TUCSON, Ariz (KGUN) — The wait is almost over.
The Arizona Wildcats are set to kickoff their regular season opener at San Diego State's new home turf, Snapdragon Stadium, this Saturday.
"I'm cautiously optimistic with our team going into week one," head coach Jedd Fisch said Monday in the first weekly press conference of the new season.
That caution likely stems from last seasons home loss to the Aztecs. A tough 38-14 loss began with a 21-point lead in the first quarter by San Diego State.
The Aztecs gained 21 first downs while Arizona only managed nine.
"It's a totally different team. You know, they're totally different, we're different. So, what stands out to me is that we didn't play well enough to win last year. I think that they're going to play hard, they're going to play fast, they are going to be physical- that part of the team won't be different. That is what we have to be able to be prepared for," Fisch exclaimed.
Despite last years loss, Fisch says rebuilding their roster became a focal point during the teams off-season.
“We certainly understand the importance of players and this off-season, we’ve really focused in on bringing in a lot of new players, retaining the right players, developing our older players and seeing how good we can be as a team," said Fisch.
The Wildcats brought in a total of 50 new players, 11 being from the transfer portal.
Some of the new Arizona faces set to debut this Saturday include Washington transfer, Quarterback Jayden De Laura, Oregon Transfer Jacob Cowing and 5-star recruit Tetairoa McMillian.
Also in today's presser, Fische named Christian Roland-Wallace, Christian Young, Jalen Harris, Jordan Morgan and Jayden De Laura as this years team captains.
"The leadership that these guys have brought over the course of the summer and the course of the spring, we’re very grateful to them and to what we’re trying to build,” Fisch said.
The new team captains will lead the Wildcats this Saturday as they travel to San Diego to kickoff their new season.
"To our community, we look forward to seeing them at San Diego," said Fisch.
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Breanna Isbell is a reporter for KGUN 9. She joined the KGUN 9 team in July of 2022 after receiving her bachelor’s degree in sports journalism from Arizona State University in May. Share your story ideas with Breanna by emailing breanna.isbell@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, or Twitter.
