Arizona redshirt sophomore quarterback Noah Fifita has been named to the preseason Davey O'Brien Award Watch List.
The national award is presented by the Davey O'Brien Foundation to the top quarterback in college football.
Fifita, who was the Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year and Football Writer’s Association of American National Offensive Freshman of the Year in 2023, concluded his first season as Arizona’s starter with 2,869 yards, 25 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 72.4% of his pass attempts. The Huntington Beach, California native is the only UA quarterback in program history to complete over 70% of his passes in a season.
Davey O'Brien was a national championship-winning quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner at TCU in the early 1930s. He became an All-Pro in a limited NFL career, before becoming an FBI field agent after his retirement from football.
Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita (11) participates in drills during a fall preseason practice at the Dick Tomey Practice Fields on Aug. 7 in Tucson.
Fifita is also on the preseason watch list for the Maxwell Award, alongside UA wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan. The Maxwell award is presented to the top player in college football by the Maxwell Football Club.
After taking over for the injured Jayden de Laura during Arizona’s come-from-behind win at Stanford to begin Pac-12 play last season, Fifita went 7-2 as the starter, and led the Wildcats on a seven-game winning streak to end the season; the two losses to Washington and USC were by a combined nine points. Fifita stamped his breakout regular season with a school- and Territorial Cup-record 527 yards through the air along with five touchdowns in a blowout win over rival ASU in Tempe.
In Arizona’s win over Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl, Fifita passed for 354 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, the second-most passing yards in a bowl game in program history.
Arizona kicks off the 2024 season against New Mexico at Arizona Stadium on Aug. 31 at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.
