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Noah Fifita
Fifita in 2022
Arizona Wildcats – No. 11
Position Quarterback
Class
Redshirt
Redshirt
Sophomore
Personal information
Born: (2003-07-28) July 28, 2003 (age 20)
Huntington Beach, California, U.S.
Height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight194 lb (88 kg)
Career history
College
Bowl games
High school Servite (Anaheim, California)
Career highlights and awards

Noah Malakai Fifita (born July 28, 2003) is an American football quarterback for the Arizona Wildcats.

High school career

Fifita attended Servite High School in Anaheim, California. [1] [2] [3] During his senior season, MaxPreps ranked Fifita the 8th-best high school football quarterback nationally for the 2021 season. [1] On April 4, 2021, Fifita committed to play college football at the University of Arizona, over offers from California, Colorado State, Fresno State, Hawaii, Idaho State, New Mexico, and Utah State. [2] [3] In his high school career, Fifita finished with 7,273 passing yards and 83 touchdowns, while also setting school records for career passing touchdowns, yards, and completions. [4]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Noah Fifita
QB 		Anaheim, California Servite High School 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Apr 4, 2021 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A    Rivals: 3/5 stars    247Sports: 3/5 stars     ESPN: 3/5 stars   ESPN grade: 76
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "ESPN commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  • "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 3, 2023.

College career

2022

See also: 2022 Arizona Wildcats football team

Fifita played sparingly in his first season at Arizona, serving as the backup to Jayden de Laura. Fifita made his collegiate debut on September 10, near the end of the fourth quarter of a 39–17 home loss to Mississippi State. [5] He went completed 4 of 8 passes for 56 yards. [5] Fifita threw his first career touchdown pass to high-school teammate Tetairoa McMillan in the fourth quarter of a 45–20 road loss to #14 Utah. [6]

2023

See also: 2023 Arizona Wildcats football team

Fifita began the 2023 season serving as backup to Jayden de Laura. After receiving limited snaps late in Arizona's wins over Northern Arizona and UTEP, Fifita took over for de Laura after he suffered an ankle injury late in the third quarter of the team's Week 4 game at Stanford. [7] Fifita led the team on a 9-play, 67-yard go-ahead touchdown drive in the fourth quarter and the Wildcats held on to win 21–20. [7]

With de Laura still injured, Fifita made his first career start the following week in a home match-up against #7 Washington. [8] [9] In doing so, Fifita became the first Arizona quarterback since Richard Kovalcheck in 2004 to make their first career start against a top-10 opponent. [8] [9] Fifita completed 27 of 39 passes for 232 yards, three touchdowns and an interception, but the Wildcats fell just short, losing to Washington 31–24. [8] [9] Fifita started once again the next week in a road match against #9 USC. [10] [11] Despite Fifita throwing for over 300 passing yards and a career-high five touchdown passes, the Wildcats narrowly lost to the Trojans 43–41 in triple overtime. [10] [11] For his efforts, Fifita was awarded the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week award. [11] Continuing as the starter, Fifita earned a second-consecutive Pac-12 Freshman of the Week award the next week after leading the Wildcats to scores on 8 of 11 possessions in a 44–6 rout of #19 Washington State in Pullman, WA. [12] [13]

Following a bye week, Fifita started the next game against #11 Oregon State despite the recovery of de Laura. [14] [15] Fifita threw for 275 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, and led the Wildcats to a 27–24 upset over the Beavers. [15] Fifita was again awarded the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week award, his third such recognition in the month of October. [15] A week later Fifita threw for 300 yards, three touchdowns and an interception, and led the Wildcats to their third consecutive upset victory - this time a 27–10 win over #19 UCLA. [16] [17] [18] The win marked the first time in program history that the Wildcats had won three consecutive games against AP Top 25 ranked opponents, and also made the Wildcats bowl eligible for the first time since 2017. [17] [18] The next day, the Wildcats also entered the AP Poll at #23 for the first time in over six years. [17] [18]

After defeating Colorado on the road for their fourth straight win, Fifita and the Wildcats routed #22 Utah 42–18, with Fifita throwing for 253 yards, two touchdowns, and a QBR rating of 97.6. [19] Following their fourth win over a ranked opponent, Arizona moved up to #15 in the CFP poll, their highest ranking since 2014. [20] Against Arizona State, Fifita completed 30 of 41 passes for 527 yards, five touchdowns, and an interception as the Wildcats won 59–23, improving their win streak to six games. Fifta's 527 yards broke Anu Solomon’s single-game school record of 520 yards against California in 2014. [21] On December 5, Fifita was named Pac-12 Freshman Offensive Player of the Year, becoming the second player in school history to earn the award, joining J. J. Taylor. [22]

