Arizona Football Coaching Profile: Brent Brennan

We’re already a day into Kevin Sumlin-less era of Arizona Football, and with numerous names being circulated, we look at San Jose State’s Brent Brennan.

Things are heating up in Tucson with the head coaching search for Arizona Football, and over the last 24 hours-plus, we have seen a lot of names. One of those names being Brent Brennan.

For those that don’t know, Brent is the head coach at San Jose State, and he has been steadily gaining a lot of notoriety in the world of coaching vacancies, especially as Arizona is one of the few programs currently with a head coaching vacancy. Vanderbilt and Auburn the only other major, open vacancies at the moment.

Arizona Wildcats

So why should we pay attention to Brent? Well, let us break it down for you!

Brent Brennan

Head Coach – San Jose State
Record: 14-29
Age: 47
Alma Mater: UCLA

A steadily rising, young coach in Division 1 College Football, Brent has a long history tied to the West Coast, where he was a former player at UCLA, before becoming a coach in the high school ranks, and eventually the College Ranks.

Brent has ties to the University of Arizona, especially as he was a Graduate Assistant in 2000 in Tucson, and even served under former legendary Wildcat head coach, Dick Tomey.

Considered an understudy of his, Brennan was essentially hand-picked by Tomey at San Jose State to replace him, which is no easy place to win at.

At first glance, I know a lot of people will wince at the record, but keep in mind, SJSU is not a place for the faint of heart. They are a program that typically finishes near the bottom in the MWC, but what he has done in four, short years is nothing short of remarkable.

In his first season in San Jose, the Spartans went 2-11. Year two, 1-11. Year three, 5-7. This year, a sterling and perfect 6-0.

In a place that has been starving for wins, Brennan is delivering, and he is doing it with a bit of a throwback style, much like that of Tomey’s. Their defense currently ranks 34th, their offense, 34th as well. Now that’s balance!

Does he have ties to Arizona and the Pac-10/12?

• He coached at Arizona as a grad assistant in 2000.
• Brett was a former player at UCLA from 1991-95.
• Brennan coached at Washington as a Grad Assistant in 1999, and Oregon State as a WR coach from 2011-16.

Check!

Does Brent have ties to the West Coast?

Yes! Brennan is a native of California, being a standout receiver at Saint Francis High School in Mountain View, CA, before lettering with the Bruins in Pasadena.

The furthest East he’s been as a coach was Arizona, and that was 20 years ago.

Check!

Is he young?

This might just be a matter of preference here, but Arizona needs youth and energy to re-energize a stagnant and ailing program.

Another re-tread hire to me doesn’t scream “I’ve got the energy and stamina” to turn Arizona into a winner.

Brennan is currently 47 and seemingly is young enough to provide that youthfulness Arizona is longing for. He is turning things around in San Jose, and with more resources and a Power Five conference team to take over, perhaps the possibilities for him are endless.

Age? Check!

On paper, looks like a solid hire, and the fact he has a lot of the things Arizona would be and should be looking for, and it seems like this something that makes a lot of sense. Do fans agree? Well, we will see!

And for those curious, tune into this Tomey’s memorial at an hour, 26 minutes to hear Brennan speak!

At Zona Zealots, we are curious to see how this coaching search plays out, and regardless, we will be watching, hopeful that the Cats can find the right man to lead them out of this. As always, Bear Down, Arizona!