LAS VEGAS – The Arizona Wildcats arrived at Allegiant Stadium on Wednesday morning for the second day of the 2024 Big 12 Football Media Days. Head coach Brent Brennan, along with quarterback Noah Fifita, wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, linebacker Jacob Manu, and safety Gunner Maldonado took time answering questions for radio and TV hosts, before getting whisked away for photos and a preview of the brand new EA Sports College Football 25 video set to release next week.
They returned to the field in the afternoon, where Brent Brennan and Noah Fifita spoke to ESPN, before Brennan addressed the crowd at large during his formal press conference. After that, Brennan and the players broke out into smaller sessions, where members of the media had a chance to ask questions a little more intimately. Let’s take a look at everything head coach Brent Brennan and the Arizona players had to say in Sin City on Wednesday during the 2024 Big 12 Football Media Days.
Arizona HC Brent Brennan – 2024 Big 12 Football Media Days
Opening Remarks:
“Hello. Really excited to be here. What an incredible day this has been. I’m not sure it’s an advantage or a disadvantage being last, but I’ve been talking a lot today so I may need to hydrate as we’re going. Could not be more excited to be at the University of Arizona. It’s an incredible opportunity, something that I’ve thought about for a very, very long time, and I’m excited about everything that’s happening there right now.
We’ve got great new leadership in our athletics department with Desireé Reed-Francois. There is all kinds of excitement about the football team we had a year ago, so there’s tremendous momentum. And a lot of those players chose to stay together and move forward together, which I think is rare and one of the best stories in college football this season, which I think needs to be told more often. Ticket sales and excitement for joining the Big 12 Conference is extremely high. We’re fired up, can’t wait to get this thing going. Bear Down.”
How were you able to keep Noah, and how key was that to keeping everybody together?
“I would say T-Mac and Jacob Manu and Jonah Savaiinaea had more to do – Gunner Maldonado, more to do with keeping Noah Fifita there than I did. The truth is these players really loved each other. Coach Fisch and that staff recruited a bunch of quality young men that were incredibly committed and connected, and I think that’s what contributed to them wanting to stay.”
Noah Fifita rallied around 25 players to come to talk you in your first hours in Tucson. What were those conversations like?
“I didn’t ask them anything – I let them ask me. I thought it was important I give them an opportunity to get to know me, like who I was, what I was going to be about. And it was speed dating. They asked me a thousand questions in a two-hour span, and at the end of it – some of them were silly and fun and we were laughing and smiling and joking, and some of them serious. It was a really great kind of icebreaker for all of us to get to know each other. And I think Noah spearheading it was a huge part of that.
But then at the end of the conversation, I asked the players if they wanted to do it again the next day, and they all agreed. So the next day, the same group, plus or minus a few, got together, and we had another two-hour conversation just about my philosophy, how I coach, what I believe in, what my family is like, what color cleats we’re going to wear. It was all over the map. But it was a really great opportunity for us to get to know each other and for them to have an understanding that as a head coach they’re going to have a lot of – I’m the kind of coach that I want them to have input in what we’re doing.”
How have your roots at Arizona inspired confidence, motivation and overall excitement in your first year as head coach?
“Well, that part has been really special. My wife also went to school there. There’s a lot of carryover for me. My mentor, Dick Tomey, was there for a really long time. It’s very, very special for me to come back there. It’s also given me a really cool connection to kind of that ’90s generation that was either in school at the same time I was at UCLA or right after me when my brother was at University of Arizona. So, it’s very special for me to be back there. I will say it’s an incredible responsibility because of how much I know everyone cares about Arizona Football.”
How have you started making changes to the program without discarding some of the things that made last season so successful?
“You know, I would say the easiest part of that is when we – like offensively when we started putting that scheme together, we let the current players – Noah Fifita, T-Mac, those guys – have a lot of input in terms of keeping a lot of the verbiage the same. So how we call plays – I put the onus on the coaches to learn what they tag plays or how they communicated that a year ago and make that part of us, which that way only 10 guys have to learn it and not 70.
