There is no shortage of uncertainties surrounding Arizona as it goes through training camp and maybe one given: that Noah Fifita will be the starting quarterback.
But that’s only a certainty from the outset. Another uneven season like in 2024, or even worse an injury, and the Wildcats could be in big trouble.
No one is expecting either of those scenarios to play out, but at the same time the UA has to be prepared. Just like depth is necessary on the offensive and defensive lines, in the secondary and all the skill positions, having a capable backup quarterback is a must.
“I’ll never go into a season feeling like my backup is just okay, like he may not be ready,” offensive coordinator Seth Doege said earlier this week.
Fifita played 782 of 803 offensive snaps last season, starting every game and only not finishing a few that were blowouts. That’s similar to 2022 when Jayden de Laura played all but 26 offensive snaps with Fifita coming in for mop-up duty on three occasions.
In between those seasons, though, Arizona did have to turn to its backup and it paid off. In the second half of the Pac-12 opener at Stanford, de Laura suffered an ankle injury and was replaced by a then-unproven Fifita, who calmly led the Wildcats on a game-winning touchdown drive. A week later Fifita made his first career start, against eventual national finalist, and went toe to toe with Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. a week before doing the same against future No. 1 pick Caleb Williams in a triple-overtime loss.
Fifita would go on to start the rest of the year, winning seven in a row including over Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl to cap an historic 10-3 season.
And that was by a passer, who until getting thrown into the fire, had yet to prove himself in real competition. The same can’t be said about Arizona’s QB-in-waiting this time around.
Among the many transfer portal pickups this offseason was Braedyn Locke, who spent the previous two seasons at Wisconsin where he appeared in 16 games with 12 starts and threw for more than 2,700 yards with 18 TDs. In both 2023 and 2024 Locke began as the backup before stepping in for injured starters.
“This guy’s played Bama, he’s played Oregon, he’s played Penn State, he’s played at some big time moments and done well at times,” Doege said of Locke, a redshirt junior from Texas.
Despite starting the final nine games last season for the Badgers, Locke opted to transfer. But instead of go to a school where he could begin the year as a starter, or at least compete for the job, he chose a place with an established passer.
“It was just about timing,” he said. “Arizona came in at the right time for me. Coach Doege and I had just an established relationship, going back to when I was in high school, when he was at USC, that had a lot to do with it. I believe this team can be special and do special things. And I wanted to be a part of it.”
Locke, who began his career at Mississippi State but did not play in 2022, sees a lot of similarities between Doege and Mike Leach, for whom Doege played QB at Texas Tech.
“They keep it very simple,” Locke said. “They’re obsessed with winning. Leach was never obsessed with how many passing yards you would throw for, which from the stats, it might not be believable, but he was never obsessed with his stats or anything like that. He just wanted to win. Doege is very similar to that. I kind of laugh sometimes because I’ll tell Doege he’s having a Leach moment when he starts ripping our guys or whatever.”
Having been a backup, Fifita understands the role as well as the process that comes with needing to be ready. And he’s not afraid to learn a thing or two from his understudy.
“He’s been awesome in every aspect,” Fifita said. “One of the smartest guys I’ve been around. It’s been great to have somebody that you trust on the sideline. It goes well when you have two professionals.”
The combined experience and maturity of Fifita and Locke enabled Doege to go heavy on install during spring ball and early in training camp. From here on out it’s about adding new wrinkles and seeing how the two passers, as well as true freshman Sawyer Anderson, handle the changes.
In a perfect world, Fifita will become the first Arizona quarterback to start every game in consecutive seasons since Willie Tuitama in 2007-08. That would mean Locke would have to wait until 2026 at the earliest to get his first shot at the job while also remaining in position to step in at a moment’s notice like he’s already done twice before.
“The most important part of his role is being a great teammate, and he’s a great teammate,” Doege said. “You can’t find a really good quarterback that doesn’t have an ego, some sort of confident ego. Usually that confident ego makes them who they are. So Locke has an ego. There’s no doubt Locke believes in himself, and Locke knows he can play his position, but to play the role that he’s playing in, to be the two and to be ready at any given moment, you have to be a great teammate.
“If anything were to happen and he had to go in the game, I’d be very confident that we could still score points.”