Let Noah Cook: The NFL comp for Arizona QB Fifita's leadership, football IQ

It’s the question every football player is asked at some point in their career: “Who do you try to emulate and model your game after?”

The Star asked Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita that question when he committed to the Wildcats in the spring of 2021. His response: then-Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, now entering his first season with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Fifita has always admired Wilson for being “the most prepared on the field.” Additionally, “us short quarterbacks don’t have the luxury of being able to see down the field over the line, so we have to get in and out of situations with our feet and always be the smartest,” Fifita said at the time.

If there’s anyone who can earnestly compare and contrast Fifita and Wilson, it’s UA offensive line coach Josh Oglesby, who protected Wilson when the two were teammates at Wisconsin.

“The two things that stick out the most that those two have in common is their leadership; it’s uncommon. The way they’re able to lead a team and command an offense, it’s unbelievable,” Oglesby said. “The second thing is their overall knowledge. Russ is one of the smartest football players and people I’ve ever met, and Noah is on par with him.

“Their level of leadership and accountability they have for their teammates is unquestionable and uncommon. Their overall football knowledge and ability to put their teams in a position to win is unbelievable.”

Wilson, who played one season for the Badgers after starting his college career at North Carolina State, “was just a true leader and you felt confident when he walked into a huddle,” Oglesby said of the Super Bowl-winning quarterback, now 35, who joined the Steelers this offseason after two years with the Denver Broncos.

“Russ was unbelievable,” Oglesby said. “You want to talk about a consummate professional, that was him. Walking into a program like Wisconsin, where there is so much tradition, heritage, team chemistry, for a guy who never met any of us to walk in and not only become a starting quarterback, but to be a team captain and the leader that he was, it showed how professional he truly is.”

Oglesby’s favorite memory as Wilson’s teammate at Wisconsin was a 37-31 loss to Michigan State in East Lansing. The Badgers trailed the Spartans 31-13 entering the fourth quarter.

“We get the ball to start the fourth quarter, Russ steps into the huddle and says, ‘Alright, let’s go win this game.’ Sure enough, we rallied back, tied it up 31-31 and then (MSU) ended up throwing a Hail Mary to win the game,” Oglesby said. “But the presence he had when he walked into the huddle, everyone was like, ‘Yeah, we can do this.’

“He had tons of moments like that,” Oglesby added.

Fifita’s story as Arizona’s starting quarterback began not with a moral victory, but an actual win instead. In Arizona’s Pac-12 opener at Stanford last season, the Wildcats trailed the Cardinal 20-14 in the fourth quarter. In place of starter Jayden de Laura, who suffered an ankle injury at the end of the third quarter, Fifita completed all four of his pass attempts and led the Wildcats on a nine-play, 67-yard touchdown drive. Fifita’s back-to-back passes to wide receiver Jacob Cowing to pick up a first down on the final possession secured the win. Fifita held the reins of Arizona’s offense and never turned back.

Fifita led the Wildcats on a seven-game winning streak — the second-longest active streak in college football behind defending national champion Michigan — and a win over Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl, the program’s first postseason win in eight years.

After former head coach Jedd Fisch accepted the same job at Washington after three seasons and was replaced by new leader Brent Brennan, Fifita and longtime best friend and teammate, Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, galvanized the nucleus of players that helped the Wildcats go 10-3 last season. That group enters the season ranked No. 21 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, the highest preseason ranking for the program since 1999, four years before Fifita was born.

As a second-year starter, Fifita has garnered respect from new teammates, too. San Jose State transfer running back Quali Conley refers to Fifita as “captain.”

“Every time he talks, people listen,” Conley said. “No matter what he says, people listen. People naturally follow him. He’s just a great leader.”

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Arizona quarterbacks coach Lyle Moevao, a former Oregon State quarterback, said his new star pupil is “a combination of a few (quarterbacks), because Noah is special.

“He’s got the character part of it, he’s got the off-the-field part of it that makes him special. He’s got the on-the-field, X’s-and-O’s savviness that makes him special,” Moevao said. “How he speaks to media and other people and how to handle outside pressure, there’s a combination of quarterbacks that did well in some departments, but not as many as he is.”

The best quarterback comparison Moevao had for Fifita was former Oregon State and NFL quarterback Sean Mannion. Wait, how does the 6-6, 230-pound Mannion compare to a 5-10, 188-pound Fifita?

It’s brains, not brawn.

“Sean Mannion was someone we had to literally kick out the building every night, because he wouldn’t leave,” Moevao said. “He wanted to soak up as much as he could.”

Fifita is cut from similar cloth.

“The fun thing about Noah is his mind is always on, ‘What’s the plan?’ ... The beauty of Noah is he’s always going to be one step ahead,” said Moevao. “Sometimes you’ve got to be able to let him know, ‘Hey, we don’t have other guys on your level yet. We’re trying to get to that point, but this is what that point is.’ We’re learning and working through it.”

Working with Moevao has “been awesome,” said the Arizona quarterback.

“The relationship we’ve built off the field allows us to have a lot of fun on the field,” Fifita said. “Just a great coach, a great person and we’re excited to have him as our leader and play for him.

“He’s showed me how to enjoy it with the media and the pressure that comes with being a quarterback, especially going into this year. He taught me to embrace it and enjoy it, and it’s been fun.”

Added Fifita: “He knows the tricks of the trade and he’s helped me out a lot.”

Fifita’s other mentor, offensive coordinator Dino Babers, said Fifita “is like Sainthood” and Sir Lancelot, King Arthur’s right-hand knight.

“That’s who he is. He is absolutely amazing,” Babers said of Fifita at the start of training camp. “I can’t even describe him. You start talking about him and your hair starts standing up. The guy is special.”

Whether it’s Wilson, Mannion or a 12th-century knight, the Arizona star quarterback is hungry to become the best version of himself to help the Wildcats double-down on last season and potentially vie for a Big 12 title and a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff.

“At the end of the day, I feel like I’m my biggest critic. I never want to be content,” Fifita said. “I always want to continue to get better. That’s something my dad has taught me throughout my life. For the most part, this season isn’t about me. This fall camp isn’t about me. It’s about this team.

“This team is why we’re here and it’s why we all came back together. At the end of the day, the expectations for this team is really high, and we’re just trying to hold ourselves to that standard.”