7 Best Arizona Wildcats Football Players, Ranked

With the Pac-12 becoming defunct, college football betting at your favourite online sportsbook will be plenty different in 2024 and beyond as most of those teams, including the Arizona Wildcats, have found new conferences and will have a new set of opponents. 

We’ll also see what football betting on the Wildcats will be like under this new Wildcats regime with Brent Brennan taking over the reins. 

While that’s 2024 and beyond, the Wildcats were established in 1899, meaning countless star players have come through the door. 

Below, I’ll rank the seven best that have suited up for the program.

7 Best Arizona Wildcats Football Players, Ranked

Arizona Wildcats All-Time Greatest Football Players

1. Tedy Bruschi

Before embarking on a stellar career with the New England Patriots, Bruschi played college football at Arizona in the mid-1990s. 

There, he won the Bill Willis Trophy, was a unanimous All-American, a consensus All-American, a second-team All-American, won the Morris Trophy, was named Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year, was three-time first-team All-Pac-10, and the team retired his No. 68. 

Over his college career, he racked up 185 tackles, 74 for a loss, and 55 sacks. He holds the school record in sacks and the top two single-season records in sacks, with 19 in 1993 and 14.5 in 1995. 

He’s enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. 

2. Rob Gronkowski

Gronkowski was with the Wildcats from 2007 to 2009 but missed the 2009 season due to back surgery. 

He played 22 games in 2007 and 2008. In 2008, he caught 47 receptions for 672 yards and 10 touchdowns. He finished his college career with 75 receptions for 1,197 yards and 16 touchdowns. 

He was a third-team All-American in 2008 and first-team All-Pac-10. 

3. Chuck Cecil

Cecil played in Arizona from 1984 to 1987 and had 21 interceptions, which is an Arizona record. 

In 1987, Cecil had nine interceptions, the second most in a single season in program history. That same year, he had four against Stanford, a single-game record. 

He was a consensus All-American, Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year, a two-time first-team All-Pac-10, and second-team All-Pac-10. 

Cecil is enshrined in the University of Arizona Sports Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame, and the team retired his No. 6. 

4. Chris McAlister

McAllister was a unanimous All-American in 1998, a three-time first-team All-Pac-10 from 1996 to 1998, and the team retired his No. 11. 

He finished his career there with 18 interceptions, the third most in Wildcats history behind Cecil and Jackie Wallace. 

McAlister also became the seventh player in college football history and was the first in Wildcats history to return a kick, punt, and interception for a touchdown. 

5. Ka’Deem Carey

Carey played at Arizona for three seasons from 2011 to 2013. Over that time, he racked up 743 carries for 4,239 yards (first), 48 rushing touchdowns (first), 77 receptions, 679 yards, and four scores. 

He holds the top two single-season records in Wildcats history in rushing yards: 1,929 in 2012 and 1,885 in 2013. Carey also holds the single-game record with 366 in 2012 against Colorado. He also holds the record for single-season rushing touchdowns with his 23 in 2012. That year, he had five against Colorado, which is the program’s single-game record. 

He was a consensus All-American twice, was Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year, and was a two-time first-team All-Pac-12.

6. Trung Canidate

Before Carey came around in 2011, Canidate held the rushing yards record with 3,824. He played there from 1996 to 1999. 

Over his three seasons of playing running back, he racked up 558 carries for 2,626 yards and 25 touchdowns. His 25 touchdowns are seventh most. 

He was a two-time third-team All-American and a two-time first-team All-Pac-10. 

7. Ricky Hunley

Hunley played linebacker for the Wildcats from 1980 to 1983, and he racked up 556 tackles, a program record. He also had two seasons with 173 or more tackles, both in the top eight in program history. 

He was a unanimous All-American, a consensus All-American, the Pac-10 Co-Defensive Player of the Year, three-time first-team All-Pac-10, and the Wildcats retired his No. 89.

Hunley is enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.