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2023 Arizona Wildcats football team

The 2023 Arizona Wildcats football team represented the University of Arizona as a member of the Pac-12 Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Wildcats were led by third-year head coach Jedd Fisch and played home games at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Arizona. 2023 was Arizona's 124th season of competition and the program's 45th and final year in the Pac-12 Conference before it joined the Big 12 Conference in 2024.

The Wildcats ended the season on a seven-game winning streak and finished 10–3, achieving the fourth 10-win regular season in program history. The Wildcats netted a berth in the 2023 Alamo Bowl, the school's first bowl appearance since 2017, where they faced the Oklahoma Sooners. Arizona won 38–24, marking their first bowl victory since 2015. Arizona finished ranked 11th in the final AP Poll, their highest finish in the poll since the 1998 season.

The Arizona Wildcats football team drew an average home attendance of 47,320 in 2023.

Offseason

Team departures

Over the course of the off-season, Arizona lost 40 total players. 5 players graduated, 3 declared for the 2023 NFL draft, while the other 33 entered the transfer portal.

Incoming transfers

Over the off-season, Arizona added thirteen players via transfer portal. According to 247 Sports, Arizona had the No. 51 ranked transfer class in the country.

Returning starters

* Bowl game not played. ^ Waiting decision for 2023 season. † Indicates player was a starter in 2021 but missed all of 2022 due to injury.

Recruiting class

Arizona signed 26 players in the class of 2023. The Wildcats' was ranked forty-fourth by 247Sports and ranked forty-fifth by Rivals.com rankings. One signees were ranked in the ESPN 300 top prospect list. Arizona also signed walk-ons during national signing period.

<small>*= 247Sports Composite rating; ratings are out of 1.00. (five stars= 1.00–.98, four stars= .97–.90, three stars= .80–.89, two stars= .79–.70, no stars= <70)</small><br> <small>†= Despite being rated as a four and five star recruit by ESPN, On3.com, Rivals.com and 247Sports.com, Dorman received a four star 247Sports Composite rating.</small><br> <small>Δ= Left the Arizona program following signing but prior to the 2023 season.</small>

2023 overall class rankings

Walk-ons

Preseason

Spring game

The Wildcats were scheduled to hold spring practices on March 13–14, 2023, with spring game is tentatively scheduled to take place in Tucson, Arizona on April 15, 2023, with Blue Team Holds off Red Team 23–19 in Spring Game.

Award watch lists

<small>Listed in the order that they were released</small>

Pac-12 Media Day

The Pac-12 Media Day was held on July 21, 2023, at the TBD in Las Vegas, NV (Pac-12 Network). The preseason polls will be released in July 2023. Arizona was picked to finish in eighth place in the conference.

Preseason All-Pac-12

Source:<br> Second team

Schedule

Personnel

Roster

Game summaries

vs Northern Arizona

at Mississippi State

vs UTEP

at Stanford

vs No. 7 Washington

at No. 9 USC

at No. 19 Washington State

vs No. 11 Oregon State

vs No. 19 UCLA

at Colorado

vs No. 22 Utah

at Arizona State

This was the Wildcats' first win over the Sun Devils in Tempe since 2011. As well as their first time beating the Sun Devils in consecutive seasons since the 2008 and 2009 seasons.

vs Oklahoma (Alamo Bowl)

Wide receiver Jacob Cowing was named Offensive MVP.

Safety Gunner Maldonado was named Defensive MVP.

Awards and honors

Sources:

All-Pac 12

Rankings

References