In a dice roll that the University of Arizona hopes will change its fortunes, the Wildcats have snagged Brent Brennan from San Jose State to command their football squad as head coach, per multiple reports; AZFamily.com broke the news that Brennan was looking to trade Californian sunshine for the Arizonian desert as early as Monday, and earlier today, we've got confirmation that he's accepted the gig, giving him a fresh slate after a seven-season grind with the Spartans.
Brennan steps in for Jedd Fisch who skedaddled over to the Washington Huskies, and if we're talking stats, Brennan's final season with San Jose State stacked up to a 7-6 record though the Spartans fell short in their Hawaii Bowl against Coastal Carolina, The Athletic initially sidelined Brennan as Arizona's prime choice, and ESPN noted Brennan's close shave with the Arizona job back in 2020 but better late than never, he's back in Tucson where he cut teeth as a graduate assistant in 2000.
As the coaching carousel spins, Brennan brings a record of 26-19 over his last four years – including three bowl appearances, which is certainly a fact Arizona's itching to capitalize on; he also has ties to the Wildcats’ past, having worked under the late Dick Tomey, who left a legendary legacy with 95 wins to his name as Arizona's main man.
Before Brennan took on the mantle at San Jose State, he spent his days teaching receivers at Oregon State under the tutelage of Mike Riley and Gary Andersen, and for the trivia buffs, he also guided Brandin Cooks to snag the Biletnikoff Award in 2013, such transgressions from mentor to head honcho is nothing new for Brennan, seeing as he dawned his coaching cap straight after his gridiron days at UCLA ended, proving you can take the man out of football but never the football out of the man.
A formal announcement has yet to sprint from the lips of Arizona officials, but at this point, the baton has been passed, and it’s Brennan's game now; check back as the story develops and find out if he can indeed turn the tide for the Wildcats on the AstroTurf battlefield.
