All-Pac-12 awards: 2 Wildcats on first team, Noah Fifita wins freshman honor
Dec 5, 2023, 2:42 PM
Noah Fifita #11 of the Arizona Wildcats calls out a play during the first quarter against the USC Trojans at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on October 07, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
(Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
The Pac-12 named its final round of conference football awards on Tuesday, with Arizona Wildcats offensive tackle Jordan Morgan and linebacker Jacob Manu landing on the first team.
Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita was additionally named the Pac-12 Freshman Offensive Player of the Year on Tuesday for his contributions that helped the Wildcats to a 9-3 finish in the regular season and Alamo Bowl berth.
Morgan returned from a major knee injury to rebuild his NFL stock on one of the league’s elite offenses, while Manu led the team with 97 tackles and added 6.5 sacks, plus an interception.
Arizona receiver Tetairoa McMillan and place-kicker Tyler Loop made the second team.
Rival Arizona State landed defensive lineman B.J. Green on the second team for co-leading the Sun Devils with six sacks.
Fifita completed 73.6% of his passes, fourth-best in FBS. The quarterback threw for 23 touchdowns, 2,515 yards and five interceptions.
He set a school record with 527 passing yards in a rivalry win against Arizona State and set a record wtih five weekly freshman honors, surpassing the four by Sun Devil freshman quarterback Jayden Daniels in 2019.
This season, Fifita went 6-2 after taking over for Jayden de Laura and holding onto the starting job. He won the final six games of the regular season.
Fifita is the second Wildcat to win that award, which has been handed out every season since 2009. Running back J.J. Taylor was the co-offensive freshman of the 2017 season with Stanford offensive lineman Walker Little, while receiver Mike Thomas shared freshman of the year honors with Oregon State guard Jeremy Perry in 2005.
2023 All-Pac-12 awards
Offensive Player of the Year: Bo Nix, Oregon
Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year: Laiatu Latu, UCLA
Freshman Offensive Player of the Year: Noah Fifita, Arizona
Freshman Defensive Player of the Year: Cade Uluave, California
Coach of the Year: Kalen DeBoer, Washington
All-Pac-12 football teams
| First Team Offense | Second Team Offense | ||
| QB | Bo Nix, Sr., Oregon | QB | Michael Penix Jr., Sr., Washington |
| RB | Jaydn Ott, So., California | RB | Bucky Irving, Jr., Oregon |
| RB | Damien Martinez, So. Oregon State* | RB | Dillon Johnson, Jr., Washington |
| WR | Rome Odunze, Jr., Washington* | WR | Tetairoa McMillan, So., Arizona |
| WR | Troy Franklin, Jr., Oregon | WR | Brenden Rice, Sr., USC |
| TE | Terrance Ferguson, Jr., Oregon | TE | Jack Velling, So., Oregon State |
| OL | Taliese Fuaga, Jr., Oregon State | OL | Tanner Miller, R-Jr., Oregon State |
| OL | Jackson Powers-Johnson, Jr., Oregon | OL | Parker Brailsford, R-Fr., Washington |
| OL | Troy Fautanu, Jr., Washington | OL | Sataoa Laumea, Jr., Utah |
| OL | Jordan Morgan, Sr., Arizona | OL | Duke Clemens, R-Sr., UCLA |
| OL | Jake Levengood, R-Sr., Oregon State | OL | Joshua Gray, R-Jr., Oregon State |
| First Team Defense | Second Team Defense | ||
| DL | Laiatu Latu, Sr., UCLA* | DL | Brennan Jackson, Gr., Washington State |
| DL | Jonah Elliss, Jr., Utah | DL | Junior Tafuna, Jr., Utah |
| DL | Bralen Trice, Jr., Washington* | DL | B.J. Green, Jr., Arizona State |
| DL | Brandon Dorlus, Sr., Oregon* | DL | Sione Lolohea, Jr., Oregon State |
| LB | Jacob Manu, So., Arizona | LB | Darius Muasau, R-Sr., UCLA |
| LB | Easton Mascarenas-Arnold, Jr., Oregon State | LB | Jeffrey Bassa, Jr., Oregon |
| LB | Edefuan Ulofoshio, Sr., Washington | LB | Karene Reid, Jr., Utah |
| DB | Travis Hunter, So., Colorado | DB | Jabbar Muhammad, Jr., Washington |
| DB | Khyree Jackson, Sr., Oregon | DB | Cole Bishop, Jr., Utah |
| DB | Sione Vaki, So., Utah | DB | Kitan Oladapo, R-Sr., Oregon State |
| DB | Calen Bullock, Jr., USC | DB | Evan Williams, Sr., Oregon |
All-Pac-12 specialists
| First Team Specialists | Second Team Specialists | ||
| PK | Joshua Karty, Sr., Stanford* | PK | Tyler Loop, Jr., Arizona |
| P | Jack Bouwmeester, So., Utah | P | Lachlan Wilson, R-Jr., California |
| RS | Zachariah Branch, Fr., USC | RS | Silas Bolden, Jr.., Oregon State |
| AP/ST | Sione Vaki, So., Utah | AP/ST | Travis Hunter, So., Colorado |
ARIZONA: RB Jonah Coleman, So.; WR Jacob Cowing, Sr.; DB Tacario Davis, So.; TE Tanner McLachlan, R-Sr.; DB Ephesians Prysock, So.; OL Jonah Savaiinaea, So.; DB Treydan Stukes, Jr.; DL Taylor Upshaw, Gr.
ARIZONA STATE: RS Elijhah Badger, R-Jr.; OL Leif Fautanu, R-Jr.; DL Dashaun Mallory, Gr.; RB Cam Skattebo, Jr.