So that was the way we did that schematically, and defensively we were able to retain Duane Akina and Brett Arce and some other pieces there that the scheme will be the same or similar. I would say that part of it, you always want to lean into the talent you have. That’s just where I come from. I think part of that is making sure those players are comfortable in the schemes and situations you put them in on game day.”
What separates T-Mac as a player and person?
“T-Mac is one of those rare people that is actually fiercely competitive but is having fun during the competition. Like almost the way Steph Curry plays basketball. He’s having so much – he looks like he’s having so much more fun than everybody else. Then as a talent or as a receiver – I’m an old receiver guy myself, not nearly as good as any of the guys I’m coaching right now – but 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 throws is – to finish those catches, and Noah’s ability to throw them makes T-Mac extremely rare.”
Arizona had five Preseason All-Big 12 selections, second behind Oklahoma State? Does that give the team any sort of chip on their shoulder or external motivation?
“I would guess those players don’t even know that happened. I don’t know who they are, either. Because I’ve been in this thing long enough to know that the only accolades that matter are the ones that come after the season. And that’s what we’re striving for. So however those things are stated now, like okay, that’s kind of – I don’t think that’s where our focus should be. Our focus needs to be on the process and the work we need to do this summer to play good football in the fall.”
You have Duane Akina as your defensive coordinator, Dino Babers as your offensive coordinator. Can you talk about that dynamic of bringing that old-school Arizona together?
“Well, I thought it was just important that I had people on the staff that love and care about the University of Arizona. We also added Bobby Wade who was a great player there in the late ’90s, early 2000s. I think Brandon Sanders is in the building, Chuck Cecil is in the building, Ricky Hunley is in the building. It’s so important for me that there’s players that played in the uniform, that care deeply about the U of A touching our team, involved with our team. I really want that to be a part of it. I think that’s one of those things that it’s hard to have if you haven’t lived it, and those guys have lived it at such a high level, and I want our players to have that around them and to experience it.”
How will you continue to implement the Polynesian heritage that Jedd Fisch made such an integral part of Arizona’s culture?
“So I think for me, my experience with that culture goes back to when I played in high school and college. That runway has given me great insight into that. That will always be part of us. I think the beauty of the Polynesian culture is the family component, the component of respect, the hard work, all those things, and then just the natural talent that I think maybe the world is just starting to see now. But that talent has been obvious on the West Coast and at the University of Arizona for years. And so at San Jose State, my last job, that was a huge part of who we were, and that’s going to continue to be a huge part of who we are at the U of A.”
Are there plans to release any additional alternate helmets or uniforms after yesterday’s release, and are you a fan of having options?
“Well that’s the wait and see question isn’t it? I like them. I think that’s fun for the players, and I think that’s fun for the fans, whether they like it or they’re upset.”
Do you feel any pressure to have instant success in Tucson given how many players are returning to Arizona?
“I think pressure is just part of this thing. It doesn’t matter what the circumstances are. The biggest part of that I think would be for the players. This will be the first time that they’re coming to the start of the season with a winning record. For every single player in the program, that’s never happened. So that part of it is important for them.”
Given how different Arizona’s running back room looks from last season to now, how will you and Coach Alonzo “Zo” Carter leverage the room?
“That’s going to be one of the most fun things to watch in fall camp I think. Obviously, Bill joining us, along with Ked [Kedrick Reescano], Quali [Conley], those are three big, powerful backs that have made plays, and a lot of plays, in Division 1 football. Then you combine that with Speedy [Rayshon Luke] and BJ [Brandon Johnson], that room’s going to be fun. Everybody wants to say this one back is the guy, you can’t play a football season that way. It doesn’t work, those guys get too beat up. Having a stable of guys in there that can really do a great job with it is exciting.”
What is T-Mac’s injury status heading into fall camp?
“I think he’ll be a version of full-go. We don’t know enough yet to know if it’s going to be full throttle or not. We’re going to be really smart about that one.”
Who are some players in the wide receiver outside of T-Mac and Montana that have impressed you?
