Arizona football's receiver room is 'so much faster' after adding 'real speed'

How will Arizona replace arguably the greatest offensive player in program history?

Sometimes it’s not just one player, it’s a group of players, and that’s how Arizona is navigating through the post-T-Mac era after the Wildcats lost star wide receiver and sure-fire first-round NFL Draft pick in Tetairoa McMillan.

McMillan made up 44% of Arizona’s passing attack last season and left Tucson as arguably the best receiver in UA history. It’s “impossible to fill those shoes,” said Arizona wide receivers coach Bobby Wade.

“T-Mac is by far one of the best players I’ve ever coached and probably ever will as an individual,” Wade said. “With that said, the collective group will be better than we were last year. I will also say that there are kids in this group that can be as productive as T-Mac was. ... This offense is built to have a few different guys that can get over 1,000 yards (in a season) and be highly productive. Everyone is going to have a fair shot at it. The guys who take it personal and become a pro are going to be the ones that emerge.”

Arizona head coach Brent Brennan said replacing a dynamic playmaker like McMillan is “going to be a little bit more by committee,” so the Wildcats revamped their wide receiver corps with “real speed, which I think we were missing a year ago at that position,” said Brennan.

“I think we answered that with how aggressively we attacked the portal in the offseason,” Brennan said.

New Mexico transfer Luke Wysong, Washington State transfer Kris Hutson, Chattanooga transfer Javin Whatley, Kansas State transfer Tre Spivey III, Orlando product Isaiah Mizell and Chandler native Gio Richardson are the newcomers at receiver for Arizona this spring — and all of them hail from track and field backgrounds.

“Speed was something we needed to address this offseason, especially in the receiver room,” Wade said. “We felt like the direction we were moving in offensively was going to require guys who can really stretch the football field, something we failed to do last year. I also think a lot had to do with personnel that we had. We went into the portal and focused on guys that can run, guys with experience.”

Even redshirt junior Chris Hunter III, Arizona’s returning leader at receiver, has noticed the change in speed and said the UA is “definitely going to be taking the top off this year.”

“The receiver room is so much faster now and it’s going to unlock a whole new route tree and concepts that we can run in the future,” said Hunter. “Everyone who came in plays with high intensity, brings insane energy and competition into the receiver room. It has only elevated all of us. That’s something that’s not teachable.”

After two years on Arizona’s scout team, Hunter emerged as the complementary receiver to McMillan in 2024 and had 35 catches for 323 yards and three touchdowns, including two acrobatic scores in the road finale against TCU.

“At that point of the season I was pretty comfortable,” Hunter said of his performance against TCU. “I just played like myself. I showed that I can make those plays and make those catches when needed.”

Sometimes a rising player like Hunter will explore their options in the transfer portal to seek financial opportunities or playing time at other — sometimes more prominent — programs, but he “didn’t have any thoughts on entering the portal,” Hunter said.

“I just felt like there was no reason,” he said. “I have everything I need here. It wasn’t even a thought for me honestly.”

Last year at this time, Hunter wasn’t in line to be one of Arizona’s top pass-catchers. Now? Brennan and Wade have “pushed me to step out of my comfort zone and be a leader,” said Hunter.

“I try to do my best and step into that leadership role and show these guys and teach them things I know,” he added. “They’re also great players, too, so they got some things to teach me. We bounce off each other and I just try to lead the way.”

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McMillan and former Arizona receiver Montana Lemonious-Craig, who Hunter replaced as the starter in the second half of the season, “taught me the leadership role and it matured my game up to this point,” Hunter said.

Hunter has become one of Wade’s favorite players, “because he’s very coachable” and has “taken on the challenge of understanding where he started on the depth chart,” said Arizona’s receivers coach.

When Wade was an assistant coach at Arizona State, he recruited Hunter from Isidore Newman High School in New Orleans, where he was teammates with Texas quarterback Arch Manning. Hunter and Wade reuniting two years later at the UA “was full-circle for me,” said Wade.

“I was already well aware of Chris’ talents coming out of high school,” said Wade. “It was just a matter of getting him in a mind space of understanding that he’s capable and give him the confidence that he needed to play at a high level. It takes time, and you gotta have a plan for these kids. He trusted the plan that I put forward for him and he came to work every single day regardless of where he was on the depth chart. I thought it was a perfect time for him to make plays late in the year for us.

“With that said, Chris also understands he needs to continue to get better. The development needs to continue to grow for him. He needs to be in a leadership role. I’ve put a lot on him as far as expectations for him and him pushing the room and what to expect from me and my coaching style. I’m very pleased with Chris and I’m excited for what he’s going to be able do in this offense.”

Added Wade: “He understands the need for the collective group to be good. So he’s taken it upon himself to push the group, communicate clearly with the group, expectations, standards and lead by example.”

Arizona’s passing offense dropped from eighth nationally in 2023, averaging 308.3 yards per game, to 42nd last season, with 247.9 yards per game. The Wildcats’ passing touchdown average dropped from fifth nationally to 65th.

Under new offensive coordinator Seth Doege, Arizona’s offense “is more vertical, more stretched,” and the Wildcats are “playing at a higher pace ... and stretching the field,” Hunter said.

“Everyone feels it, it just feels different,” Hunter said. “It feels way different. Brennan and his staff have done a tremendous job getting everybody all-in. ... I think it’s going to be a special year.”

Extra points

— Wade said Doege is “100% the right guy for the job”: “He’s right on time. He has direction. He knows what the offense needs to look like, he knows what he wants it to look like. He’s not afraid to push players. He’s very clear with his direction not only for the players, but for the coaches, as well. He brings an energy that is contagious. ... And he also has a unique ability to relate to the players, as well. We’re all looking forward to working with him.”

— Spivey, on Doege: “I love this new offense that Coach Doege is bringing. It’s extremely versatile and we’ve got a lot of versatile receivers that can move around anywhere on the field. With the talent that we bring in and the offense Coach Doege brings, we’re going to be explosive.”

— Wade, on Mizell: “Isaiah is a very unique talent, as well. He is absolutely elite when it comes to his ability to run vertical. His speed is unmatched for high school kids from last year. He clearly plays at a high speed.”

— Hunter, Hutson and Spivey were Arizona’s starting receivers in the first 7-on-7 period during Thursday’s practice.