Arizona’s hire of Brent Brennan made sense, given the time constraints the program was dealing with when Jedd Fisch bolted for Washington. A reasonably-successful coach at his previous stop, Brennan had nearly gotten the job before Fisch was hired and desperately wanted the Arizona gig.
With a pair of transfer portals to contend with and the former coach looking to raid the roster, Brennan managed to navigate the program through a bumpy offseason only to steer it right into an iceberg once the games began.
Simply put, Brennan was a terrible coach in 2024.
In his first season with Arizona after a moderately-successful stint at San Jose State, the former Dick Tomey assistant pressed all the wrong buttons and led the team to finish that was six wins less than the previous season and when taking expectations into account, was one of the worst seasons in program history.
A nice guy, his press conferences were largely uninspiring as well. Sure he put blame for the team’s struggles on himself, but when it came down to dissecting the issues and explaining his decisions, oftentimes they were lacking the kind of insight that makes you confident a coach knows what they’re doing.
Take, for example, his answer on why he elected to have his team punt in the third quarter of the season finale against Arizona State. His team down 35-7, it had moved to near midfield after the Sun Devils missed a field goal.
“In the second half, if we didn’t get it, we were going to give them the ball on the plus-43 yard line,” he said. “And the series before they went 75 yards in three minutes and 12 seconds, or something like that. It was fast, that’s when they missed the field. So that was that decision.”
So to understand that explanation, ASU had on their previous drive shown an ability to easily march down the field against your defense so the smart play was to … take your offense off the field and give them the ball back?
ASU scored a touchdown nine plays later.
The decision to punt did not cost Arizona the game.
But the mentality that led to it was arguably the biggest problem with Brennan this past season. He coached with fear, seemingly more concerned with what could go wrong than what it would mean for his team if things went right.
Fisch coached with confidence, and his teams played with a belief they could win. ASU’s Kenny Dillingham coaches with extreme confidence, and his team plays with a belief it will win. The best coaches have talented rosters, yes, but they coach and lead in a way that gets the most out of what they have.
Brennan did not do that. In fact, while his roster was beset by injuries it was still arguably better than the one Fisch inherited in ‘21 and was far less competitive over the course of the season.
You don’t have to win every game, especially when the roster isn’t as good. But at the very least you should compete and not lose six games by at least three touchdowns, not with the roster Arizona fielded this past season.
That’s on the coaching, but I digress.
Not all aggressive decisions work out, and indeed sometimes the safe play is the right one. But this past season Brennan showed a lack of understanding of his team and situations, which was stunning given the fact that he is, you know, a head coach.
Now, Brennan’s inability to show much in the way of competency in his first season could have led to it being his final season, but while many may have expected or wanted that to be the case, he is set to come back for year two.
Right decision or wrong decision, it is the decision so now the question is if Brennan can change both his ways and the program’s trajectory.
Since the season finale it has been announced that the team will have new offensive and defensive coordinators next season, as well as a dedicated special teams coach. Good and necessary changes, to be sure, though it is imperative the hires be the correct ones.
A good offensive scheme is a must in today’s game, and a talented coordinator guiding an explosive offense could push Brennan into being less of a wimp. A solid defense and dependable special teams may offer a similar benefit.
Along with hiring the right assistants, they and Brennan must benefit from the transfer portal in a way they were unable to last season based on the timing of their arrival in Tucson.
The portal was always going to be important, but it is especially so in light of the number of key players who have entered it and could leave Tucson along with those who are off to graduation or the NFL.
In terms of the portal, some who are in may ultimately withdraw and return to Tucson and it’s important to remember Arizona is not the only school that will see a healthy chunk of the roster depart for one reason or another.
That means plenty of good players will be available, and if Brennan and his staff can land enough of them next season does not have to be a bad one.
Look no further than the team that most recently beat Arizona and is now in the CFP. Arizona State is essentially Transfer-U, with its entire offensive starting lineup being made up of players who did not start out in Tempe and the bulk of their starting 22 all coming in by way of the portal.
Odds are none are making the kind of big money a school like Arizona couldn’t compete with, and yet they have coalesced into one of the more surprising and impressive teams in the country. Dillingham and his staff added the right players, coached them up and schemed their way into success.
That’s possible for Arizona.
Unlike last season, Brennan is armed with a full offseason in which to work along with plenty of snaps and (in theory) additional NIL to offer recruits. He also can look for players that fit his system, whatever that is, and not be saddled with a roster and expectations he inherited but did not earn.
Hopefully this will allow Brennan to be the coach we thought he was upon taking the job. If not, we’ll likely be yearning for the ‘24 season as the ‘25 season rolls on.
After the ASU loss, Brennan was asked about winning back fans who had soured on him. He acknowledged that until the first game of the season is played, he may not be able to do much.
“If they (need) to wait 10 months until we win a football game, or nine months, however far away that is, I’m not gonna be able to do it between now and then,” he said of winning them over. “But I’ll tell you this: you only have one choice when you’re in this position, and that is to go over and to believe that you can.
“Because the other choice doesn’t lead to the results you want.”
Up to now the choice of Brennan hasn’t led to the kind of results anyone wanted. But with a rebuilt staff and roster maybe he can show that he is a better coach than what we saw, the kind who can grow and lead the program into the future.
If not, that task will likely be someone else’s one year from now.