“Malachi [Riley]. That’s a pretty deep group, and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun to see. I thought Malachi had a really great spring, but there’s a lot of guys in that room that are gonna compete. There’s young players – Chris Hunter, AJ Jones, Brandon Phelps – there’s plenty in that room, and I think the additions are going to be helpful, like Reymello [Murphy] and Jeremiah Patterson. That position, there’s three guys that kind of established that they’re a little bit out in front, but then I think the next group is really going to be interesting to watch.”
Are there similarities with Arizona’s Polynesian culture now and the Dick Tomey era?
“No question. Coach Tomey obviously brought that to Arizona from Hawaii, because he was one of the first guys to go recruit American Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, all those places, because of where they were at the University of Hawaii. Then when he came to Arizona, that obviously became part of the team at Arizona. It’s been awesome to see that culture’s impact on the game of football.”
What’s something you have learned or tried that’s a part of Polynesian culture?
“I went to a home visit with Joe Salave’a in a house in East Palo Alto – this is a long time ago – we were both working for Coach Tomey. And we had to eat lu, which is a Tongan deal – it’s like corned beef wrapped in a taro leaf that they steam. It’s like the size of a football, and so I was so full when we left, I was like dying, and I was eating with Big Joe Salave’a.
I love how much they respect their parents, how much they respect each other, how much they respect their coaches. I think they just add an incredible family component to a football program.”
What are your thoughts on EA Sports College Football 25?
“I think it’s so cool – I’m not a big gamer, but I love it because of the excitement it’s generating for the college football season and the excitement that it’s generating for Arizona Football. People are excited to play with Noah Fifita, and T-Mac, and Jacob Manu, and Gunner Maldonado, and whoever. That part’s gonna be awesome, and for the players it’s cool because they all grew up playing the older versions of the game, but in their life as high school and college football players it hasn’t been available, so I think it’s awesome.”
Arizona QB Noah Fifita – 2024 Big 12 Football Media Days
With Arizona being new to the conference, what can you tell Big 12 fans about the Wildcats?
“You’ll be able to see it really quickly once we get to the Big 12 – what you’re going to see is a lot of passion. We love each other, and we love playing the game. We have a lot of fun playing the game, and I think you guy are going to see that. Just really enjoy being together, having this team, this family. You’ll see that, then obviously offensively, we hope to bring a lot of explosiveness, explosive plays, and defense…and then the main this is, we’re going to try to bring a winning mentality to the Big 12, try to go win it.”
How much confidence does a win in the Alamo Bowl over Oklahoma, a team that was very successful in the Big 12, give Arizona heading into the league?
“Obviously Oklahoma’s a high caliber program, so being able to play them, and being able to beat them at a very good game like the Alamo Bowl was special. I think momentum was on our side – we had a really good finish to the year. Confidence was at an all time high, so now that kind of just transfers into the Big 12. We know last year’s last year, but we’re going to take what we had from last year and try to carry it into fall camp and carry it into the season.”
On how important the offensive line staying intact for Arizona is?
“It’s big time. Obviously, having T-Mac is huge on the offside, because if you go one-on-one with him, it’s game over whoever he’s playing against. But, at the end of the day, we can’t get it to him without those guys. Being able to bring four out of the five back is big time. Obviously, the one we lost is a first-round pick, so we’re going to have to find a replacement there. We’ve got some work to do, but our offensive line’s in a really good spot. Our team’s in a really good spot.”
Thoughts on the new coach-to-player helmet communication systems?
“We tried it out in the spring, had a lot of issues. Gotta fix that. It’s going to be very beneficial because that kind of takes out – it just allows you to talk to your coach on the field. Obviously I can’t talk back, but I get to hear his input. It’s a new thing in college football, so there’s still going to be a lot of kinks, including going to a road game with a lot of sound, so we’ve still got signals, we’re still trying to figure it out, but it should be very beneficial.”
Brent Brennan said not a single player on Arizona’s roster has gone into the season with a winning record. What does it mean finishing the season 7-0, and how will you carry that momentum into the Big 12?
