Arizona will begin its second preseason training camp under coach Brent Brennan on July 30, a month of workouts and practices to get the Wildcats prepared for the 2025 season that opens Aug. 30 against Hawaii
To get you primed for camp, we’re breaking down each position group on the roster. Today we focus on the wide receiver room.
Players on roster: 14
Projected starters: Chris Hunter (R-Jr.), Kris Hutson (R-Sr.), Tre Spivey (R-So.)
Among the many offensive issues Arizona had last season was the lack of another trusted target that would keep opponents from double- and triple-teaming Tetairoa McMillan. Hunter eventually emerged into that receiver in the second half, finishing with 35 catches for 323 yards and three touchdowns. All but four of those receptions were in the final six games.
Hutson has played nearly 2,000 offensive snaps in his career, spending four seasons at Oregon and then 2025 at Washington State. He has 134 career receptions for 1,619 yards and four TDs.
Spivey, whom Arizona recruited out of high school in Chandler, comes to Tucson after two seasons at Kansas State where he played in 14 games and made 15 catches with one score. He’s the son of former Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Junior Spivey and at 6-foot-4 and 213 pounds is the biggest target in a receiver room that features more guys under 6-foot than above.
Top backups: Devin Hyatt (R-So.), Isaiah Mizell (Fr.), Jermiah Patterson (Sr.), Javin Whatley (R-Sr.), Luke Wysong (Sr.)
Only five receivers logged more than 100 offensive snaps last season, a number that should go up considering the options Arizona has. Patterson (382) and Hyatt (125) bring the most experience at the school, with the former making four starts and finishing fourth on the team with 26 catches while the latter had seven receptions.
Whatley and Wysong both had prolific careers at their previous schools. Whatley had 1,810 yards and 12 TDs in 27 games at FCS Chattanooga, while Wysong had a breakout 2024 season at New Mexico that included eight catches for 129 yards and a TD against Arizona last August.
Mizell is the highest-rated signee from Arizona’s 2025 recruiting class, a 4-star prospect from Florida who picked the Wildcats over Georgia Tech, Kansas State and Syracuse.
Newcomer most likely to make instant impact: Hutson
There are plenty of receivers on the roster who have a lot of college experience but none has been entirely at the power-conference level like Hutson. Injuries slowed him early in his career but when healthy he’s been productive, catching 54 passes for 683 yards and two TDs last season at WSU including career bests in receptions (nine) and yards (126) in a loss to playoff qualifier Boise State.
Coaching outlook
Bobby Wade returns for his second season coaching at his alma mater, and his development of Hunter over the course of 2024 combined with his recruiting acumen has Arizona primed for this position group to flourish. Spring ball was spent getting his players used to Seth Doege’s system and training camp will be when roles are defined for who will be the big-play targets and who will help move the chains.
Next up: Tight ends