Where does Tetairoa McMillan rank among the best in Wildcats history?

Tetairoa McMillan is the best wide receiver in Arizona Wildcat history. It is no longer a debate.

But where does he rank among all the Wildcats?

As he prepares to play his final game — Saturday at home against Arizona State — he already has the most receiving yards in school history (3,355) in just three seasons and is the program’s first finalist for the Biletnikoff awardwhich he certainly deserves to win.

I have set out to determine a top 10 list of all-time Wildcats. I’ll give you my 10 in order and then let you vote in a poll ranking a selection of 20 Arizona legends based only on how they played in Arizona, not in the NFL.

(SCROLL TO BOTTOM OF STORY – after reading it, of course – TO FIND QUESTION)

As for my list, I consider the top four to be a protected class of College Football Hall of Famers. After that it becomes more difficult.

Here we go.

1. LB Ricky Hunley (1980-83): Two-time consensus All-American and remains the Wildcats’ career leader in tackles (566). First-team All-Pac-10 three times.

2nd FS Chuck Cecil (1984-87): Consensus All-American in 1987 and is the school record holder with 21 interceptions, as well as author of the biggest play in Wildcat history, as voted on by PHNX readers.

3. DT Rob Waldrop (1990-93): Unanimous All-American in 1993 when he won the Outland Trophy as the nation’s top interior lineman and the inaugural Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation’s top defensive player. Consensus All-American in 1992 when the Desert Swarm defense was born. “I firmly believe there would not have been a Desert Swarm defense without Rob Waldrop,” former Wildcats linebacker Brant Boyer said.

4. DE Tedy Bruschi (1991-95): The flamboyant counterpart to Waldrop as an edge rusher, Bruschi had 52 career sacks and was a two-time first-team All-American.

5. CB Chris McAlister (1996-98): On the list of wildest athletes I’ve seen in the last 40 years or so, it’s McAlister, McMillan, and Rob Gronkowski. Why McAlister? Out of the award winners and NFL stars coached by Duane Akina, McAlister remains the standard. Somehow, he intercepted 18 passes in three seasons despite opponents never throwing in his direction.

6. WR Tetairoa McMillan (2022-24): He has it all – height, hands, route running, catch radius, speed, yards after catch – and it’s easy to see him as a top 10 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

7. RB Art Luppino (1953-56): Was the brightest football star in Arizona history until the 1980s, leading the nation in rushing in 1954 and 1955 before a knee injury ruined much of his senior season. Still epic: The “Cactus Comet” rushed for 228 yards on just six carries and scored on runs of 37, 48, 74 and 53 yards against New Mexico State in 1954, and also scored on an 88-yard kick return.

8. C Joe Tofflemire (1985-88): The only offensive lineman in school history to be selected first-team All-Pac-10/12 three times. The four-year starter earned first- or second-team All-America honors three times. “He was a giant among players of his generation,” Wildcats coach Dick Tomey once told me.

9. CB Darryll Lewis (1987-90): After starting 10 games at running back in 1987, secondary coach Duane Akina saw something special in D-Lew as a cornerback, where he became a big-play machine and 1990 Jim Thorpe Award winner.

10. LB Byron Evans (1983-86): Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year in 1986. Counting bowl games (which the UA record book does not), Evans remarkably had more than 200 tackles in a season twice – 211 in 1985 and 210 in 1986.

Other feral cats to consider

There are some really excellent picks left, though I’m not giving you Gronkowski as an option. He would be no. 1 on the list of Wildcats in the NFL (that’s a ranking for another time), but his all-too-brief Arizona career isn’t worthy of this list.

So here are some brief bios of 10 more guys to consider, in alphabetical order:

LB Lance Briggs (1999-2002): Three-time first-team All-Pac-10 linebacker, leading Wildcats in tackles all three seasons after playing fullback as a freshman.

RB Ka’Deem Carey (2011-13): Led the nation in rushing in 2012 (148.4 yards per game) and was second a year later (157.1 ypg). A workhorse back with uncanny vision, his 4,239 career rushing yards is the Wildcats record.

CB Antoine Cason (2004-07): The 2007 Jim Thorpe Award winner when he was a consensus All-American, finished with 15 career interceptions. Also a dangerous punt returner.

DT Mike Dawson (1972-75): The defensive leader on the Wildcats’ outstanding mid-70s teams of coach Jim Young, Dawson collected 37 tackles for loss in his final three seasons. Earned second-team AP All-American honors in 1975 and was two-time All-WAC.

QB Nick Foles (2009-11): The most prolific QB in school history with 10,011 passing yards and is tied with Willie Tuitama with 67 career touchdown passes.

RB Vance Johnson (1981-84): He would become famous as part of the Denver Broncos’ “Three Amigos” receiving corps, but he led the Wildcats in rushing in 1981 and 1982 and was a big threat (20 rushing TDs, 11 receiving) that spoke louder than his numbers .

LB Chris Singleton (1986-89): Twice a first-team All-Pac-10 selection and a second-team All-American as a senior when he made 10 sacks.

WR Dennis Northcutt (1996-99): The Wildcats’ top receiver until T-Mac came along, Northcutt set the school season receiving record with 1,422 yards as a senior while also leading the nation in punt returns (18.96 yard average).

CB Jackie Wallace (1970-72): A first-team All-American in 1972 and one of the Wildcats’ top players of any era. He intercepted 20 passes — 19 in his last two seasons — and scored four times on punt returns.

LB Scooby Wright (2013-15): Authored one of the greatest defensive seasons in school lore, with 163 tackles, including 29 for loss and 14 sacks, as he won the Nagurski and Bednarik awards and finished ninth in the Heisman voting.

VOTE for the best Wildcats in school history

Okay, now it’s your turn. Drag and drop the players in the order you want, then press the blue SUBMIT button at the bottom of the form. I will let you know the results in a future story. Enjoy!

If you have problems using the form below, vote on this link.

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Top photo: Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan has a way of making defensive backs look small. (Aryanna Frank-Imagn Photos)