Against #12 Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl, Fifita threw for 354 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception in 38–24 victory, capping off the season with a seven-game winning streak and securing the Wildcats' fourth ten-win season in program history. [23] Fifita finished the season tied for fourth in the country in completion percentage (72.4) among qualified quarterbacks. [24] He also posted the fifth-most passing yards (2,869), second-most touchdown passes (25), second-fewest interceptions (6), third-most completions (241), fourth-most yards per game (239.1), and highest rating (165.9) among qualified freshman quarterbacks in FBS. [25]

2024

See also: 2024 Arizona Wildcats football team

Despite the departure of head coach Jedd Fisch, Fifita announced that he would return to Arizona for the 2024 season. [26]

College statistics

Season Games Passing Rushing
GP GS Record Cmp Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Rtg Att Yds Avg TD
Arizona Wildcats
2022 3 0 — 9 19 47.4 128 6.7 1 0 121.3 0 0 0 0
2023 12 9 7–2 241 333 72.4 2,869 8.6 25 6 165.9 38 −33 −0.9 0
Career 15 9 7−2 250 352 71.0 2,997 8.5 26 6 163.5 38 −33 −0.9 0

References

  1. ^ a b Spears, Justin (July 10, 2021). "Arizona Wildcats commit Noah Fifita named top-10 QB by MaxPreps for 2021". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Combs, Brandon (April 4, 2021). "3-star California quarterback Noah Fifita commits to Arizona". Arizona Desert Swarm ( SB Nation). Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Spears, Justin (April 4, 2021). "3-star Anaheim QB Noah Fifita commits to Arizona Wildcats". Arizona Daily Star.
  4. ^ Prakash Rajikiran, Satya (October 9, 2023). "Who Is Noah Fifita? Here's All You Need to Know About the Arizona Wildcats Football Quarterback". Sportsmanor. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Lev, Michael (September 11, 2022). "Mistake-prone Arizona falls to Mississippi State; Wildcats drop third straight home opener". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  6. ^ Coles, Joe (November 5, 2022). "Highlights, key plays and photos from No. 14 Utah's 45-20 win over Arizona". Deseret News. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  7. ^ a b Gugliociello, Stephen (September 23, 2023). "What a relief! Subs rescue Arizona against Stanford on the road". Arizona Sports. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  8. ^ a b c Pederson, Brian J. (September 30, 2023). "Arizona football hangs with No. 7 Washington but can't pull upset before Family Weekend sellout". Arizona Desert Swarm ( SB Nation). Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  9. ^ a b c Spears, Justin (October 5, 2023). "Arizona Wildcats 'more hopeful' for QB Jayden de Laura to start at No. 9 USC". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  10. ^ a b Duhon, Mason (October 8, 2023). "Arizona football vs. USC recap: Wildcats fall short in triple-overtime thriller". Arizona Daily Wildcat. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  11. ^ a b c Spears, Justin (October 9, 2023). "Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  12. ^ Clark, Colton (October 14, 2023). "Difference makers: Arizona freshman QB Noah Fifita plays like a veteran in rout of Washington State". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  13. ^ Pederson, Brian J. (October 30, 2023). "Arizona QB Noah Fifita wins Pac-12 Freshman of the Week for third time". Arizona Desert Swarm ( SB Nation). Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  14. ^ Thamel, Pete (October 28, 2023). "Sources: Arizona likely starts QB Noah Fifita vs. Oregon St". ESPN. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  15. ^ a b c Spears, Justin (October 30, 2023). "Mr. October: Arizona QB Noah Fifita named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week for a third time". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  16. ^ Knoblauch, Austin (November 4, 2023). "UCLA's offense struggles and Ethan Garbers is injured in loss to Arizona". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  17. ^ a b c Spears, Justin (November 5, 2023). "Arizona Aftermath: Stats, storylines and quotes from the Wildcats' win over No. 19 UCLA". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  18. ^ a b c Veenstra, David (November 5, 2023). "Arizona Wildcats ranked 23rd in the Week 10 AP poll". Arizona Sports. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  19. ^ "No. 17 Arizona routs No. 22 Utah to keep Pac-12 title hopes alive". Fox Sports. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  20. ^ Messman, Chas. "Arizona ranked #15 in latest College Football Playoff rankings". kyma.com. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  21. ^ Marshall, John. "Fifita throws for 527 yards, No. 16 Arizona blows out rival Arizona State 59-23". AP. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  22. ^ "Noah Fifita Named Pac-12 Freshman Offensive Player of the Year, 13 Wildcats Earn All-Conference". pac-12.com. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  23. ^ Spears, Justin. "'We came a long way': Arizona's six takeaways lift Wildcats over Oklahoma in Alamo Bowl". Tucson.com. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  24. ^ "Noah Fifita Earns FWAA Offensive Freshman of the Year". pac-12.com. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  25. ^ "Noah Fifita - 2024 Football Roster". arizonawildcats.com. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  26. ^ Scheer, Jason. "Noah Fifita and Tetairoa McMillan announce return to Arizona next season". 247sports.com. Retrieved January 20, 2024.

External links

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