Michael

Wiley

This is the corresponding move to the Von Miller addition. Wiley spent all of last season with the Commanders practice squad after signing in 2024 out of Arizona. He’ll look to catch on elsewhere as camp begins.

Wiley (5’10/210) is a dual-threat back who punched in 28 scores on 459 career touches. He totaled just 2,862 yards from scrimmage over five college seasons and topped out at 771 rushing yards in 2022. He may be better suited as a third-down and/or pass-catching back as a pro. He handled 100-plus rush attempts just once in his career while averaging 32.3 receptions per season from 2021-2023. Wiley forced a missed tackle on 25.9 percent of his total touches, proving to be a problem for opposing defenders with the ball in his hand. His 4.51 40-time and 7.19 RAS are both adequate for a player of his size, but he lacks burst and top-end speed. He’s unlikely to make a roster out of camp but could benefit from a team getting some more looks at him on the practice squad.

Wiley (5'11/202) had his best performance through the air since week one against BYU. He was the safety net all game for QB Will Plummer, including on his touchdown grab in the fourth quarter. With the fog at its worst, Wiley ran an out route out of the backfield, jumped for a one-handed catch, and scooted into the endzone for a nice 26-ard touchdown catch. That was Wiley’s second receiving touchdown and fourth of the year. The Wildcats take on Arizona State next Saturday.

Wiley (5'11/202) passed for what can be considered as a bright spot for Arizona in this scoring starved affair, as he rushed off the right tackle for a 10-yard touchdown score to cap off an eight play, 55-yard drive with just 2:14 left in the game to give Arizona the victory. This game was anything but pretty, as Cal was missing several players due to a COVID-10 outbreak, but when you haven’t won a game all season like Arizona hadn’t entering the game, you’ll take the wins any way you can get them. Wiley has scored touchdowns in back-to-back games and will look to make it three in a row next Saturday against Utah.

Wiley (5'11/202) also added three receptions for 43 yards and a touchdown. He and Drake Anderson (16-58-0) provide a decent foundation for the Arizona run game, but it is still a work in progress. It doesn’t help that the quarterback situation is a turnstile. QB Jordan McCloud, who took over earlier in the season for the ineffective QB Gunner Cruz, was knocked out of the game and on crutches, so it looks like the Wildcats might be back to Cruz at Colorado next Saturday. The Buffs aren’t great against the run, so Wiley and Anderson could each post some decent numbers.

Wiley was a big play machine every time he touched the ball on the ground. On single-digit carries, the man earned over 100 yards, thanks in part to a 45-yard gainer he ripped off. At 5-foot-11 and 202-pounds, Wiley has deceptive speed for a back as well-built as he is. Unfortunately, that speed did not quite translate when he was catching passes. He caught five throws, mostly on checkdowns, and accrued just 15 yards, never really finding the space to break off a big yards-after-catch gain.

Back in May it was reported that Arizona would handle the running back position by committee, but that was not the case in the season opener. Brightwell (6'1/218) was responsible for 21 of the 24 carries made by running backs Saturday, with Michael Wiley (11 yards) responsible for the other three. And given how well the senior played against USC, that could very well be the case going forward. Brightwell hit the 100-yard mark just once last season, in a win over Northern Arizona, and he was up against a much better defense Saturday. Brightwell, who also caught three passes for 20 yards, will look to put forth another good game next weekend at Washington.