It only took nine practices, but the Wildcats finally held practice in Arizona Stadium on Saturday night. Like prior sessions from the 2025 Arizona Fall Camp, practice followed it’s normal flow with a stretch period, a brief 11-on-11 period, some special teams and position group, concluding with more 7-on-7 and 11-in-11 time.
While the defense continues to show flashes and cause disruptions for the offense, Noah Fifita’s budding chemistry with the wide receiver room, particularly Kris Hutson, stole the show. A scout from the Las Vegas Raiders was also in attendance as the Wildcats got exposure to the bright lights of the stadium.
Check out our full recap of notes and takeaways from Day 9 of 2025 fall camp at Arizona Stadium below:
Offense:
- Throughout the early and late 11-on-11 periods, Noah Fifita’s legs and ability to escape the pocket and evade pressure were on full display. He was noticeably comfortable in the pocket, stepping up under duress, but also tucking the football and taking off opportunistically.
- Michael Wooten took snaps at left tackle, while Ise “Shancco” Matautia took reps at left guard. Veteran offensive lineman Rhino Tapa’atoutai was seen throughout practice working on reps behind the offensive line, as well as strength and conditioning drills as he continues to rehab an ACL injury suffered last fall.
- Wide receiver Kris Hutson and quarterback Noah Fifita had a tremendous night. Hutson had two deep contested receptions over Texas transfer cornerback Jay’Vion Cole down the sideline.
- Javin “Nunu” Whatley once again showed his speed, weaving his way and finding a hole in the secondary for a 42-yard touchdown reception.
- Quincy Craig continues to establish himself as Arizona’s top pass-catching back, turning a check-down from Noah Fifita into a 25-yard gain.
- Ismail Mahdi turned the corner and scampered down the sideline for a 20-yard touchdown during one of the later team periods with the second unit.
- With the pocket collapsing for Noah Fifita, Tre Spivey made one of the best catches of the night, snagging a contested grab over West Virginia transfer Ayden Garnes, before turning up field for a touchdown.
Defense:
- Redshirt junior defensive back Devin Dunn had a pick-6 on quarterback Braedyn Locke in the early team periods.
- Julian Savaiinaea had back-to-back disruptions in the backfield, including a TFL on freshman running back Wesley Yarbrough.
- Texas State transfer linebacker Max Harris recovered a fumble by running back Ismail Mahdi.
- Freshman defensive back Coleman Patmon is seeing more and more time on the field. He made the most of an opportunity on Saturday with an athletic pass breakup in the end zone.
- Defensive lineman Malachi Bailey and linebacker Jabari Mann concluded practice with back-to-back sacks on quarterback Braeydn Locke.
- Newcomers Michael Dansby (San Jose State) and Ayden Garnes (West Virginia) took a majority of the first-team reps at cornerback on Saturday.
Special Teams:
- Michael Salgado-Medina was the more accurate placekicker on Saturday, but freshman Tyler Prasuhn’s kicks looked nicer overall, with a little more arc and spin during field goal drills.
- A committee of players took turns fielding kickoff and punt returns in Arizona Stadium, including Ismail Mahdi, Quincy Craig, Luke Wysong, Javin “Nunu” Whatley, Jeremiah Patterson, and Gio Richardson
- Sierra Vista, AZ native Ian Wagner served as the kickoff specialist during kickoff coverage/return drills.