Arizona Athletic Director Dave Heeke might have said it best when he posted “Got our guy!” on X (formerly Twitter) Tuesday afternoon. After an emotional last couple of days in Tucson, the Wildcats have their next head football coach.
Arizona has hired San Jose State’s Brent Brennan to be the 31st coach in program history, replacing Jedd Fisch, who left to become the head coach at the University of Washington after three seasons in Tucson.
“I am incredibly excited to announce Brent Brennan as the next Head Football Coach at the University of Arizona,” said Heeke. “Brent is an exceptional leader with a background of championship success on the field, on the recruiting trail, and as leader in the community. With strong connections to the Tucson community and an appreciation for the rich legacy of our program under legendary Head Coach Dick Tomey, Brent’s vision to continue the upward trajectory of Arizona Football is rooted in the historical excellence of the program. As we begin a new era, Brent Brennan is the ideal leader for our student-athletes, staff, campus and Southern Arizona community as we write the next great chapters of Arizona Football.”
While it has been almost a quarter-century since he last worked at Arizona, Brennan is no stranger to Tucson and the Wildcats. He worked as a graduate assistant at Arizona in 2000, legendary Arizona coach Dick Tomey’s final year, and later spent five seasons (2005-2009) as an offensive assistant coach under Tomey at San Jose State.
Fast forward, Brennan has spent the last seven seasons at San Jose State as the head coach, finishing with a 34-48 record during that span. Over the past four seasons, Brennan finished with a 26-19 mark, three bowl game appearances, and three seven-win seasons.
Brennan’s best season came in the pandemic-shortened 2020 year, when the Spartans finished atop the Mountain West Conference, with a 7-1 record and an appearance in the Arizona Bowl in Tucson.
That same year (2020), Brennan was also a finalist for the Arizona job, before the UA elected to hire Fisch, following the firing of Kevin Sumlin.
Since then, Brennan has led SJSU to two more bowl games and orchestrated two more seven-win seasons, including a three-way tie for the 2023 Mountain West Conference regular season.
As he shifts his attention to the Wildcats, there is a lot of work to be done for the incoming head coach. Brennan, who has already met with Arizona’s players, will need to work quickly to retain a majority of a roster – highlighted by electric quaterback-wide receiver duo Noah Fifita and Tetairoa McMillan – that just finished the 2023 season ranked No. 11 in the country, with a 10-3 record and Alamo Bowl victory.
On the sidelines, Brennan will also need to assemble a new staff in Tucson. Most of Arizona’s offensive staff, as well as outside linebackers coach Jason Kaufusi and cornerbacks coach John Richardson, are following Jedd Fisch to Seattle. Defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen and secondary coach Duane Akina, joined Texas following its College Football Playoff appearance, but reportedly have offers to return to Arizona and join Brennan and Co.
One name to keep an eye on is Arizona wide receivers coach Kevin Cummings. Cummings played for Brennan at Oregon State for three seasons (2011-2013), and the two worked together in Corvallis from 2014-2016. Cummings also served as Brennan’s wide receivers coach at San Jose State (2017-2020), before joining Arizona’s staff.
While the terms of Brennan’s contract have yet to be released, it is expected to be a five-year deal, the maximum allowed by the state of Arizona, pending approval from the Arizona Board of Regents.
Brennan arrived on the University of Arizona campus at approximately 4:15 PM local time, where he was greeted by the Pride of Arizona Pep Band, Arizona Pomline, Arizona Cheerleaders, and mascots Wilbur and Wilma. Before entering the facility to speak with the team, Brennan joined in the festivities and sang the Arizona fight song, “Bear Down Arizona”.