Tetairoa McMillan is the best wide receiver in Arizona Wildcats history. This is no longer a debate.

But where does he rank among all the wildcats?

As he prepares for 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 Award, which he is determined to win case deserves.

I set out to create a top 10 list of the Wildcats of all time. I’ll give you my 10 in order and then have you take a poll rating a selection of 20 Arizona legends, taking into account only how they played in Arizona, not in the NFL.

(SCROLL TO THE END OF THE STORY – after reading it, of course – TO FIND THE POLL)

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

Let’s go.

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

2. FS Chuck Cecil (1984-87): Consensus All-American in 1987 and is the school record holder with 21 interceptions as well as the author of the greatest play in Wildcats 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 defender and the inaugural Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation’s top defenseman. Consensus All-American in 1992 when the Desert Swarm defense was born. “I believe without Rob Waldrop there would have been no Desert Swarm defense,” said former Wildcats linebacker Brant Boyer.

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

5. CB Chris McAlister (1996-98): On the list of the craziest athletes I’ve seen in the last 40 years, it’s McAlister, McMillan and Rob Gronkowski. Why McAlister? Among award winners and NFL stars coached by Duane Akina, McAlister is still the standard. Somehow he intercepted 18 passes in three seasons even though opponents never wanted to throw it his way.

6. WR Tetairoa McMillan (2022-24): He has it all — size, hands, route running, catch radius, speed, yards after the 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 country in rushing in 1954 and 1955 before a knee injury wiped out 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, also scoring on an 88-yard kick Return scored.

8.C Joe Tofflemire (1985-88): The only offensive lineman in school history to be named to the All-Pac-10/12 first team 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 at cornerback, where he became a big-play machine and won the Jim Thorpe Award in 1990.

10. LB Byron Evans (1983-86): The Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year in 1986. If you count bowl games (which the UA record book doesn’t take into account), Evans notably had more than 200 tackles in a season twice – 211 in 1985 and 210 in 1986.

Other Wildcats to Consider

There are still some really excellent options, although I won’t give you Gronkowski as an option. He would be No. 1 on the Wildcats’ roster in the NFL (that’s a ranking for another time), but his too-short career in Arizona isn’t worthy of this list.

So here are some quick bios of 10 more people to consider, in alphabetical order:

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

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

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

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

QB Nick Foles (2009-11): The most productive 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 later found fame as part of the Denver Broncos’ “Three Amigos” receiving corps, but he led the Wildcats in rushing in 1981 and 1982 and was a deep threat (20 rushing TDs, 11 receiving) that spoke louder to his numbers.

LB Chris Singleton (1986-89): As a senior, he was a two-time first-team All-Pac-10 pick and a second-team All-American when he recorded 10 sacks.

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

CB Jackie Wallace (1970-72): He was a first-team All-American in 1972 and one of the Wildcats’ all-time best playmakers. He intercepted 20 passes — 19 in his final two seasons — and scored four goals on punt returns.

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

VOTE for the best Wildcats in school history

Okay, now it’s your turn. Drag and drop the players into the order you want, then click the blue SEND button at the bottom of the form. I’ll share the results with you in a future story. Enjoy!

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

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Photo above: Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan manages to dwarf the defensive backs. (Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images)