What makes Arizona QB Noah Fifita tick? Loyalty, generosity

His last venture will mark the final testament to a throwback tenet -- the power of sticking around.

AS ARIZONA OFFENSIVE coordinator Seth Doege hopscotched the country for quarterback workouts this spring, he kept getting the same kind of inquiry.

"Coach, I got a guy for you," Doege recalled hearing over and over, chuckling at the memory.

Inevitably, a pitch comes that's based on a quarterback who is similar in stature to Fifita - inevitably a 5-foot-9 gunslinger. Doege has refined his retort.

"You have a guy, huh? Is he the first one in the weight room? Will he play through injury? Is he humble and almost the greatest human you've ever met? Has he waved off money and stayed in one spot?"

Fifita has proven the ultimate anomaly. He's both outperformed his physical stature and stayed put when the opportunity arose over and over to keep moving.

"The thing that I love about him is he's going to be the most decorated quarterback to ever come through the University of Arizona," Doege said, "but he works as if he's never thrown a touchdown in his life."

Fifita led Arizona to a 10-3 season in Jedd Fisch's final year as head coach in 2023 by going 7-2 as a starter, but he decided not to follow him to Seattle. No one would have been surprised if Fifita left after Brennan's first season ended at 4-8, as Fifita's play dipped to the point where he led the Big 12 in interceptions.

Instead, he trusted Brennan to right the ship and connected instantly with Doege upon meeting him after his hire. His father, Les Fifita, stressed Doege as a key reason why his son never wavered on staying at Arizona.

Noah Fifita and Doege authored an All-Big 12-caliber season for Fifita in 2025 -- throwing for career highs with 3,228 yards, 29 touchdowns and 275 completions. Along the way, Arizona jumped from four wins to nine. And Fifita's narrative transformed to an old school ideal for fighting through adversity.

"The belief [Doege] has in himself, it is contagious," Fifita said. "It makes you believe in yourself, it makes you believe in the offense, and the scheme, and you just want to play for him."

Doege's offense comes with freedom at the line of scrimmage. The coach and quarterback figured out quickly they saw the game the same way -- play on time, be aggressive, take one-on-one matchups and adjust accordingly before the snap. Doege recognized Fifita's high-end processing ability and kept loading him up with responsibilities.

"I think what I take pride in is my preparation and I like to be the smartest player in the room at all times," Fifita said. "I like to know the offenses as well as the offensive coordinator. So he's allowed me to do that."

Doege recalls a play in Arizona's early-season win over Kansas State where Fifita checked to a new call at the line of scrimmage against bracket coverage that they'd never discussed. As Fifita switched the call after the head set communication clicked off, Doege recalled muttering to himself: "I didn't even think about us getting to that specific concept all week. Man, this dude, this dude is different."

Fifita's check resulted in a receiver breaking open free, as he didn't have a defender within 5 yards of him. The only place Doege and Fifita's recollection of the play diverges is the throw. Where Doege says that Arizona's receiver dropped the ball and squandered a 50-yard gain, Fifita insists he threw a bad ball behind his target. That disconnect in recollection fits with Fifita's ethos.

"I've never seen him palms up a receiver," Doege said. "Not one time. I've never seen him throw an offensive lineman under the bus for a sack."

Fifita aims this season to topple all the career bests he had in 2025 and race past Arizona's 10-win total from his first year as a starter. Fifita points out that all three of Arizona's coordinators -- Doege, disruptive defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales and special teams coach Craig Naivar -- return next season. Fifita is locked in on his part, as he's expecting the benefits from learning another year in the offense.

"Just mastering the offense," he said. "Just putting my offense in the best position to go win it all. That's the main goal -- everything I do is to make that possible."

WHEN ARIZONA ATHLETIC director Desiree Reed-Francois walked into the football building on one of her first days on the job, she didn't have a key card to enter.

A player opened the door and introduced himself: "Hi, I'm Noah."

Reed-Francois soon realized it was Arizona's star quarterback, and he welcomed her with a simple message: "This is a special place, and I look forward to getting to know you."

Reed-Francois asked him about the clip she'd seen online of Fifita and teammate Tetairoa McMillan announcing their return to school. She asked, "What made you decide to stay?"

He answered: "I love the University of Arizona. I genuinely love Arizona. I love my teammates and how special this community is. I guess it was love."

Time and again, Fifita has exhibited that love. By sticking around and constantly investing in the program and community, that love has been reciprocated.

