The relationship between a quarterback and his offensive line is always one of the strongest on the field. But the bond between Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita and his offensive line is more than that – it’s family. And no one has gotten a better look at that relationship than offensive line coach Josh Oglesby, who has seen Noah continue to develop and foster that familial bond with his group since he arrived in Tucson with head coach Brent Brennan in 2024.
Ask any coach in the building and they’ll tell you Oglebsy has one of the strongest relationship with his room. It’s not uncommon to hear about 10-12 300-plus pound linemen crammed into his office watching UFC, or backyard barbecue cookouts at his house with all the trimmings. It’s fair to say Oglesby is like the proud father of the offensive line room. But if Coach Josh is the father, then that makes Fifita the other parent the offensive line gets to visit on the weekends.
“If I don’t have the guys over – we’re like divorced parents, right? Like, if I have them one weekend, he has them the next,” said Oglebsy during Arizona’s local media day.
“He does poker night and things like that with them. I remember we had the last big UFC pay-per-view – Connor [McGregor] and Max [Holloway] fight – it’s the whole O-line, and then there’s Noah.”
Noah’s hospitality isn’t for himself or because he has to, says Oglesby. Rather, it’s the latest example of how Fifita continues to choose the team over everything else, reinforcing why, as Brennan would say, he’s “the best story in college football.”
“I think it just speaks again to how much of a team guy he is. With all that he’s done in his career and all that surrounds him, he could easily just be a me guy,” said Oglesby. “But the guy is, he’s awesome. I truly enjoy being around Noah, and so do our guys. And it makes it that much easier for for us to work that much harder to do every everything we can to make sure that he has the year that he deserves, and that he stays as healthy as possible.”
They say that actions speak louder than words, and nothing is more telling the relationship Noah Fifita and the offensive line have than Tristan Bounds returning for a sixth season of college football. After suffering a season-ending injury late in the 2025 campaign, Bounds is back in Tucson with one goal in mind – protect Noah at all costs.
“We like to say, ‘if you don’t protect Noah, cancel Christmas,’ just because of how special he is and the impact that he has on our team.”
Bounds and the offensive line’s mentality doesn’t just happen – Big Josh continues fostering the sense of camaraderie, Noah takes care of the line like they’re his brothers, and the unit responds like Christmas Day depends on it.
“I think really what it comes down to is just that we’re in a building and in a program where there’s a strong culture of family, and that’s not something that we just talk about, but something that’s lived on a daily basis. From Coach O’s standpoint, he loves to have the guys over and takes extreme pride in making sure that we have a good time whenever we’re at his house. He cooks, has a bunch of stuff for us to do.
“Then with Noah, it’s the same thing. We love, and try to protect him, as well as we can on Saturdays, and I think that’s his way of reciprocating that love and showing that he loves us too – having us over, getting food. It’s also just a great time. A lot of the other guys on the team will come over as well. It’s just a great time for the team to get some time together out of the building to bond. Not so much just as football players, but just as who you are on a daily basis as an individual, and getting to know your teammates in that setting allows you to be closer and I think play better as a unit.”
As for which “parent’s house” Bounds and the offensive line like going to better – and who has the better spread – Bounds says that’s a tough call.
“Well, you’re kind of putting me on the spot, but Noah and Coach O’s spread is very different because Noah has an amazing fiancée, and she does a great job of having ice cream and cookies and all the stuff that all the fat guys love. But Coach O knows that we’re all fat, and so his food is a little more nutritious. Now there’s still some queso and some mac and cheese, things of that nature.”
“I would say Coach O cooks better because Noah doesn’t cook, Noah usually orders in. But Noah’s spread is more dessert-oriented. Like Faith always makes cookies. There’s pizookies all the time. Either way, you’re gonna eat good. I never show up to either of those people’s houses with any food in my stomach. I’m always thinking like, I’m going there as hungry as I can get, so I can eat as much as possible, because there’s always gonna be good food.”
Even Fifita’s younger brother, Dash, who lives with Noah and his fiancée Faith, says her cookies are top-notch and confirmed the offensive line are big fans.
“We have to O-Line over a lot, and O-Linemen are so polite, so they’re not going to tell you something. But every time they come over, their first request is, ‘Faith, can we get some cookies?’ We usually try to have a little diet, especially during fall camp and things. But when she makes cookies, you can’t say no, those things are fire. Get some cookies and some milk. There’s no saying no to that.”