The weather in Tucson has gotten warmer, and the days are getting longer, meaning one thing: football season has returned to the delight of Arizona fans everywhere.

Spring football practice began a little over a week ago, and the Wildcats are looking to build off of an impressive season that saw them go 9-4, finish as the 21st-ranked team in the NCAA, and earn an appearance in the Trust & Will Holiday Bowl.

Although it is just spring practice and full pads haven’t been worn yet, Arizona is looking like a strong team, and as teammates continue to gel over the months, it will only get better.

The running back position group is greatly benefiting from having four returning players and a new coach in Lyle Moevao, who is already familiar with the Wildcats and how head coach Brent Brennan and offensive coordinator Seth Doege like to run things.

Quincy Craig was a part of a three-running back committee that had all the makings of an elite-level backfield. Now that Ismail Mahdi is gone and preparing for the NFL Draft, he and Kedrick Reescano are the team’s veterans and will see a lot more carries throughout the season.

Craig’s Initial Growing Pains in First Year With Arizona

In his first season with the Wildcats, Craig established himself as an all-purpose back who can scorch a defense, both on the ground and through the air. The 5-foot-10, 195-pound Sacramento State missed just one game and racked up 364 yards on 65 carries (5.6 yards) while also snagging 14 receptions for 114 yards,

Although transferring to a new team and getting acclimated to another offense may seem like a huge burden, Craig actually got used to it quickly, and it showed on the field. Now that he is in his second year, he is fully used to the ‘RedLine’ ways and credits the coaching staff and players for the smooth transition.

“I think the coaching staff does a really good job at keeping everybody together, and the team also does a good job at accepting everybody,” Craig said. “I actually do think that we have the potential to be another really close team, and I think that’s going to benefit us in the fall.”

Craig Taking Time To Get Back to Full Health

The 2025 season took a toll on Craig’s body. An undisclosed injury even sidelined him in Arizona’s week 11 game against Baylor. Craig is listed as limited in spring practice, meaning he is taking all the necessary steps to rehab any lingering injuries so he will be 100% by the time summer camp rolls around.

“It’s definitely been a grind,” Craig said. “We each have our ups and downs, and I think this is something to where, how can we be of value for the team through our own injury or through our own circumstances right now?”

Craig Accepting Leadership Role

Now that Craig is considered one of the veterans of the running back room, Moevao challenged him and Reecano to take on more of a leadership role with the second-year players Wesley Yarbrough and Cornelius Warren.

Craig feels that the coaches have done an exceptional job in letting him speak and share advice with the younger players, which allows him to be a role model on the field.

“I think our coaching staff does a really good job at letting us have the opportunity to talk and speak out about it,” Craig said. “I’m definitely taking this role of trying to, ‘how can I be of value?’ That’s the main thing that I’m really trying to step up… As of right now, it’s me trying to vocalize and become more of a leader into the situation. Just trying to take it day by day.”

Arizona’s spring practice will run through April 22, giving Craig about a month to fully rehab any lingering injuries. Until then, he will continue to be a vocal leader and help the running back room improve.

INDIANAPOLIS — Give Tommy Lloyd credit. The Arizona coach isn’t budging despite rumors he could leave the Wildcats for the vacant North Carolina job.

All along, Lloyd has said his only focus is on leading top-seeded Arizona to a national championship, offering no hints about his future plans.

That didn’t change Thursday.

“Listen, I’ve got my full focus on this team. Nothing is distracting me,” Lloyd said. “That’s just how I’ve decided to approach it.“I’m a simple guy. I am kind of just one thing at a time. I’m not a multitasker. You can ask my wife. I’m 100 percent locked in on Arizona basketball right now, and I’m excited to see what this team can do.”

Arizona is back in the Final Four for the first time in 25 years. Lloyd, the former Gonzaga assistant coach, has led the Wildcats to a 145-38 record in five seasons.

Lloyd drew headlines last weekend after Arizona won the West Region, saying, “Arizona is going to have another good coach after me. I promise you.”

Pressed on the matter earlier this week, Lloyd became somewhat combative.

“You might call them ‘distractions,’ but it’s because you’re distracted,” he told reporters. “That doesn’t mean I’m distracted or we’re distracted.”

Lloyd has yet to say he’s not interested in the North Carolina job or that he will return to Arizona.

Michigan point guard Elliot Cadeau was taken to a hospital Wednesday before the Wolverines left for the Final Four after suffering an allergic reaction from accidental nut exposure.

The junior was with the team Thursday, expected to practice later and play Saturday against Arizona in a matchup of No. 1 seeds. He called it “minor,” not nearly as bad as a similar allergic reaction he had as a kid.

“Very unfortunate for him to have to go through that. If it’s the worst thing that happens to us, then we’re very blessed,” Michigan coach Dusty May said.

The West Orange, N.J., native is averaging 10.2 points and 5.8 assists for Michigan.

An Arizona girl who vanished in 1994 has been found alive, the Gila County sheriff said Wednesday. 

Christina Marie Plante disappeared from Star Valley, Arizona when she was 13 years old, the Gila County Sheriff’s Office said. She was last seen on May 19, 1994, around 12:30 p.m., after leaving home on foot to go to a stable where her horse was kept, according to a missing persons poster. She was last seen wearing shorts, a t-shirt and tennis shoes, and was considered “missing/endangered and under suspicious circumstances,” according to the sheriff’s office. 

Sheriff Adam J. Shepherd said in a news release that the girl was reported missing at the time, and “extensive search efforts” involving local and regional resources were conducted. Plante was listed in national missing children databases, and missing persons posters were distributed around the region, state and country. 

“Despite exhaustive ground searches, interviews and investigative follow-up, no viable leads were developed” at the time of her disappearance, Shepherd said,and the case remained open.Over the decades, investigators re-examined evidence and pursued any new information that became available, he said. 

The sheriff’s office eventually established a cold case unit, which focused on unresolved investigations, Shepherd said.  Detectives in the unit used “advances in technology, modern investigative techniques and detailed case review” to develop new leads that “ultimately led to a breakthrough,” Shepherd said. 

Shepherd did not say where Plante was found, or share any circumstances of her disappearance “out of respect for Christina’s privacy and well-being.” Shepherd said that investigators have confirmed her identity, and that her status as a missing person “has been officially resolved.” 

Shepherd said that the case “underscores the importance of cold case review initiatives and the impact of evolving technology in bringing long-awaitd answers to families and communities,” and said the sheriff’s office “remains committed to pursing all unresolved cases.”