In his assessment of the "Big 12 college football coaches rankings blend youth and age, led by Kenny Dillingham," Jordan Mendoza of USA Today states Brent Brennan will enter his second season with Arizona on the hot seat and has him 15th in the conference.
Mendoza discusses Brennan inheriting a 10-win team from 2023 that returned foundational players in 2024 and finished 4-8. Quarterback Noah Fifita is the foundational player for Arizona entering the 2025 season with transfers added to create more offensive balance.
Arizona opens the season at home versus Hawaii, Weber State and Kansas State to start the 2025 season. Wins in those three games would significantly help Brennan. Kansas State is a non-conference game that was scheduled before Arizona joined the Big XII. Arizona begins their Big XII schedule at Iowa State on September 27.
McMillan is gone to the NFL as the eighth pick in the 2025 Draft to the Carolina Panthers. Despite McMillan being one of the best wide receivers nationally in 2024, Arizona was 114th, averaging 21.8 points per game and 96th, posting 354.5 total yards per game.
"Jordan Mendoza, USA Today
15. Brent Brennan, Arizona
Brennan inherited an Arizona team that won 10 games in 2023 and retained quarterback Noah Fifita and receiver Tetairoa McMillan. The Wildcats were expected to contend for a Big 12 title, but instead lost seven of their last eight games to finish 4-8. Fumbling the keys to what was a good situation has hurt Brennan's position with the fanbase and starts the season on the hot seat."
Brennan replaced most of the coaching staff after the 2024 season. New offensive coordinator Seth Doege, who runs an Air Raid system, is expected to provide Arizona with a more modern offense. Washington State transfer WR Kris Hutson and Texas State running back Israel Mahdi were praised throughout spring practice.
Injuries hindered Arizona in 2025. Arizona lost 36 players to the transfer portal, added 26 and signed 28 players in the 2025 class. The Wildcats will have a different look on the sidelines entering the 2025 season and Arizona needs to improve to get Brennan off the hot seat.