Arizona is one official announcement away from completing its new coaching staff under Brent Brennan. On Thursday, Arizona announced the addition of Danny Gonzales as special teams coordinator and linebackers coach, and Chip Vine as cornerbacks coach.
Troy Hutchinson of GOAZCATS.com is also reporting that Arizona plans to hire Dino Babers as its offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Multiple sources, including ESPN’s Pete Thamel, confirmed the news.
Two of Brennan’s three latest hires have NCAA head coaching experience, and will bring a breadth of knowledge to Tucson and Arizona’s staff.
Dino Babers – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach
Babers is set to return to Tucson, after serving as the Wildcats’ wide receiver coach (1995-1996), running back coach (1997), and offensive coordinator and quarterback coach (1998-2000) under Dick Tomey. Babers’ final season in Tucson was also the same year Brent Brennan served as a graduate assistant at Arizona.
Babers spent the last eight seasons (2016-2023) as the head coach at Syracuse. During that time, the Orange went 41-55, and appeared in two bowl games, including a 10-3 season in 2018, where Syracuse finished ranked 15th in the final AP Top 25 Poll.
Before his tenure at Syracuse, Babers got his head coaching start at Eastern Illinois, where he went 19-7 in two season (2012-2013). He also spent two seasons (2014-2015) at Bowling Green, where he finished with an 18-9 overall record.
Danny Gonzales – Special Teams Coordinator and Linebackers Coach
Gonzales comes to Tucson after spending the last four seasons (2020-2023) in Albuquerque as the head coach of New Mexico, where he went 11-32. He began his coaching career at New Mexico, working in a number of positions from 1999-2008. More recently, Gonzales served as the defensive coordinator and safeties coach at San Diego State (2017), and defensive coordinator at Arizona State under Herm Edwards (2018-2019).
Chip Viney – Cornerbacks Coach
Chip Viney is set to join Arizona after spending the last two seasons at San Jose State as the Spartans’ cornerbacks coach under Brent Brennan. In 2023, SJSU had the Mountain West’s equivalent of the Denver Broncos’ “No Fly Zone” from 2015, as the Spartans finished second in the MWC in total defense, and first in pass defense including 12 interceptions (second best in the conference). SJSU also allowed a conference-low 183 yards through the air.
Prior to his time at San Jose State, Viney spent most of his coaching career at Oklahoma, serving in a number of roles, including recruiting and defensive analysts positions from 2018-2020. During the 2012 season, he served as the Sooners’ director of player development and scouting analyst.
Given the coaching staff’s strong ties to the west coach, including Arizona, California, and Hawaii, expect Arizona’s Polynesian identify to continue to remain strong as the team prepares for its first season as a member of the Big 12.