Arizona QB Noah Fifita named Pac-12 Freshman of Year; 4 Wildcats make all-conference teams

The Pac-12's final season-ending football awards were unveiled Tuesday, with Arizona Wildcats quarterback Noah Fifita named the Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year and four other Wildcats making the all-conference first or second teams. 

Fifita is the second Wildcat in program history to earn Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year honors, joining running back J.J. Taylor, who was the co-winner of the award with Stanford offensive lineman Walker Little in 2017.

Despite Arizona finishing third in the Pac-12 conference standings and entering bowl season with a 9-3 overall record — that coming after the Wildcats were picked to finish eighth in the the Pac-12's preseason media poll — UA head coach Jedd Fisch was not selected Pac-12 Coach of the Year. Instead, the award went to Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer, who led the second-ranked Huskies to an undefeated season and a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Fisch was named, however, one of 12 finalists Tuesday for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, an award given out by Football Writers Association of America and the Sugar Bowl.

Oregon quarterback Bo Nix was named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year over Washington star quarterback Michael Penix Jr.; both are Heisman Trophy finalists. Pac-12 sacks leader and UCLA defensive end Laiatu Latu was Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. Cal linebacker Cade Uluave received the Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year nod.

Fifita, a redshirt freshman from Huntington Beach, California, passed for 2,515 yards, 23 touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 73.6% of his pass attempts, mark that currently stands as tops in program history. Fifita could become the first UA quarterback with a single-season completion percentage higher than 70%; Nick Foles (69.1% as a senior in 2011) holds the current program record.

Since Fifita took over for the injured Jayden de Laura, he's won a conference-record five Pac-12 Freshman of the Week awards. De Laura himself is also a prior Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year, winning the award at Washington State prior to transferring to Arizona.

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. Fifita is 6-2 as Arizona's starter and the two losses were by a combined nine points. The 14th-ranked and Alamo Bowl-bound Wildcats ended the regular season with a six-game winning streak, the longest winning streak for the UA since its 12-1 season in 1998. Fifita is also one of five finalists for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award. 

Arizona left tackle Jordan Morgan and linebacker Jacob Manu were included on the All-Pac-12 First Team, while wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan and kicker Tyler Loop were second-team selections.

Morgan, a potential first-round NFL Draft pick, only allowed two sacks in 787 snaps this season. His 89.9 pass-blocking grade by Pro Football Focus is the fourth-best nationally amongst tackles with at least 700 snaps played this season.

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At weak-side linebacker, Manu led the Wildcats with 108 tackles and is the first Wildcat to have over 100 tackles in a season since Colin Schooler in 2018. Depending how bowl games shake out, Manu could become the first UA player to lead the Pac-12 in tackles since Scooby Wright’s All-American season in 2014. Manu also had an interception, 6.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss.  

McMillan is eighth among FBS wideouts with 1,242 yards, which is the fourth-most by a Wildcat in a single season trailing only Dennis Northcutt, Bobby Wade and Austin Hill. McMillan ended the regular season as the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week following an 11-catch, 266-yard performance in the Territorial Cup game, which is the second-most receiving yards in a game by a Wildcat since Jeremy McDaniel, who had 283 yards against Cal in 1996.

Loop is a perfect 50 for 50 in kicking PATs and made 16 of 21 field goals this season, including a career-high 52-yarder at Colorado; he also made a walk-off kick against the Buffaloes.

Wildcats chosen for all-Pac-12 honorable mention recognition include running back Jonah Coleman, tight end Tanner McLachlan, right tackle Jonah Savaiinaea, cornerbacks Tacario Davis and Ephesians Prysock, defensive end Taylor Upshaw, wide receiver Jacob Cowing and defensive back Treydan Stukes.

Arizona's 13 conference honors in all are the most for the Wildcats since 2008.