Analyzing Arizona Football's quarterback room ahead of the 2024 season

Brent Brennan's biggest accomplishment since taking over as the head coach of Arizona Football has been his roster retention. The Alamo Bowl-winning squad is, for the most part, running it back for at least one more year.

This is largely thanks to Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita exploding onto the scene and turning himself into a household name overnight. 2021's days of the quarterback carousel and 2022's head-scratching plays from Jayden de Laura feel like a distant and painful memory.

His connection on the field with Tetairoa McMillan dates back to high school, and both of them are among the top tier at both of their positions entering the 2024 season of college football.

2023 Roster:

• Noah Fifita - Returned to Arizona
• Jayden de Laura - Entered transfer portal, undrafted in 2024 NFL draft
• Brayden Dorman - Entered transfer portal, withdrew to return to Arizona
• Cole Tannenbaum - Returned to Arizona

2024 Projected roster:

• Noah Fifita - Returned to Arizona
• Brayden Dorman - Entered transfer portal, withdrew to return to Arizona
• Cole Tannenbaum - Returned to Arizona
• Anthony Garcia - Transferred in from San Jose State

Behind Fifita sits an interesting crop of quarterbacks including a walk-on, a former four-star recruit, and an incoming transfer. A deep quarterback room is the key to future success, and this room has all the hallmarks of great depth.

Noah Fifita (RS Sophomore) | 5'10" 194 lbs.

Fifita's rise in the 2023 season was meteoric. After de Laura went down with an ankle injury in the third quarter against Stanford, Fifita led the Wildcats to the win. His first two starts were against AP Top 25 teams at the time in USC and Washington, and Arizona played valiantly despite losing by just 9 combined points.

He led the Wildcats to a clean slate for the entire rest of the season after the heartbreaking USC loss, including a school-record 527 yards against ASU. He threw for five touchdowns twice on the season and never completed less than 60% of his passes in a game.

He has a far-from-prototypical stature, standing at a stocky 5-foot-10 and 194 pounds, but he uses it well. He finds his receivers in all areas of the field and uses his running back-esque build effectively when rolling out from the pocket or dialing his own number. Fifita will be making a big push for the Heisman Trophy in 2024, and his connection with McMillan is how to get it done.

Brayden Dorman (RS Freshman) | 6'5" 225 lbs.

The former four-star recruit out of Colorado Springs, Colorado, dipped his toe into the transfer portal in the offseason but opted to withdraw his name and return for another year at Arizona one slot higher on the depth chart.

Dorman is the most prototypical passer on the roster right now, standing at a towering 6-foot-5 and the weight to match. His resume is impressive, too: he threw for over 10,000 yards and 116 touchdowns in his four years as a starter.

Depending on when Fifita — and McMillan, for that matter — declare for the NFL draft, Dorman could only have to wait another year before he gets the nod. With AJ Jones having prepared for years to take over for McMillan, he won't be without a big-bodied freak athlete as a top wide receiver target when his time finally does come.

Cole Tannenbaum (RS Sophomore) | 6'4" 210 lbs.

Tannenbaum has carved out a niche on Arizona's roster despite having to walk on to earn his spot. He was a part of the stacked 2022 recruiting class that included Fifita, McMillan, cornerback Tacario Davis, linebacker Jacob Manu, and offensive lineman Jonah Savaiinaea.

Standing at 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, he's tall and leans more toward the prototypical quarterback size. He can hold it down well with the third-stringers and scout team while pushing Dorman to keep the competitive fire fueled.

Anthony Garcia (RS Sophomore) | 6'1" 192 lbs.

Garcia is an incoming transfer quarterback from Brennan's last stop at San Jose State. He'll retain the chance to work alongside new passing game coordinator Matt Adkins, who is also the tight ends coach, and new offensive coordinator and QBs coach Dino Babers, who is a seasoned Division I coaching veteran.

Garcia rushed for over 500 yards in his senior year and was also a sprinter in high school, and he profiles as the most athletic quarterback on the roster. He has intriguing upside with his dual-threat capabilities, and he may have a future here if Dorman gets tired of waiting his turn.

Don’t forget to follow us at @ZonaZealots on Twitter and like our fan page on Facebook for continued coverage of Arizona news, opinions, and recruiting updates!