Arizona donor Humberto Lopez sends message to Jedd Fisch on transfer portal
One prominent donor of the University of Arizona had some strong words for Jedd Fisch after he left the Wildcats to coach at Washington. Humberto Lopez sent a text message to Fisch warning him that he “went out of my way to make sure you didn’t get our best players.”
Arizona received great news Saturday as both quarterback Noah Fifita and receiver Tetairoa McMillan would both return for the 2024 season. It had been rumored that the pair could following Fisch and join the Huskies after connecting for 1,402 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2022.
That in mind, it seems there was some truth to what Lopez said to Fisch. You can view his full message to the former Wildcats coach below, according to Cathie Batbie of KVOA-TV.
“You could have been a legend here at Arizona had you stayed,” he began. “I went out of my way to make sure you didn’t get our best players. I don’t ever wish anyone bad luck and you are the first one. You disappointed me. I thought we were friends.”
Fifita and McMillan weren’t the only players to confirm their commitment to Arizona on Saturday, however. Running back Rayshon Luke, who appeared in all 13 games for the Wildcats in 2023, also announced he planned to return.
Lopez spoke with Justin Spears of the Arizona Daily Star to explain that Fisch leaving “upset me to no end.” He explained that he felt the need to get involved to prevent players leaving and keep the coach from using what he built at Arizona to ease into his next stop.
“That’s the reason that got me more involved,” Lopez said. “I want to make sure that he’s not successful. And he’s in panic mode right now. …He thought he could take everybody.”
Fisch spent the past three years with the Wildcats. He took them from 1-11 in his inaugural season to 10-3 this past season, capping things off with a win in the Alamo Bowl against Oklahoma. Arizona ranked No. 8 in the country in passing offense behind the duo of McMillan and Fifita, so getting them back provides hope it can carry this year’s momentum into next season.
McMillan remains one of the highest-ranked recruits in Wildcats’ history. He ranked as the No. 41 overall player and No. 5 receiver in the 2022 cycle according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
It’s certainly a good day to be an Arizona fan, and the Wildcats can now breathe a little more easily. They hired San Jose State coach Brent Brennan to replace Fisch. We’ll see how things continue to shape out for them in the transfer portal as Brennan has retained some key pieces.
Arizona players have a 30-day window since Fisch left to enter their name in the transfer portal.