Tetairoa McMillan is Too Good for How Bad This Season Was

I need to talk about Tetairoa McMillan because I’m not sure people understand how good he is.

Arizona went 5-7. Bad season. Forgettable year. But McMillan was still putting up numbers that would make him a Heisman candidate on a better team.

72 catches. 1,012 yards. 8 touchdowns. On a team that couldn’t protect the quarterback. On a team that got pushed around at the line of scrimmage. On a team that lost seven games.

Imagine what this kid could do with a functioning offense around him.

Here’s what stands out when you watch McMillan’s tape: the catch radius is insane. He’s 6’5″ with long arms and he plays even bigger. Quarterbacks can throw the ball in his general direction and he’ll come down with it. Contested catches, back-shoulder throws, jump balls — he wins all of them.

The body control is elite too. The number of times he adjusted mid-air to make a catch that shouldn’t have been possible was ridiculous this year. There’s a catch against Kansas State where he’s falling backwards, defender draped all over him, and he somehow brings the ball in with one hand while keeping his feet in bounds.

That’s not coaching. That’s not scheme. That’s just pure talent. You either have that or you don’t.

Jake’s note: McMillan is going to make whatever NFL team drafts him very happy. The dude is a cheat code. I watched him destroy our secondary in the Tech game. Nothing we did mattered. He was just better.

The frustrating thing for Arizona fans is that McMillan’s elite play was kind of wasted this year. He did everything he could. He made plays that kept them in games. And they still went 5-7 because the rest of the team couldn’t hold up their end.

If McMillan comes back for another year — which he might not, because why would he — Arizona needs to build around him. Get him a quarterback who can stay upright. Get him an offensive line that can create time. Give him a chance to truly dominate.

He’s a generational receiver playing on a team that couldn’t get out of its own way. That’s a shame.

— Mike