The Star is asking — and answering — five lingering questions surrounding the Arizona football program following the Wildcats’ historic 2023 season. Up next: Which skill players will emerge as the Wildcats’ new offensive leaders?
Returning a majority of its offensive and defensive starters is a reason why the Arizona Wildcats are most likely going to be among the favorites to win the Big 12 and a potential subject in College Football Playoff conversations with the CFP expanding to 12 teams in 2024.
The 14th-ranked Wildcats will launch their debut season in the Big 12 fresh off a 10-3 season that ended with a come-from-behind win over No. 12 Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, the first postseason win for the program since 2015.
Momentum is on Arizona’s side, there’s no doubt about that. If Arizona wants to duplicate this past season or produce an even better season in 2024 and reach unprecedented milestones, the Wildcats will have to replace several prominent starters on offense.
Besides potential first-round draft pick and left tackle Jordan Morgan, Arizona will also be without starters in running back Michael Wiley, wide receiver Jacob Cowing and tight end Tanner McLachlan, along with veteran backup running back DJ Williams, who delivered the knockout touchdown in the win over Oklahoma.
Here’s what the Wildcats are missing with the aforementioned starters:
Cowing, a Maricopa native and former UTEP Miner, ended his career seventh all time in college football with 4,477 career yards — and ninth with 316 receptions. His two touchdowns in the Alamo Bowl earned him bowl game MVP honors and made him first in program history in single-season touchdowns (13). Cowing’s 175 catches in two seasons at the UA places him fifth on Arizona’s all-time receptions list. The 5-11, 175-pound slot receiver is statistically one of the top receivers in program history.
“Looking back when I first got here, I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else,” Cowing said in San Antonio. “Every day, day in and day out, I’ve cherished each and every moment ever since I’ve stepped foot on that campus. Coaching staff, the players, that family atmosphere. It’s something I love each and every day, and I’m going to cherish those moments for the rest of my life.”
Wiley, a member of Arizona’s 2019 recruiting class and three-year starter, is the Wildcats’ all-time receiving leader (1,150 yards and 12 touchdowns) for a running back; he also scored eight touchdowns in the Territorial Cup game over his five-year career.
McLachlan, a 6-5, 245-pound Alberta, Canada native, played two seasons for the Wildcats after starting his college career at Southern Utah. McLachlan emerged as a mainstay in Arizona’s offense during the 2022 season and caught 79 passes in two seasons, the most receptions by an Arizona tight end, passing Rob Gronkowski.
Easy to replace, right?
Arizona running back Jonah Coleman turns the corner on Utah safety Austin Keetch in the first quarter of the 42-18 win.
Arizona already jumpstarted its starting running back position for next season despite losing Wiley and Williams, with sophomore star Jonah Coleman, who led the Wildcats in rushing this season with 871 yards, entering his third year. Coleman was Arizona’s highest-graded (90.9) offensive player on Pro Football Focus, which ranks 11th nationally amongst running backs. Coleman also had a 93 running grade for the ’23 season — fifth in college football.
“Running style, I can do it all,” he said. “I can make guys miss, I’ve been working on that this year in the offseason. I can run through you, over you and around you, and I can catch the ball, so I’m pretty much an all-around back.”
The 5-9, 220-pound Coleman led college football running backs this season in yards per carry after contact with a whopping 5.09 yards, according to PFF. Coleman had 11 carries for 179 yards in Arizona’s road win at Colorado.
Arizona running back Jonah Coleman (3) runs for a long gain as Colorado safety Shilo Sanders comes in for the tackle in the second half of Arizona's 34-31 win Saturday in Boulder, Colorado.
“For Jonah, he’s got some natural leverage,” said Arizona offensive coordinator Brennan Carroll. “He’s a tough guy to form tackle, but he’s done a really great job of building his body up.”
Coleman’s frame and skillset was compared to former Jacksonville Jaguars star running back Maurice Jones-Drew, who Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch coached in 2013.
“It’s kind of funny. We watch some highlights of certain plays that we put in and Maurice Jones-Drew’s will be right there,” Coleman said. “Everyone will be like, ‘There goes Jonah.’ I can see some similarities, height-wise.”
Coleman and redshirt freshman running back Rayshon Luke, a 5-9, 175-pound speedster, will have elevated roles in Arizona’s offense in 2024. The Wildcats also return redshirt freshman and former four-star running back Brandon Johnson, who didn’t play this season. In Arizona’s 2024 recruiting class, the Wildcats signed four-star Long Beach, California, star running back Jordan Washington and Phoenix-area native Adam Mohammed, Arizona’s Class 5A career rushing touchdowns leader.
At slot receiver, the Wildcats could fill the void left behind by Cowing by either going into the portal or turning to players already on roster. Arizona recently hosted former Utah wide receiver Mikey Matthews for an official visit and offered former Oregon State star Silas Bolden earlier this week. The Wildcats also have redshirt freshman Kevin Green Jr. and freshmen Malachi Riley and Carlos Wilson, who Cowing called “electric” in preseason training camp.
“He reminds me a lot of myself when I first got to college,” Cowing said of Wilson. “That guy has a bright future. I’m excited to see what he does.”
Excluding Arizona’s starting trio of Cowing, sophomore Tetairoa McMillan and junior Montana Lemonious-Craig, Riley and Green played the most snaps in the UA’s receiving group. Green, who started for the hobbled Cowing against Utah, had eight catches for 97 yards; Riley had four receptions for 90 yards. Green was in the starting lineup during the spring last season, while Cowing started at the “Z” receiver spot left behind by Dorian Singer. Once Lemonious-Craig transferred from Colorado after the spring game, Cowing went back to slot receiver.
The Wildcats lose a ton of value in two-year starter McLachlan, but welcome back redshirt sophomore Roberto Miranda, one of their top blocking tight ends, along with rising pass-catching tight end Keyan Burnett, a member of the Wildcats’ 2022 recruiting class and highest-rated tight end signee since “Gronk.” At 6-6, 245 pounds, Burnett will likely start in Arizona’s offense alongside his Servite High School (Anaheim, California) teammates in McMillan and quarterback Noah Fifita. Freshman Dorian Thomas also impressed the coaching staff as a scout-team player this season.
Fisch said Thomas, a Kent, Washington, native, “is going to be a special tight end one day.”
“I think there’s a lot of value there,” he said.
The Wildcats have plenty of options and decisions to make on offense between now and Aug. 31, when they host New Mexico for the season opener.
VIDEO: Alamo Bowl: Arizona football coach Jedd Fisch shares how his Wildcats settled down to eventually retake the lead and pull out a win. Fisch spoke following the No. 14 Wildcats’ 38-24 win over No. 12 Oklahoma in the Valero Alamo Bowl on Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023, in San Antonio, Texas. (Courtesy Valero Alamo Bowl)
