: the former Gonzaga star has visited Southern Arizona in recent years to spend time with Arizona men’s basketball coach Tommy Lloyd. Lloyd, then a longtime assistant for the Zags, was key to Hachimura’s recruitment to Gonzaga’s Spokane, Washington, campus from his home in Japan’s Toyama Prefecture.

“I saw that kid and I’m like, ‘There’s no way I’m letting this kid go anywhere else, because in a couple years this kid’s going to be special,’” Lloyd said in 2021 of Hachimura. “In his first year he didn’t play at Gonzaga, and the next year he came off the bench, but in the second half of the year years was our leading scorer. And then the third year he’s a (NBA) lottery pick.”

Arizona Wildcats dominate UTEP 31-10 to finish nonconference schedule 2-1

Arizona Wildcats post over 500 yards of total offense and only allow one touchdown in a 31-10 victory on Saturday. 

Photos: Arizona takes down UTEP 31-10, NCAA football