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Arizona finished 4-8 overall and 2-6 in Big XII games after being picked to finish fifth in the inaugural season in the conference. Head coach Brent Brennan took accountability for the disappointing season and looked ahead to what to expect from Arizona during the 2025 offseason.
The Early National Signing Period for the 2025 class begins on Wednesday, December 4 and goes through Friday, December 6. Players can officially enter the transfer portal beginning on Monday, December 9. With Early NSD moving up a couple of weeks, Brennan and his staff can get to work immediately on the 2025 roster.
Arizona has 19 commits expected to sign National Letters of Intent this week. The 2025 Arizona class is 53rd in the 247Sports Composite rankings. All 19 Arizona commits are three-star prospects. The 2025 Arizona class which was once ranked as high as fourth in the Big XII is now 10th.
Six players have de-commtited from the 2025 class, including two in the last week. Arizona lost cornerback Josh Tuchek to UNLV on November 24 and wide receiver Muizz Tounkara to Florida on the following day. The most significant loss was four-star WR Terry Shelton who flipped to TCU last month.
"I believe in what we're the support we're getting from our Athletics director and our
President...I'm extremely optimistic about the recruiting class that we're going to put together and the action we're going to get done in the portal and I believe in our coaches, in these players. So I'm excited to move forward and this...year was not fun. It was absolute misery...There were some fun moments but not nearly enough...I feel bad cuz I feel like I let down these players. I feel like I let down this community and I feel like I let down this University... This thing starts with me looking in the mirror and doing a hardcore evaluation of the choices and the decisions I made and then building that out with our entire program every step of the way the evaluation process begins."
How much patience Athletic Director Desiree Reed-Francois has with Brennan in the future is something to monitor. Reed-Francois' predecessor Dave Heeke hired Brennan shortly before being fired in January. The old adage is that an AD usually wants to bring in their own person.
If Arizona is going to compete in the Big XII, upgrading the talent is essential. The loss of Shelton who is the 71st ranked player in the 2025 class was big for Arizona. Wide receiver Isaiah Mizell is the 431st ranked player, 65th WR and 62nd ranked player in Florida out of Orlando Boone and the highest ranked 2025 Arizona commit.
If Brent Brennan stays, the first thing needed is an overhaul of the strength & conditioning team. After that, a revamp of the offensive staff, except Alonzo Carter.
— Shane Dale (@ShaneDaleAZ) December 1, 2024
Brennan can recruit and, as we’ve already seen, build relationships. But none of that matters w/o those changes.
Brennan should be able to offer incoming transfers the opportunity to compete for immediate playing time. The transfer portal allows programs to improve significantly from one season to the next. Keeping their own players and particularly quarterback Noah Fifita is critical for Arizona entering 2025.
Expect Brennan to make significant changes to his coaching staff. A new offensive coordinator is almost definite. Defensive coordinator Duane Akina is 68 years old and at the end of his career. Akina has a decision to make as much as if Brennan wants him to return. Akina would probably like to be in a competitive program.
While the majority of Arizona fans seem to want Brennan fired, he will likely receive one more season. Brennan and Arizona cannot afford another season of four wins in 2025. Arizona has to show progress in 2025 or Reed-Francois could decide to bring in her own coach.