Arizona will begin its second preseason under head coach Brent Brennan on Aug. 5, kicking off a month of preparation before the Wildcats open the 2026 slate Sept. 5 against Northern Arizona. The running back room is one of the position groups drawing attention as camp approaches: the unit is compact, experienced at the top and built to operate as a multi-person rotation that can handle short-yardage work, red zone carries and occasional explosive plays. The roster lists six running backs, with Kedrick Reescano and Quincy Craig projected as the starters when the pads go on.
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Arizona ballcarrier (white helmet) fights for extra yards while pinned to the turf against an Arizona State defender — a physical run that illustrates the kind of short-yardage and contact work the Wildcats' running back room will be counted on for entering 2026 training camp.
Kedrick Reescano returns to Tucson after a 2025 season in which he rushed for 396 yards and scored nine touchdowns. Reescano’s value often presented itself in the condensed parts of the field: goal-line duties and tough-yardage situations where contact and leverage matter most. He produced several defining runs in 2025, including a 50-yard touchdown that helped upset Cincinnati, and the Wildcats expect him to remain the primary option when Arizona needs a back to finish short-yardage drives or punch the ball into the paint.
Quincy Craig (listed as a redshirt senior) projects as the other half of the primary duo. Craig carried 364 yards and reached the end zone twice last season, and he also contributed in the passing game with 14 receptions for 114 yards and a receiving touchdown. His season included a 24-yard, game-winning touchdown run against Kansas, a play that underscored his ability to deliver in decisive moments. When called on, Craig was the reliable second option behind Reescano, and the coaching staff appears ready to lean on that established rotation to fuel the ground attack in 2026.
Arizona offensive player dives forward reaching for the ball near the goal line — an example of the explosive, finish‑at‑the‑pylon playmakers the Wildcats hope to feature from their running backs in 2026 training camp.
Depth behind the projected starters comes with tangible experience and a developmental piece. Antwan Roberts, a redshirt senior who transferred from Marshall, is the most prominent new face expected to make an immediate impact. Roberts rushed for 512 yards and four touchdowns last season and spent time working with offensive coordinator Seth Doege while both were at Marshall in 2024. His profile—similar in size to Reescano—suggests he could be a near-instant fit for short-yardage and red-zone responsibilities, filling the role Arizona previously leaned on with a three-back approach.
The room also contains youth with upside in Wesley Yarbrough, a sophomore who appeared in 10 games last season but was used sparingly, carrying the ball 21 times for 77 yards. The coaching staff will look to Yarbrough to show improved comfort within the offense and to expand his role after a limited 2025 sample. Alongside Ismail Mahdi, who factored into the backfield rotation last year, Arizona figures to lean on a combination of experienced performers and ascending players to maintain balance in its rushing attack.
Coaching changes behind the scenes will shape how those pieces are deployed. Alonzo Carter, who had been working with the running backs, left for Sacramento State, and Lyle Moevao was promoted from assistant offensive coach to take a larger role with the position group. Moevao spent last season working with the running backs and is credited as a major influence in Ismail Mahdi’s 2025 production. The staff’s continuity around the run game is a notable point given the unit’s late-season uptick in effectiveness.
Arizona’s ground game posted inconsistent results over the 2025 campaign, finishing in the lower half of the Big 12 in total rushing yards per game at 152.4. On the other hand, the Wildcats finished the season with 20 rushing touchdowns, a figure that placed them in the conference’s upper tier for scoring on the ground. Coaches and players have pointed to improved cohesion between the offensive line and the backfield late in the year—holes and timing began to appear more regularly—which contributed to a stronger close to the season. With Moevao assuming a larger role and veterans like Reescano, Craig and Roberts providing leadership, Arizona will attempt to carry that momentum into training camp and secure a rotation that can be trusted in short-yardage, red zone and third-down scenarios.
Roster construction and player familiarity with the scheme are framed as advantages heading into August. Roberts’ prior work with offensive coordinator Seth Doege should shorten his learning curve, and the expectation inside the program is that a rotation similar to the Reescano-Mahdi-Craig grouping that worked last season will be replicated. How Moevao and the offensive staff mix those veteran backs with younger options like Yarbrough will determine both the day-to-day roles during camp and the situational packages used once the season begins. Arizona closes preparation for the regular season with a relatively compact and experienced running back room that appears designed to manage different game scripts while providing a steady red-zone presence.
As training camp opens, the focus will be on refining blocking schemes with the offensive line, solidifying handoffs and exchanges in the backfield, and establishing the pecking order for early-season snaps. The Wildcats enter camp with clear statistical backdrops, known contributors and a coaching staff poised to lean on experience; whether that translates into a more consistent rushing output over the full season will be revealed once the pads come on and the roster settles into its established rotation.
A Tucson.com training camp preview added that both Reescano and Craig were limited in spring ball recovering from offseason injuries, giving Antwan Roberts, Wesley Yarbrough and Cornelius Warren III more practice and scrimmage reps. The official roster also includes returner Anthony Wilhite at the position while noting Ismail Mahdi's departure.
Running back Ismail Mahdi entered the 2026 NFL Draft process and participated in Arizona’s Pro Day on March 25, 2026, confirming he would not be available for the Wildcats’ 2026 backfield.
Alonzo Carter was officially named Sacramento State’s head coach on December 15, 2025, and quickly began assembling his staff—explaining his departure from Arizona and the subsequent promotion of Lyle Moevao into a larger role with the running backs.
Sacramento State accepted an invitation to join the Mid-American Conference as a football-only member effective July 1, 2026, a development that contextualizes Carter’s move and the Hornets’ recent program expansion.
Antwan Roberts formally committed to Arizona from Marshall on January 14, 2026; the 6-foot-1, 203-pound back reunites with offensive coordinator Seth Doege, a connection Arizona has cited as likely to speed Roberts’ assimilation into the offense.