In a sign of the times, Trust & Will Holiday Bowl features rare QB matchup

The Trust & Will Holiday Bowl has something this year that distinguishes it from every other bowl game as well as the College Football Playoff.

The game between No. 21 Arizona and SMU features a pair of quarterbacks who have stayed put, which is pretty amazing in this era of player portability.

Arizona’s Noah Fifita and SMU’s Kevin Jennings provide the Holiday Bowl with the bowl season’s only matchup that features two quarterbacks who have stayed at their one and only school for four years.

In fact, the Salute to Veterans Bowl and the 68 Ventures Bowl are the only other two games that include non-freshman opposing quarterbacks who aren’t transfers.

“It’s amazing,” Jennings said. “It’s rare to see, kind of a crazy thing to see nowadays in college. I’m excited that I can pass that tradition down.”

Jennings will return to the Mustangs in 2026. Fifita has not made his plans public, but those around the program say he is returning as well.

“Tucson means everything to me,” Fifita said. “The University of Arizona means a lot to me and my family. Being able to play for Coach (Brent) Brennan and the university means a lot.”

Returning for his senior year gives him a chance to play with younger brother Dash Fifita, a linebacker from Santa Margarita Catholic High School who was part of the Wildcats’ 2026 early signing class.

“I think this is a great game with two great quarterbacks,” SMU coach Rhett Lashlee said. “It doesn’t matter, college or pro, quarterbacks make you go.”

That’s why QBs are in such demand. And why staying put has become something to be celebrated.

Here are a few details on the Holiday Bowl quarterbacks:

Noah Fifita, Arizona

Redshirt junior, 5-10, 186, Huntington Beach

2025 statistics: 247-for-385 (64.2%), 2,963 yards, 26 passing TDs/101 carries, 143 yards, 3 rushing TDs.

Fifita, like many undersized quarterbacks, was not heavily recruited out of Anaheim’s Servite High School. Cal was his only other Division I offer. Fifita was one of four Servite players signed by Arizona, joining wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, tight end Keyan Burnett and linebacker Jacob Manu.

The Wildcats weren’t fully aware of what they had until Fifita emerged early in the 2023 season. He was Arizona’s backup quarterback as a redshirt freshman when starter Jayden de Laura was injured in a Week 4 game against Stanford. Fifita led the Wildcats to a win, and he hasn’t looked back.

“My process has definitely changed from then,” Fifita said. “I’ve learned a lot from the quarterbacks that have been in my room, the coaches I’ve had, and I’ve learned a lot about the game and I’ve learned a lot about the position.”

Arizona closed out a 10-3 season in 2023 with seven straight victories, highlighted by a school-record 527 passing yards in a 59-23 win over rival Arizona State and capped with a comeback win over Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl. Fifita threw for 354 yards and two touchdowns against the Sooners.

Arizona slid to 4-8 last year following a coaching change, though Fifita again passed for nearly 3,000 yards. He led the turnaround for this year’s 9-3 team. Fifita claimed the school’s career passing touchdown record during the season. He can set his sights next season on the career marks for passing attempts, completions and yards.

“He’s done it now for a couple of years, right?” Lashlee said. “He can really throw the football. He gets it out of his hands quickly, has really good weapons. They don’t turn the football over.

“But, then, also the added part is he can hurt you with his legs and designed runs, or just extending plays. It doesn’t matter what defense you’re in, that gives you a problem. So that’s our biggest concern.”

Kevin Jennings, SMU

Redshirt junior, 6-0, 192, Oak Cliff, Texas

2025 statistics: 279-for-422 (66.1%), 3,363 yards, 26 passing TDs; 69 carries, 50 yards, 4 rushing TDs

Like Fifita, Jennings also was lightly recruited.

“I didn’t really have a lot of offers,” said Jennings, who was the 95th-ranked quarterback in the state of Texas. “I think 100% I had a chip on my shoulder.”

SMU knew all about him after he starred at Dallas’ South Oak Cliff High School, which he led to a 2021 state championship.

Jennings redshirted his first year, got two starts his second year and then blossomed last year, helping SMU to an ACC championship and berth in the 2024 College Football Playoff.

“We’re so excited to have Kevin, not only in this game, but coming back next year,” Lashlee said. “I mean, he makes us go.”

Jennings had several memorable moments this season, including a game against Baylor in which he became only the seventh quarterback in Atlantic Coast Conference history to throw two 75-yard touchdown passes in a game. He closed out the regular season with 300-yard passing performances against Miami, Boston College and Cal.

Jennings ranks second in school history in career passing yards (7,431) and fourth in career touchdown passes (55), but can easily become the Mustangs’ career leader in both categories next season.

Jennings deflected questions about himself when SMU arrived Monday for the Holiday Bowl, choosing to praise those around him.

“We’re a really fast-paced offense,” Jennings said. “We kind of tempo it out. Some teams can’t keep up with that. … We’ve got playmakers on the outside that make any play. I put the ball in the vicinity, and they make the play for me.”