Tetairoa McMillan (/tɛtaɪˈroʊə/ teh-tie-ROW-uh;[1] born April 5, 2003), nicknamed T-Mac, is an American football wide receiver for the Arizona Wildcats.
| Arizona Wildcats – No. 4 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Wide receiver |
| Class | Junior |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | April 5, 2003 Waimanalo, Hawai'i, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Weight | 212 lb (96 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College |
|
| Bowl games | |
| High school | Servite (Anaheim, California) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Early life and high school career
editMcMillan was born on April 5, 2003 in Waimānalo, Hawaii and moved with his family to Southern California when he was 12.[2] He attended Servite High School in Anaheim, California.[3][4] As a senior, he was a finalist for the Gatorade Football Player of the Year after he had 88 receptions for 1,302 yards and 18 touchdowns.[5] For his career, he had 179 receptions for 2,640 yards and 34 touchdowns. McMillan was selected to play in the 2022 All-American Bowl.[6] In 2021, McMillan also won the Polynesian Football Player of the Year Award.[7] A five-star recruit, he originally committed to the University of Oregon to play college football before flipping to the University of Arizona, joining high school teammates Noah Fifita, Jacob Manu, and Keyan Burnett.[8][9][10] McMillan was the highest rated recruit in the history of the school.[11][12]
College career
editMcMillan earned immediate playing time his true freshman year at Arizona in 2022.[13][14] In his first career game, he had three receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown in the 38–20 victory over San Diego State.[15] On October 15 against Washington, he had seven receptions for 132 yards and two touchdowns in the 49–39 loss.[16] He finished the 2022 season with 39 receptions for 702 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns.[17]
In the 2023 season, McMillan had 90 receptions for 1,402 yards (fifth-most in the nation) and ten touchdowns in 13 games.[18] Against Arizona State, McMillan caught 11 passes for 266 yards and two touchdowns, setting a new Territorial Cup receiving yards record as the Wildcats won 59–23.[19] He was named a third-team AP All-American at the end of the regular season.[20] In the 2023 Alamo Bowl against Oklahoma, McMillan had ten receptions for 160 yards for Arizona as they won 38–24, finishing the season on a seven-game winning streak.[21]
After coach Jedd Fisch departed Arizona to take the Washington head coaching job, McMillan elected to remain at Arizona for the 2024 season.[22] Prior to the season, McMillan was named a preseason first-team AP All-American and was a projected first-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft.[23][24] In the Wildcats' opening game of the 2024 season against New Mexico, McMillan caught ten passes for a school-record 304 yards and tied the school record with four touchdown catches in a 61–39 victory.[25]
College statistics
edit| Arizona Wildcats | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Games | Receiving | ||||||||||||
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | YPG | TD | ||||||||
| 2022 | 12 | 8 | 39 | 702 | 18.0 | 58.5 | 8 | |||||||
| 2023 | 13 | 13 | 90 | 1,402 | 15.6 | 107.8 | 10 | |||||||
| 2024 | 10 | 10 | 69 | 1,136 | 16.5 | 113.6 | 7 | |||||||
| Career | 35 | 31 | 198 | 3,240 | 16.4 | 92.6 | 25 | |||||||
References
edit- ^ "Noah Fifita and Tetairoa McMillan proud to rep Polynesian culture at Arizona". YouTube.com. Pac-12. May 3, 2022. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
- ^ Baumgardner, Nick. "Tetairoa McMillan looks like potential top-10 NFL Draft pick, even in blowout loss". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
- ^ Sondheimer, Eric (May 19, 2019). "Servite freshman Tetairoa McMillan is making an impression". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
- ^ Fryer, Steve (August 2, 2021). "Football Preview: Servite's Tetairoa McMillan can make the 'extraordinary look ordinary,' even in the Trinity League". Orange County Register. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
- ^ Albano, Dan (December 7, 2021). "Servite's Tetairoa McMillan named finalist for Gatorade national football player of the year". Orange County Register. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
- ^ Ramos, Gus (December 7, 2021). "University of Oregon Commit Tetairoa McMillan Set to be Welcomed to 2022 All-American Bowl with Virtual Jersey Presentation". NBC Sports - All American Bowl. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
- ^ "Tetairoa McMillan Named 2021 Polynesian High School Football Player of the Year". Polynesian Football Hall of Fame. December 6, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
- ^ Calvaruso, Tyler (December 18, 2021). "Four-star WR Tetairoa McMillan spurns Oregon, signs with Arizona". USA TODAY High School Sports. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
- ^ Nemec, Andrew (December 18, 2021). "Tetairoa McMillan, 5-star wide receiver and Oregon Ducks pledge, signs with Arizona Wildcats". OregonLive. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
- ^ Hummer, Chris. "How Arizona football's core four, led by QB Noah Fifita and WR Tetairoa McMillan, kept the Wildcats together". 247sports.com. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
- ^ Lev, Michael (March 2, 2022). "Freshman WR Tetairoa McMillan soars, scores as Arizona Wildcats open spring drills". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
- ^ Lev, Michael (January 1, 2022). "WR Tetairoa McMillan expected to be 'game-changer' for Arizona thanks to height, jump-ball skills". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
- ^ Lev, Michael (August 21, 2022). "Tetairoa McMillan has received an education, on and off the field, since enrolling at Arizona". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
- ^ Lev, Michael (October 5, 2022). "Duck, Duck, Wildcat: 'T-Mac' recalls his whirlwind recruitment with Arizona football". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
- ^ "Arizona at San Diego State Box Score, September 3, 2022". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
- ^ "Arizona at Washington Box Score, October 15, 2022". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
- ^ "Tetairoa McMillan 2022 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
- ^ "Tetairoa McMillan 2023 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
- ^ Morrison, Jesse (November 25, 2023). "Arizona State football shellacked by Arizona in 97th Territorial Cup". Arizona Sports. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
- ^ "Tetairoa McMillan Named Third-Team AP All-American". Arizona Wildcats Athletics. December 11, 2023. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
- ^ "Arizona tops No. 12 Oklahoma in Alamo Bowl, ends season with 7 straight wins". FOX Sports. December 29, 2023. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
- ^ Scheer, Jason (January 20, 2024). "Noah Fifita and Tetairoa McMillan announce return to Arizona next season". 247Sports. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
- ^ "McMillan Selected Walter Camp Preseason First-Team All-American". Arizona Wildcats Athletics. July 11, 2024. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
- ^ Hummer, Chris (September 1, 2024). "Arizona's Tetairoa McMillan erupts for 304 yards, 4 TDs: How Wildcats landed all-time program great". CBS Sports. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
- ^ Marshall, John (September 1, 2024). "Tetairoa McMillan's record performance lifts No. 21 Arizona to 61-39 win over New Mexico". AP News. Retrieved October 6, 2024.