Arizona football returns 2 All-Big 12 Honorable Mentions following court order

The Arizona Wildcats will get two productive players back from their 2025 roster following a recent court order that gives them an additional year of eligibility.

For the Wildcats, that means the return of linebacker Max Harris and 2025 leading rusher Ismail Mahdi, who were both All-Big 12 Honorable Mentions in 2025.

The preliminary injunction ruled that players who completed their fourth year of eligibility last season and were not covered by the NCAA’s “five for five” (five years to complete five seasons) rule will now be eligible for a fifth season.

Harris played in 12 of Arizona‘s 13 games last year, racking up 78 tackles (third on the team), 3.5 for loss, one pass defended and one forced fumble. Harris also led the team with seven quarterback hits.

The 6-foot Texas native had at least six tackles in eight of his final nine games in 2025, including a 13-tackle performance at Houston and a seven-tackle (one for loss) performance at ASU.

The senior linebacker earned CSC Academic All-District honors last year.

Mahdi also earned CSC Academic All-District honors as well as the Big 12 Player of the Week honor for his performance against Kansas State, collecting 222 rushing and receiving yards.

The fellow Texas native finished the 2025 season with 853 rushing yards and four touchdowns and added 17 receptions for 119 yards and a touchdown.

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