So much has been said about Tetairoa McMillan over the last several months leading up to the NFL Draft.Â
Some of it is nitpicking, some of it is lauding, but this isn't foreign territory for the former Arizona wide receiver, who is expected to hear his name called when the NFL Draft kicks off the first round Thursday night in Green Bay.
McMillan, who ended his three-year career at the UA as one of the most potent offensive weapons in school history, has been under the microscope since he was a highly-touted recruit at Servite High School (California).
We decided to comb through our archives and pull the most notable things said about McMillan, in chronological order, from the time he signed with Arizona to now.
Here's what people said about McMillan — and his talents — over the years:
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Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) runs through a drill during the second day of Arizona's 2022 fall training practice near Arizona's Dick Tomey Football Practice Field on Aug. 4, 2022.
Arizona wide receivers coach Kevin Cummings, after McMillan flipped his commitment from Oregon to Arizona (circa 2021): “T-Mac is all ball. T-Mac loves the game of football and you see it the way he plays. He’s got a volleyball background, which I think is why he’s so explosive when it comes to catching a ball. His catch radius is unreal. Any ball that’s in his area, he has a chance to get. ... He’s very light on his feet. He’ll tell you he doesn’t need to be a burner, because ‘I got great routes, great hands and I know the game.’ So, he just goes out there and balls.â€
Servite assistant coach and recruiting liaison Rudy Cambero, on McMillan's Servite career (circa 2021): “He was making super-hard catches look routine on the practice field. We became accustomed to T-Mac doing what T-Mac does. That kid is special.â€
Former Servite and Arizona tight end Keyan Burnett (circa 2021): “He’s a prototype ‘X’ receiver. He’s going to make the 50-50 catches 100% of the time.â€
Former Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch (circa 2022): “The biggest thing he can bring is touchdowns. How do you score touchdowns in the red zone? It really comes down to being able to make plays in one-on-one matchups — the fade ball, the slant, the back shoulder. His ball skills and his vertical jump, being 6-foot-4 ... is a game-changer for us.â€

Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan catches a pass for a touchdown over Washington linebacker Kamren Fabiculanan during the second half of the Huskies' 49-39 win over the Wildcats on Oct. 15, 2022 in Seattle.
Former Arizona quarterback Jayden de Laura, after McMillan recorded seven catches for 132 yards and two touchdowns as a freshman against Washington (circa 2022): “I feel like it’s just expected. From the first practice I've seen him participate in in spring, he made big plays, made catches. Big-time players make big-time plays, and he's one of those guys.â€
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver and former Arizona star Jacob Cowing (circa 2023):Â "The kid can roll. ... The kid's fast, the kid's physical and the kid's big, he can jump, so he's a freak athlete at the end of the day. You gotta watch out for him."

Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) slips the tackle of UCLA defensive back Alex Johnson (36) after a catch in the first quarter of the Wildcats’ win over the Bruins on Nov. 4, 2023, at Arizona Stadium.
Ohio State offensive coordinator and former UCLA head coach Chip Kelly, after the Wildcats' win over the Bruins (circa 2023): “I think you gotta give T-Mac credit. We always felt he was one of the top receivers — if not, the top receiver — in the country. The catches he made today, we had people on him, they were contested and he still makes the catch. ... He’s a heck of a player. He ran two deep over routes, guys are draped on him and he makes the catch. Sometimes you just gotta tip your hat."
Fisch, after McMillan's 107-yard and one-touchdown performance against Colorado (circa 2023): “I think he’s the best receiver in the country ... I think that’s been proven week in and week out."
Cummings, on McMillan's off-the-field talents (circa 2023): “He’s just a ball player. We went bowling and he averaged, I think, like 200. He’s just good at everything.â€
Arizona defensive back Treydan Stukes, on McMillan's off-the-field talents (circa 2023): “I’m so jealous. He’s good at every sport you can think of. Like ping-pong, something you wouldn’t even think twice about, he’s good at that. He’s probably good at pickleball. Every little sport you can think of, he’s got some training in it or something.â€
Las Vegas Raiders assistant coach and former ÃÛÌÒÓ°ÏñAV offensive coordinator Brennan Carroll (circa 2023): “He’s a fantastic athlete. There’s probably very few sports he won’t be great at. He was a fantastic volleyball player. We try to keep him out of the (UA student recreation center) as much as we can, but when he gets out there and shoots some hoops, he does some cool things with the ball in his hand, just like he does on the football field."

Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) hops out of the hands of Arizona State defensive back Ed Woods (10), racking up more yards after the catch in the fourth quarter of the Territorial Cup game in Tempe on Nov. 25, 2023.
Washington linebacker and former Wildcat Jacob Manu (circa 2023): “A lot of things come easy for him. Don’t tell him that. It’s crazy how talented he is. I don’t think he really knows how talented he is. For me, the work he’s been putting in this year ... He was like this in high school, but he’s been putting in a lot of work this year and it shows.â€
ESPN analyst Louis Riddick (circa 2023): “Big, fast, has some of the best highlight, one-handed catches in college football this season. Can play inside or outside, (and has) (run after catch) skills. Turn on the tape. It’s there.â€
Cincinnati Bengals tight end and former Wildcat Tanner McLachlan (circa 2023): “He makes all of these spectacular plays in the game, and people are wowed by it, but we see it every day. And he does it consistently every day."Â
Arizona head coach Brent Brennan (circa 2024): “He looks like he’s having so much more fun than everybody else. Then as a talent or as a receiver ... T-Mac’s body control, his ability to finish 50-50 balls — I think so many games in college or the NFL come down to a 50-50 throw on a short-yardage play where you can’t run it because they have too many people in the box, and his ability to finish those catches, and (quarterback Noah Fifita's) ability to throw them, makes T-Mac extremely rare.â€
Former ÃÛÌÒÓ°ÏñAV offensive coordinator Dino Babers (circa 2024): “I’m not sure I’ve met anyone like him. The only person I’ve seen with a catch radius like that is Larry Fitzgerald. I’m not comparing him to Larry because he played 17 years (in the NFL); I’m telling you he’s not normal. He may be better than anyone I’ve ever coached. We’ll see. I’ve coached some really good ones and they played really well in the pros. At the college level, he might be better than anyone I’ve ever coached.â€

Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, left, and quarterback Noah Fifita celebrate after McMillan’s catch-and-run score in the third quarter of the Wildcats’ season-opener against New Mexico, Aug. 31, 2024.
Fifita, on McMillan setting the UA record for single-game yards (304) and touchdowns (4) in the season opener against New Mexico (circa 2024): “He’s the best player in the country and his statistics showed that."Â
Brennan, on McMillan's performance against New Mexico (circa 2024): “Those big, explosive (plays) were just incredible. He outran the whole secondary on that big one down the sideline. He’s awesome and an awesome competitor. He’s also not satisfied, like, ‘We can play better.’ It’s what you hope for.â€
Brennan (circa 2024): "He's a team-first guy all the time, which makes him beautiful. He's the type of player that knows he can help fix some of the challenges we've had offensively. He knows that he can positively impact the football game — and he's demonstrated that before."
Arizona wide receivers coach Bobby Wade, on McMillan passing his record for career receiving yards (3,423) at the UA (circa 2024): “I was extremely happy. It was satisfying, for sure. It was something that was a goal we set when we first got here. You don’t make a lot of promises as a coach, but that was one I promised him we’d get done regardless of record and whatever else is going on.â€Â

Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan answers questions near the tail end of Day 2 of Big 12 football Media Days on July 10, 2024, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Brennan (circa 2025): "He was a player that was never on a list, never late, he never had an academic issue. He was on point all the time. Not a single misstep in any of that. NFL teams like guys who are serious about their business. There's no question T-Mac is extremely serious about his business. ... His movement, his short-range quickness, his catch radius is totally unique — totally unique. I've coached hundreds of them and I've coached a lot of NFL players, too, but he's unique."Â
Wade (circa 2025): “T-Mac’s ability is going to translate quickly in the NFL. He’s a great route-runner, he’s very coachable and obviously the God-given talent is unmatched. The ability to play the ball off his feet and create separation and what he put on film last year by being able to run with the football in his hand is unique at that size. He was by far faster than what everyone thought he was. ... I’m really proud of him and how he’s been working this offseason.â€
ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. (circa 2025): “He can go get it. ... He was highly productive every year (at Arizona)."Â
Contact Justin Spears, the Star's Arizona football beat reporter, at jspears@tucson.com. On X(Twitter): @JustinESports