Brent Brennan 'just blown away' by talented Arizona WR Tetairoa McMillan
Brent Brennan was able to hold on to several key pieces from last season’s roster at Arizona, including their stud wideout in Tetairoa McMillan. That’s one that he’s glad about too with what he has already seen from him in Tucson.
Brennan spoke about his impressions of McMillan during an interview on ‘Andy Staples On3’ on Tuesday. Frankly, he says he has had his mind blown watching him play the position unlike anybody that he has come across before.
“Just blown away,” said Brennan.
“I was just blown away by his body control, his route running, and his ability to finish on the ball,” Brennan said. “It’s unlike anyone I’ve ever seen.”
That comes from having seen several receivers over his years in coaching out on the west coast. It’s also from watching him on his own time considering his own connections to the Wildcat program.
“I’m a receiver guy by trade, right. That’s what I coached. So I’d remembered him in high school,” said Brennan. “Then we watched every Arizona game we could – my wife is an alum, my brother played here.”
McMillan has appeared in all 25 games over his pair of seasons at Arizona. Over that time, he has caught 129 passes for 2,104 yards, good for 16.8 per catch, and 18 touchdowns. That includes doubling his receptions and yardage as a sophomore last fall with a team-high tying 90 catches and a team-lead with 1,402 yards to go with 10 scores.
That production made McMillan an All Pac-12 selection and earned him All-American honors. Now, he sets up to be just as effective in the Big 12 before being a top selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
McMillan’s combination of size and skillset make him among the most unique and top receivers in the nation. Pair that with the edge that Brennan sees and the sky then becomes the limit for him, including for his upcoming junior year.
“You know he’s a playmaker but he’s also an intense competitor,” Brennan said. “When you combine that stuff, you have a chance to do some incredible things.”
PicKell projects Fifita-McMillan as No. 4 quarterback, wide receiver duo
Noah Fifita and Tetairoa McMillan reconnected out of Servite High School with how they played last season at Arizona. That has now made them one of the top-five, specifically the No. 4, quarterback-receiver duo in the sport according to On3’s J.D. PicKell.
“Now, these two were high school teammates,” PicKell noted. “Noah Fifita didn’t really get the keys to the offense until late September, early October last year. They’re just getting warmed up. They are.”
“T-Mac had 1,400 yards receiving last year for 10 touchdowns, 90 receptions. He is a matchup nightmare. He had two games with less than five catches. Translation? They’re going to try to get him the football,” said PicKell. “I know it’s a new staff. I understand that. Noah Fifita and the chemistry they’ve built up over the course of their not just college career but high school career as well? That’s going to be massive.”
“This will be a very, very potent duo in college football in 2024. Make no mistake about it,” PicKell stated. “They’re just getting warmed up.”
The only pairings ahead of Fifita and McMillan were Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel and Tez Johnson, Missouri’s Brady Cook and Luther Burden III, and Texas’ Quinn Ewers and Isaiah Bond.