Arizona — Big 12
PPA off / def
0.17 / 0.07
2025
Class rank
#42
class of 2026
Returning PPA
65%
returning production
| 2000 |
OSU W 27–17 | away |
| 1997 |
OSU W 28–20 | Columbus |
| 1991 |
OSU W 38–14 | Columbus |
| 1967 |
OSU L 7–14 | Columbus |
2026 schedule
2025 results (9–4)
Statistical comps — 2025 Arizona's closest analogs
Nearest neighbors by z-scored success rate, explosiveness, run rate & havoc (offense + defense), 2015–25.
2025 leaders
Transfer portal — 2026 (22 in / 20 out)
| Incoming |
|---|
| Cole Rusk | TE | ← Illinois | ★★★★ |
| Daylen Austin | S | ← Oregon | ★★★ |
| Antwan Roberts | RB | ← Marshall | ★★★ |
| Cam Chapa | S | ← Northern Colorado | ★★★ |
| Malcolm Hartzog | S | ← Nebraska | ★★★ |
| Matai Tagoa'i | LB | ← USC | ★★★ |
| DJ Jordan | WR | ← USC | ★★★ |
| Lee Molette III | S | ← UConn | ★★★ |
| + 14 more |
Origins
Tomey's Desert Swarm defenses in the 1990s were among the best ever assembled, and the 1998 team finished fourth in the country. The Wildcats have still never been to a Rose Bowl.
Founded 1885 · Territorial land-grant college, established 27 years before statehood · first football 1899 · defined by Dick Tomey
All-time record
All-time
521–481–25
1916–2025
Win %
51.9%
101 seasons played
Winning seasons
48
48% of seasons
| Best seasons | W | L | Conference |
|---|
| 1998 | 12 | 1 | Pac-10 |
| 1993 | 10 | 2 | Pac-10 |
| 2023 | 10 | 3 | Pac-12 |
| 2014 | 10 | 4 | Pac-12 |
| 1975 | 9 | 2 | Western Athletic |
Season records from CollegeFootballData, which is why the span starts at 1916 — that is where its coverage of this program begins, not necessarily the first year it fielded a team.
Play-calling tendencies (2025 · garbage time excluded)
| Situation | Plays | Run % | Success % | Nat'l | Avg yds | Expl % |
|---|
| 1st down | 353 | 54% |
41% | 89 of 136 | 5.9 | 11% |
| 2nd down | 266 | 47% |
43% | 53 of 136 | 5.9 | 14% |
| 3rd & short (≤3) | 36 | 58% |
56% | — | 3.4 | 14% |
| 3rd & medium (4–7) | 61 | 10% |
52% | — | 7.9 | 11% |
| 3rd & long (8+) | 63 | 21% |
19% | — | 7.8 | 19% |
| 4th down | 30 | 47% |
70% | — | 6.1 | 10% |
152 drives · 38% ended in points · 7.3 plays and 47.4 yards per drive · 0.98 PPA per drive
Success: 50% of yardage needed on 1st, 70% on 2nd, 100% on 3rd/4th. Explosive: 12+ yd rush / 16+ yd pass. National rank is shown only for 1st and 2nd down, where every team has 100+ plays; the later buckets average 18-43 and a rank there would be noise.
League leaderboard →Most valuable plays (by PPA, 2025)
| Wk | Opp | Play | Yds | PPA |
|---|
| 8 | Houston |
Noah Fifita pass complete to Tre Spivey for 70 yds for a TD (Michael Salgado-Medina KICK) … |
70 | 6.74 |
| 6 | Oklahoma State |
Noah Fifita pass complete to Luke Wysong for 47 yds for a TD (Michael Salgado-Medina KICK) |
47 | 5.72 |
| 10 | Colorado |
Gio Richardson 60 Yd pass from Noah Fifita (Michael Salgado-Medina Kick) |
60 | 5.47 |
| 1 | Hawai'i |
Quincy Craig run for 54 yds for a TD (Michael Salgado-Medina KICK) |
54 | 5.20 |
| 6 | Oklahoma State |
Noah Fifita pass complete to Tre Spivey for 45 yds to the OKST 1 for a 1ST down |
45 | 4.92 |
| 7 | BYU |
Kedrick Reescano run for 36 yds for a TD (Michael Salgado-Medina KICK) |
36 | 4.56 |
| 10 | Colorado |
Javin Whatley 34 Yd pass from Noah Fifita (Michael Salgado-Medina Kick) |
34 | 4.49 |
| 10 | Colorado |
Tre Spivey 57 Yd pass from Noah Fifita (Michael Salgado-Medina Kick) |
57 | 4.47 |