Arizona is going to have a different look to their team this year after Jedd Fisch was poached away by previous Pac-12 conference foe Washington this offseason following their impressive 10-win showing.
The good news for the Wildcats is they are in good hands with Brent Brennan taking over.
As they entered camp with their opener now less than a month away, this was a great opportunity to see how his philosophy might be translating to this group of players that has plenty of stars who are returning and some transfers coming in from San Jose State who followed their head coach.
What was interesting about how the staff played out when Brennan came to Arizona was he didn’t bring his offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven with him, instead opting to hire recently fired Syracuse head coach Dino Babers to take over that role.
Babers first got into coaching on the offensive side of the ball as a running backs coach at Eastern Illinois in 1987. He shifted around a couple different schools as wide receivers coach before coming to Arizona in 1995 where he eventually became the offensive coordinator from 1998-2000.
After three stints as a head coach, he is now returning back to the Wildcats under Brennan.
Getting things operational under a new coordinator for everyone involved will present some growing pains, something that was evident in practice on Friday.
It was documented that their offensive line had some major struggles during that session, but even their star quarterback Noah Fifita was missing some easy throws he normally makes.
However, Babers doesn’t seem to be too concerned with what took place because he attributed the issues to their installation of new offensive plays as the reason why things were out of rhythm, per Jason Scheer of 247Sports.
When everyone is on the same page by the time Game 1 rolls around, Scheer notes that this offense should provide opposing defenses with multiple challenges. Although they are keeping much of the same terminology that Fisch had last season, the overall offense will be different.
All in all, issues caused from an install aren’t a cause for concern.
The only thing that could be a problem is if the players aren’t able to pick up on things at a rapid pace.
This would prevent them from hitting the ground running in the opener, but the expectation is that their all-world wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan should be back in the mix which will help them when they take the field.
Arizona remains one of the fastest-growing states in the country, but new migration data suggests that growth is starting to level out.
According to the latest numbers from U-Haul, Arizona ranked number seven nationwide for growth in 2025. While that is down one spot from the year before, it marks the sixth consecutive year the state has remained in the top ten.
The rankings are based on more than 2.5 million one-way moving transactions for the Arizona-based company.
What stands out in the data is how close those numbers are.
In 2025, 50.3% of U-Haul’s one-way moves came into Arizona, while 49.7% moved out. In practical terms, that means for nearly every family moving into the state, there is another one packing up and leaving.
That does not mean Arizona is losing population. However, it does suggest the margin of growth is getting thinner than it has been in recent years.
Even with that shift, the greater Phoenix metro area continues to be a major driver of growth. Phoenix ranked fifth nationwide among U.S. metro areas, fueled by job creation and new housing across the Valley.
U-Haul leaders point to continued development tied to major employers, including chip manufacturing and data centers, as well as ongoing residential construction, as reasons Phoenix remains a top destination.
Experts who study migration trends say when in-migration and out-migration numbers get this close, it can be a sign that affordability pressures are starting to play a role, especially when it comes to housing.
The latest data does not point to a mass exodus, but it does show Arizona entering a period of transition, balancing opportunity and growth with affordability concerns.
The 2026 Arizona Legacy Races in Buckeye, Ariz., are ringing in a new year for futurity horses December 30 – January 6, at the Buckeye Equestrian & Events Center. Formerly known as the MVP Futurity and Greg Olson Futurity, these two races have been a staple in many professional trainers’ schedules for decades. This year, the two events boast $22,000 in added money.
Linzie Lindsey and Fame Dancin Yola claimed the Round 1 win with a 17.577 for $1,959. Barbara Merrill rode TKW Eye Am Tess to the 2D win.
After finishing out of the 1D money in Round 1, Loralee Ward and Dark Honey ran the fastest time of the futurity with a 17.030 to claim the Round 2 win. The duo also earned the Futurity Reserve Championship for $1,652.
Lindsey and Fame Dancin Yola finished second in Round 2 with a 17.164, adding $1,603 to their futurity earnings and claiming the Futurity Championship for another $2,019.
Jenna Duhon and PMC AintSheBeautiful earned the Round 2 2D win. In the 2D Average, it was Estella Martin and Quanahs Kingdom claiming the win.
Round 1 of a very tough Derby went to Jana Bean and Feature This Goodbye with a 17.268. 2025 futurity standout Blissful Version and Lora Nichols finished second in Round 1 with a 17.282, won Round 2 with a 17.032, and claimed the Average win.
“Buddy” and Nichols were in contention for the highest money-earning futurity horse of the previous season, before the cancellation of the last two major events of the season due to EHV-1. By $7 million sire Winners Version, Buddy banked over $300,000 in his futurity year.
Megan McLeod-Sprague and Seis Corona (“Jagger”) were hot off the 2025 National Finals Rodeo. The duo won the Roohide Hot Rod with a 17.004 for $1,368. They also earned the Friday Open 1D win for $1,083.
With the first 16-second run of the weekend, Sherry Cervi and MP Meter My Fame won the Saturday Open 1D with a 16.969.
Rita Cheeney and HP Dash Ta Fairfax ran the only other sub-17-second run of the weekend, with a 16.996 that took the top spot in Sunday’s Open 1D.
Nichols and Buddy doubled down on their derby earnings, placing deep in the Open 1D both days, as well as the Roohide Hot Rod, and Big Time Boss.
Youth competitor Tabitha Dyal also had an outstanding weekend, earning Open 1D money Friday, Saturday, and Sunday aboard Slym Shady. She swept the Youth 1D on Slym Shady and earned Open 1D, Open 2D, and Youth 1D checks on Promise Me Fame Guys and Smooth Operraider. Dyal wrapped up her weekend with several checks in the Big Time Boss.
Authorities say a prominent California agriculture heir is accused of traveling to Arizona to kill his estranged wife amid a bitter divorce, a case now drawing national attention for its cross-state trail and high-profile ties.
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