Tetairoa McMillan

Tetairoa McMillan ( ; born April 5, 2003), nicknamed "T-Mac", is an American professional football wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). McMillan played college football for the Arizona Wildcats, earning Polynesian College Football Player of the Year honors in 2024. He was selected by the Panthers eighth overall in the 2025 NFL draft and was named the Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Early life McMillan was born on April 5, 2003, in Waimānalo, Hawaii, later moving with his family to Southern California at the age of one. As a senior, he was a finalist for the Gatorade Football Player of the Year after he had 88 receptions for 1,302 yards and 18 touchdowns. For his career, he had 179 receptions for 2,640 yards and 34 touchdowns. McMillan was selected to play in the 2022 All-American Bowl. In 2021, McMillan also won the Polynesian High School Football Player of the Year Award. A five-star recruit, he originally committed to the University of Oregon to play college football before flipping to the University of Arizona, joining high school teammates Noah Fifita, Jacob Manu, and Keyan Burnett. McMillan was the highest rated recruit in the history of the school.

College career McMillan earned immediate playing time his true freshman year at Arizona in 2022. In his collegiate debut, he had three receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown in the 38–20 victory over San Diego State. On October 15 against Washington, he had seven catches for 132 yards and two touchdowns in the 49–39 loss. McMillan finished the season leading all true freshmen nationally with 702 receiving yards and eight touchdowns on 39 receptions.

In 2023, McMillan had a breakout season with 90 receptions for 1,402 yards (fifth-most in the nation) and ten touchdowns over 13 games. He caught two touchdowns in a 31–24 loss to No. 7 Washington and followed with a 141-yard performance against No. 9 USC. In a 42–18 win over No. 22 Utah, McMillan had 116 receiving yards, a touchdown, and threw his first career touchdown pass. Against Arizona State, he caught 11 passes for 266 yards and two touchdowns, setting a new Territorial Cup receiving yards record as the Wildcats won 59–23. He was named a third-team AP All-American at the end of the regular season. In the 2023 Alamo Bowl against No. 12 Oklahoma, McMillan had ten receptions for 160 yards for Arizona as they won 38–24, finishing the season on a seven-game winning streak.

After head coach Jedd Fisch left Arizona to take the Washington head coaching job, McMillan elected to remain at Arizona for the 2024 season. Prior to the season, McMillan was named a preseason first-team AP All-American and was a projected first-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft. In the Wildcats' opening game of the 2024 season against New Mexico, McMillan caught ten passes for a school-record 304 yards and tied the school record with four touchdown catches in a 61–39 victory. Two weeks later, he posted a career-high 11 receptions for 138 yards in a loss to No. 14 Kansas State. In a loss to West Virginia, he finished with ten receptions for 202 yards and a touchdown. He finished the season third in the nation with 1,319 yards on 84 receptions and was named a 2024 Consensus All-American. He was also a finalist for the Fred Biletnikoff Award, losing to Travis Hunter.

Following his junior season, McMillan declared for the 2025 NFL draft, finishing his college career with 213 receptions, 3,423 receiving yards, and 26 touchdowns in three seasons. His 3,423 yards are the most in Wildcats program history, and his receptions and touchdowns rank in the top five in school history.

Professional career

McMillan was selected in the first round with the eighth overall pick by the Carolina Panthers in the 2025 NFL draft. He became the highest-selected offensive player in Arizona Wildcats history and tied for the second-highest pick overall in the program’s history, behind Ricky Hunley. On May 9, McMillan signed his four-year, $27.93 million rookie contract with the Panthers.

In week 6, he recorded three receptions for 29 yards and two receiving touchdowns which earned him NFL Rookie of the Week. In his rookie season, McMillan led the Panthers with 70 catches for 1,014 yards and seven touchdowns, which led all rookie wide receivers. He set the Panther's franchise record for most receiving yards by a rookie in a season. He was named to the PFWA NFL All-Rookie Team for the 2025 season. He won Offensive Rookie of the Year Award joining Cam Newton as the only Panthers to win the award. McMillan was ranked 87th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2026.

Career statistics

NFL Regular season Year Team Games Receiving Fumbles GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost 2025 CAR 17 17 70 1,014 14.5 43 7 1 1 Career 17 17 70 1014 14.5 43 7 1 1

Postseason Year Team Games Receiving Fumbles GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost 2025 CAR 1 1 5 81 16.2 22 0 0 0 Career 1 1 5 81 16.2 22 0 0 0

College Season Team Games Receiving GP GS Rec Yds Avg YPG TD 2022 Arizona 12 8 39 702 18.0 58.5 8 2023 Arizona 13 13 90 1,402 15.6 107.8 10 2024 Arizona 12 12 84 1,319 15.7 109.9 8Career 37 33 213 3,423 16.1 92.5 26

Personal life McMillan is of Native Hawaiian descent.

In February 2026, McMillan faced controversy after appearing on Streamer Bowl VII, a charity esports tournament. McMillan was competing against other streamers in a Madden NFL game when he was recorded using a racial epithet twice. He later apologized for the incident on Instagram, posting a statement saying "Yesterday, while on live stream, I used a term I should not have. There