Arizona football's director of player development, Tobruk Blaine, witnessed that connection soon after she arrived with Brennan's staff in 2024. Fifita and some teammates had done prior work at the local shelter, the Gospel Rescue Mission.

When an NIL partnership emerged, Fifita told Blaine he didn't want the money, he said he'd rather marshal the resources to impact the community.

So Fifita asked if Blaine could help get a bus full of shelter residents to an Arizona game. Fifita made sure they got food vouchers, spent time with them on the field before the game and showed his interest in the community wasn't casual.

"There are people who've never been to a game, are in recovery or trying to secure jobs," Blaine said. "That was the first time that I saw Noah's true colors on how he wanted to make an impact."

Soon after, Fifita started the First Down Faith Foundation to marry his faith and love of football. Blaine helped with the application 501(c)(3) paperwork, and the organization has attempted to execute an initiative every month.

Fifita's girlfriend, Faith Webb, and one of Blaine's former staffers, Melina Davis, help with the day-to-day management of the events. Fifita's younger brother, Wildcat freshman linebacker Dash Fifita, will also play a big role in the camp.

Last year, Fifita told ESPN that 40 junior-high aged kids came to the camp, which runs the athletes through traditional football drills and also includes times for religious testimonials and devotionals. About a dozen of his teammates and much of the coaching staff pitched in to help and spoke about their own experiences.

"What really stood out to me was this sense of vulnerability that he and his teammates were willing to put on display to the youth," Blaine said. "Think of the demographic of middle school boys, and from an educator lens, you really love to see that vulnerability piece shine through that was folded in with his teammates."

On Friday, they'll be 100 kids, with the addition of young girls to the camp and the participation of the Arizona women's club flag football team to work with the athletes. It'll be set in Arizona's stadium, Casino del Sol Stadium, and the Wildcats' practice facility will be used for the indoor portions.

"I believe that if I affect one kid out of a hundred kids, there's one kid that I influenced him to pick up a Bible or to start praying," Fifita said. "That's a success to me because it becomes a domino effect."

And the dominos will continue after Fifita leaves Tucson, as Blaine is determined to keep running and growing the camp long after both Noah and Dash leave the program.

OPEN THE REFRIGERATOR in Noah Fifita's off-campus house, and all of the Dasani water bottles are lined up perfectly, logos facing out.

The couch pillows are always in the same order: a white pillow in the center, two dark pillows adjacent, two striped pillows on the outside. Things are orderly enough that roommates, friends and visitors all know everything needs to be aligned. (Fifita's house is a known crash pad for teammates in need of a spot for a few days.)

"I can't have a Sprite and Dr. Pepper lined up together," Fifita said with a laugh. "It would mess up my mind. Everything has to be in order."

As he enters his last season at Arizona, everything appears aligned in Tucson as well. His brother, Dash, has enrolled early and moved in with him.

They play golf three times a week, and Dash joins Noah and his girlfriend and others at their standing Sunday dinner date at Mr. An's, where Noah orders the Nobleman's cut of New York strip with double fried rice and noodles.

They are also teammates for the first time in their lives, with Noah lobbying the coaches to take off his no-contact jersey to try and lower his shoulder on his little brother. Fifita knows the time with his brother is limited and precious, so he's working to savor it.

"This is probably the best time of our lives," Noah said. "It'll never be the same. So I'm really trying to enjoy it."

Arizona projects as a top-half of the Big 12 team this season, with the optimism rooted in Fifita's return, some talented skill production returning on offense and quality returners on the defensive line.

The final chapter of his legacy will be rooted in what happens on the field this fall. Arizona will be favored in its three non-league games, and if it can survive a Week 2 trip to BYU to open Big 12 play, there's a pathway to conference title contention and beyond.

Regardless of results, Fifita has already assured himself of a place in Arizona lore. He's determined to make sure the wins keep coming, so he's remembered for much more than just his longevity.

"I don't know anyone else who has done what he's done when he had every reason to choose differently," Blaine said. "His example of embracing hard because it is only going to make you better is a perfect one, and I think his legacy and his story, that will be the root of it."

And legacies like that are reasons why Noah Fifita turned down more money at numerous points to stick around, and why his name will reverberate there forever.

"Money is just money at the end of the day," said Les Fifita, Noah's father. "He's a home-owner and a millionaire already in college. He can do whatever he wants when his playing days are over. The money will be made on the back end, as he'll always have a home in Tucson."