Noah Fifita, QB, Arizona
Size:
Height: 5’10” | Weight: 188 lbs
Accomplishments:
FWAA Offensive Freshman of the Year (2023) • Pac-12 Freshman Offensive Player of the Year (2023) • Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Finalist (2023)
“Noah Fifita maximizes the Arizona offense with his quick trigger, ability to avoid pressure in the pocket, and determination to get the ball to his playmakers.”
Strengths:
Escapability
Attacking outside the numbers
Calm in the pocket
Empty operation
Concerns:
Size
Middle-of-the-field sight
Drifts in the pocket
Film Analysis:
Noah Fifita came out of nowhere to lead the Arizona passing offense to one of its most successful seasons in school history. He posted a program-best 72.4% completion percentage on his way to winning multiple Freshman of the Year awards while guiding the Wildcats to a seven-game winning streak to finish 2023, tying for the longest single-season winning streak in Arizona history. He joined former high school teammate Tetairoa McMillan at Arizona and they’ve taken this offense to new heights. His 2,869 passing yards are also the eighth-best passing yards in a single season in Arizona history, and he accomplished that as a redshirt freshman. He’s set himself up to have a true breakout season as a sophomore.
As a freshman, Fifita has command of the Arizona offense at the line of scrimmage with the freedom and confidence to make calls and checks as he sees fit. He’s in his element out of empty, where he identifies the safety help pre-snap, chooses a side of the field, and delivers the ball on time with pace to his playmakers. The Wildcat offense stresses defenses horizontally and vertically, utilizing Fifita’s arm talent to drive the ball quickly for yards after the catch or deep down the field. While taking the majority of his snaps out of shotgun, he’s comfortable under center. His mobility wasn’t used as an extension of the offense in the run game; instead, he used it to escape pressure and make defenses pay with throws on the move. He shows confidence in the pocket with the quickness to make defenders miss and stand in, throw to his receivers, and take hits. Fifita takes chances down the field in one-on-one situations and is more than willing to attack outside the numbers. His mobility could be an extension of the run game in his second year and he should be looking to scramble more to gash defenses with his legs.
Fifita is listed at 5-foot-10 and 188 pounds, which is lighter than he was listed in 2023 and he looks shorter on tape. His frame is a major concern and would need Fifita to be a major outlier at the position for sustained success. While he has a good arm, he puts a ton of effort into throws, oftentimes his whole body, which leads to inaccurate throws to all levels of the field. With all that power, he struggles to put air on the football and will sail deep passes and see underneath throws fall short. Arizona’s offense is yards-after-the-catch forward and asks the quarterback to get the ball out quickly, but progression reads are tough for him. He will lock onto outside receivers and completely skip over the middle of the field when attempting to read out routes. While he can avoid pressure, he welcomes it by naturally drifting in the pocket and creating easier rushing lanes for defenders.
There’s excitement to the way Fifita plays the game, which should be enjoyed, but he was just a redshirt freshman last season and has a lot of work to do to improve and take his talents to the next level. If he takes a step in 2024, he’ll find himself near the top of a quarterback class with many question marks.
Prospect Projection: Day 3 — Scheme Specific Contributor
Written By: Daniel Harms
