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ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ head coach Brent Brennan revealed the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥â€™ honorary captains during his coach’s show at Union Public House Monday evening.

McMillan, Savaiinaea and Loop were recently a part of ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥â€™s four-player NFL Draft class in April, which also included seventh-round running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt, who’s in line to have a prominent role in the Washington Commanders’ backfield after they traded starter Brian Robinson Jr.

In five years at ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥, Loop recorded an 83.8% field-goal rate, which currently ranks 39th in college football history; it’s also the best mark in ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ history. Loop’s 327 points are third in school history behind Max Zendejas (360) and Art Luppino (337).

Loop was 6 for 9 in field goals of at least 50 yards in 2024, which included a program-record 62-yard field goal. Loop owns the UA single-game school record with five field goals against Texas Tech. He also made all three of his field goals and extra points in ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥â€™s win over Oklahoma in the 2023 Alamo Bowl.

In his last two seasons at ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥, Loop also had 126 touchbacks in 140 attempts (90%).

Loop was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round of the NFL Draft and became the first ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ kicker drafted since Nick Folk in 2007. Loop is also the first-ever kicker drafted in Baltimore Ravens history.

Loop was named the starting kicker following his five-field goal performance in the Ravens’ 31-13 preseason win over the Dallas Cowboys.

Loop made field goals from 29, 51, 42, 36, and 53 yards. Loop’s only miss was from 50 yards in the fourth quarter, but he redeemed his miss with a 53-yard field goal, which was his second-longest field goal of preseason. He made a 61-yarder in Baltimore’s final preseason game at MT&T Bank Stadium.

Savaiinaea, who was drafted in the second round by the Miami Dolphins, played three positions on ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥â€™s offensive line between 2022 and ‘24. In three seasons at ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥, Savaiinaea played 2,418 snaps — including 1,057 at right tackle, 985 at right guard and 345 at left tackle, according to Pro Football Focus. The Tafuna, American Samoa native allowed eight sacks and five quarterback hits in three seasons, according to Pro Football Focus.

Savaiinaea took over at left tackle in 2024 once redshirt freshman Rhino Tapa’atoutai suffered a season-ending leg injury, but Savaiinaea missed the season finale against ASU due to a leg injury; he played the previous 36 games.

The 6-5, 326-pound Savaiinaea is in line to start at left guard for the Dolphins this season. Savaiinaea received an 80.9 pass-blocking grade for his final preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Savaiinaea’s younger brother, Julian, is a 6-3, 280-pound defensive lineman for the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ and is expected to be in the rotation on ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥â€™s defensive front. Both Savaiinaea brothers attended St. Louis School in Honolulu, which is a 10-minute drive from Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex, the home stadium for the Rainbow Warriors.

“Super excited for him to be back in town,� Julian Savaiinaea said. “I haven’t seen him since the draft party. I’m definitely stoked to see him again.�

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ kicks off the season against Hawaii on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on TNT and HBO Max.

Croskey-Merritt rising in Washington

Croskey-Merritt likely won’t start for the Commanders this season, and he’ll play behind veteran and second-team All-Pro running back Austin Ekeler, but Robinson getting dealt to the San Francisco 49ers for a 2026 sixth-round pick has opened up an opportunity for the ex-Wildcat to become a key contributor.

In three preseason games for the Commanders, Croskey-Merritt has 18 rushes for 70 yards and a touchdown. He scored a 27-yard touchdown in Washington’s final preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Croskey-Merritt’s early success in the NFL “is really cool,â€� said ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales, who was Croskey-Merritt’s head coach for a season at New Mexico.

Croskey-Merritt, who is nicknamed Bill after the “Little Billâ€� cartoon, transferred to ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ from New Mexico last year, but eligibility concerns sidelined the running back for the final 11 games of the season following his 106-yard, one-touchdown performance against New Mexico in the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥â€™ season opener.

Croskey-Merritt remained at ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ and played for the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥â€™ scout-team offense to help the defense prepare.

Croskey-Merritt’s unexpected year was a positive for him. Croskey-Merritt didn’t experience the wear and tear running backs normally endure during the season. The shelf lives of running backs aren’t as long as other position groups. In other words, Croskey-Merritt had more tread on the tires when he was drafted.

Croskey-Merritt had the fastest 40-yard dash time (4.45 seconds) and highest vertical (41.5 inches) for running backs at Big 12 Pro Day. He also had the second-most bench press reps (17) and third-best broad jump (10 feet, 4 inches) for running backs. In January, Croskey-Merritt was the Offensive MVP of the East-West Shrine Bowl after rushing for 97 yards and two touchdowns.

An impressive offseason coupled with a standout performance at ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ contributed to Croskey-Merritt’s stock rising before the NFL Draft.

“Washington got a deal because Bill is fresh,� Gonzales said. “He didn’t get hit last year other than one game. I don’t know if people know how significant that is. Bill would’ve been a tremendous asset to our football team last year and there’s a chance we win a couple more games because you have somebody that dynamic back there.

“You saw that in the first game, and you’re watching it against the best players in the world, albeit preseason. But there’s a reason they’re shopping around their best running back in the last three years, because they know (there’s) something special that they have. His personality, he’s mature.

“For anyone to handle last year the way he did and show up every day and give our defense a great look on the scout team and (NFL) scouts coming to watch, that’s an impressive deal because most kids would’ve went away and trained and said, ‘Forget it.’ But Bill is a team guy. ... He’s a special talent and I could not be happier for the young man. It almost brings a tear to my eye because I love him like one of my own kids.