Arizona head coach Brent Brennan "spent a good amount of time in Houston and Central Texas" recruiting players at his previous coaching stops.Â
Now that the Wildcats are in the Big 12, recruiting the Lone Star State has been imperative. In the last recruiting cycle, Arizona signed the most Texans since the 2005 recruiting class. A majority of Arizona's Texas-bred recruits in the ’25 class hail from the Dallas or Austin areas. Freshman running back Wesley Yarbrough is a Houston-area native and grew up in Crosby, Texas. Â
"They have a good proximity of talent, but I also think it's good for us and schools in the Big 12 because we know we're going to Texas to play games," Brennan said. "From a recruiting part of it, a lot of those kids are interested in being somewhere else, being somewhere new or they like a different staff or something different. Knowing they're going to play games in the state of Texas, I think it gives us a good chance to recruit those areas there."Â
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Arizona's upcoming trip to Houston will be a homecoming for several Wildcats, including running back Kedrick Reescano, who grew up in New Caney, Texas, a town just north of Houston.Â

Arizona running back Kedrick Reescano (3) gets hit trying to get through the hole against BYU in the first quarter of a Big 12 game, Oct. 11, 2025, in Tucson.
Reescano totaled 5,182 yards of total offense and 75 touchdowns in four seasons at New Caney High School. As a junior, Reescano placed second in the triple jump in the Class 5A Texas track and field championships. He became a four-star prospect and signed with Ole Miss in 2023, but transferred to Arizona last season.
Reescano said he grew up rooting for the Houston Texans, "but only because the first player I ever met was Arian Foster," he said.
Like his other Texas-bred UA teammates, Reescano is expecting a large contingent of supporters. When the Wildcats faced TCU in Fort Worth last season, Reescano had around 45 supporters in attendance, he said. Most of the tickets were donated to him because each player is allotted four tickets for family members.Â
Between Reescano and starting running back Ismail Mahdi, who's a Dallas-area native, Arizona's Texas two-step in the backfield could have an impact on the Wildcats' up-and-down rushing attack, which ranks 11th in the Big 12, averaging 147.2 yards per game. Arizona has a 1-5 record on the road underBrennan, and the win over Utah last season is the only time the Wildcats outrushed an opponent. Arizona is averaging 80.2 rushing yards per road trip since last season.Â

Running backs Ismail Mahdi, left, and Kedrick Reescano talk about a drill during a spring practice at the Cole and Jeannie Davis Sports Center in Tucson on April 3, 2025.
Earlier this season, Reescano missed three games and had minimal roles against Iowa State (available but didn't play) and Oklahoma State after suffering a lower-leg injury.Â
"I don't want to talk about what happened to me physically, but what I can say is that it's great to be back," Reescano said. "All of my teammates embraced me coming back from what I came back from. It feels good. ... But I have more to offer."Â
Reescano had a career-high 13 carries for 90 yards and a touchdown — nearly two touchdowns, but his second score was called back for holding in overtime — in Arizona's loss to BYU last week. Reescano broke through multiple defenders and ran for a 36-yard touchdown against BYU.Â
Reescano "ran through like three people and scored," said ÃÛÌÒÓ°ÏñAV offensive coordinator Seth Doege.
"That's just who he is," Doege said. "That's the mentality he has. ... He's a warrior. He's a warrior for fighting through his injury and finding ways to be available. You should see the way he attacks his rehab, it's unbelievable because he just wants to be a great teammate and help the team. I love that kid. He obviously has a little bit more size than the other two (running backs)."Â

Arizona running back Kedrick Reescano gestures into the stands after dashing almost untouched up the middle for the first score of the night in the first half against Hawaii on Aug. 30 in Tucson.
The 6-foot, 214-pound Reescano "has truly bought into what we're talking about and what we believe in," Doege said.
"He's been such a leader for us, so when the ball is in his hands, I feel confident," added Arizona's play caller.
With Reescano back as a mainstay and a key cog to Arizona's ground game, along with Mahdi and Quincy Craig, who is Arizona's second-leading rusher this season, the Wildcats have a "three-headed snake" in the backfield, Reescano said.
He added: "There's no way you can stop all of us."Â
Contact Justin Spears, the Star's Arizona football beat reporter, at jspears@tucson.com. On X(Twitter): @JustinESports