“It just goes to show – I mean the older guys like Gunner, guys like Stukes. They trusted it, even when things weren’t going well, they trusted it, they trusted the coaching change. It shows the loyalty, it shows the humility for them to trust us to continue to stay here. At the end of the day, we know it’s a new year, new conference, so we’re looking forward to the future. We’re going to take what we learned from the past, but we know that none of the wins from last year carry over, so it’s a new season, and we’re going to take it one week at a time.”
Arizona WR Tetairoa McMillan – 2024 Big 12 Football Media Days
On the status of his foot?
“It’s fine. Yeah, no, I feel great, I feel good…ready to put some cleats back on.”
How he sustained the injury?
“It was just me running routes. It was non-contact, so things you can’t control.”
On how he assessed last season and is looking to improve this fall?
“Just keep doing what I’m doing. Obviously, I want to exceed what I did this past year. To me, my seasons was – it wasn’t as good as it seemed to me. I wasn’t really satisfied with my performances last year, and I think I can do a lot better, so I’m just looking forward to that.”
You have a chance to break Arizona’s all-time receiving record with Bobby Wade, the program’s current record holder, back in Tucson as your receivers coach. What does that mean to you to have an opportunity like that?
“That’s obviously the goal, and Coach Bobby does a good job of encouraging me to do that. At the end of the day, all records are meant to be broken and he’s making sure I do break them. At the end of the day, you know, he’s probably going to be a little bit salty when I do, but I know at the end of the day he’ll be happy for me.”
According to Desireé Reed-Francois, ticket sales are up 40%, largely driven by the retention of the team. What does it mean to have a community like Tucson supporting Arizona Football?
“The community is what makes Arizona Football run. You’ve got to start somewhere, and the city of Tucson is where we’ve got to start. Coming here, we wanted to be program changers and we wanted to bring light back to Tucson. We wanted the city of Tucson to find pride in our play. Hopefully we can put smiles on their faces.”
Thoughts on the Big 12 announcing a partnership with Microsoft that will bring Surface tablets on the sidelines?
“If that tablet thing – the Microsoft tablet on the sideline thing is true, then I think that’s going to help a lot. I still remember my first college football game – first drive I came off the field and I asked coach, ‘can I see the play on the tablet?’, because in high school we did that, but he was like ‘no, in college we don’t do that’, and I’m like ‘wow’ – it’s different, so I definitely think it’s going to help us just make the adjustments during the game. Obviously we see what’s going on during the play and on the field, but the eyes in the sky don’t lie.”
Arizona LB Jacob Manu – 2024 Big 12 Football Media Days
What can opposing Big 12 fans that have never been to a game at Arizona Stadium before expect this fall?
“All I gotta say, shoutout to ZonaZoo. If y’all come to Tucson, you’ll know about them for sure. We need y’all to come pack the stadium this year, it’s gonna be a fun year.”
Duane Akina said during the spring that he was going to make Arizona’s defense more aggressive this season. How has he taken last season’s stout defense and made it his own?
“Yeah, like Gunner said, we’re going to be more aggressive up front, taking that first step up, and getting to the quarterback to make more sacks. Be more aggressive…and then we’re just going to keep adding on to what we have. We have some high IQ players we can do that with.”
Arizona S Gunner Maldonado – 2024 Big 12 Football Media Days
What can opposing Big 12 fans that have never been to a game at Arizona Stadium before expect this fall?
“The Zoo’s going to be wild, and it’s going to be hot.”
Duane Akina said during the spring that he was going to make Arizona’s defense more aggressive this season. How has he taken last season’s stout defense and made it his own?
“Obviously, building off what we did last year, we made a lot of strides, especially late in the season last year. But it terms of adding some – just changing up the play style a little bit, getting our guys up front to play a little more upfield, especially to get to the quarterback more. I think that’s been a big emphasis he’s had.”
Following the 2024 Big 12 Football Media Days, Arizona will begin it’s preseason on Tuesday, July 30 in Tucson.