Legendary Arizona quarterback Ortege Jenkins discussed the skill set of current Wildcat signal caller Noah Fifita and his future prospects of playing in the NFL with RG Media in a post published on Friday. Jenkins is currently a body, strength and conditioning coach in Long Beach, California.
One of Jenkins' high-profile clients is four-star 2026 Florida State QB commit Jaden O'Neal. Arizona heavily recruited O'Neal before the Mustang, Oklahoma star flipped from the Sooners to Florida State. Jenkins completed 50.3 percent of his pass attempts for 5.409 yards and 42 touchdowns at Arizona from 1997-2000.
Jenkins is tied for 10th in Arizona history with Keith Smith in TD passes and he is sixth in all-time with 55 TDs responsible for. The numbers put up by Jenkins in his Arizona career would have been far greater, but he and Smith shared snaps at QB for Arizona from 1997 through 1999.
Jenkins had one of the most memorable plays in Arizona history when he leaped over a Washington defender, was flipped and landed on his feet in the end zone for the game-winning TD with four seconds remaining. The play is known as the Leap by the Lake (Washington).
In honor of Leap Day, we're throwing it back to one of the most iconic plays in program history. The "Leap by the Lake" from '98 🤯 pic.twitter.com/ul0ivaakTW
— Arizona Football (@ArizonaFBall) February 29, 2024
"He’s a dual threat but...Noah is a passer who can run...Just because he’s small, it doesn’t automatically make him a dual threat. But he can hurt you with his legs....He’s an efficient passer and one of the best in the conference.Former Arizona QB Ortege Jenkins
When given the opportunity, he can relish....I haven’t seen anything where he’s climbing on NFL boards...When someone takes a chance on him, they’ll get a jewel... He can make all the throws, hit football IQ is high, but the league is a different beast.”
I think Noah comes back another year...If he maximizes his redshirt opportunity...He’s one of one and can go as far as he wants to go."
Under new Arizona offensive coordinator Seth Doege, Fifita has become more of a dual-threat QB. Fifita entered the 2024 season with 16 career rushing yards. Fifita has 58 carries for 78 yards rushing in 2025. That includes yards lost on sacks. Fifita had 15 carries for a career high 48 yards and two TDs versus Kansas State in September.
Fifita has completed 65.4 percent of his pass attempts for 7,784 yards, 61 TDs and 22 interceptions in his Arizona career. Through seven 2025 games, Fifita is now third in Arizona history with 665 completions, fourth with 1,017 attempts and third in attempts and TDs.
Fifita is third in the Big XII in 2025, averaging 261.3 passing yards per game, fourth completing 66.0 percent of his pass attempts, eighth posting 7.8 yards per attempt and fifth with a 151.81 passer rating and 17 TD passes.
The NFL Mock Draft Database projects Fifita as the 740th prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft. The 2026 NFL Draft will have 257 selections. With the current projection for Fifita, it would be difficult to see him getting an undrafted invite for minicamps in the spring.
Another year in college would provide Fifita to continue to improve and show development to NFL scouts. Carolina Panthers' QB Bryce Young and Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals have shown that undersized QBs can succeed in the NFL. Murray and Young were the first overall picks in their respective drafts.