Arizona’s Brent Brennan didn’t have a honeymoon, but so far it doesn’t look like he needs one

Brent Brennan he wanted it in 2021, but in 2024 he got the coaching marriage he so desperately sought.

Arizona eventually said yes, and the hope is that the school and the coach will find their happily ever after together.

It could very well happen — only time will tell — but one thing Brennan won’t benefit from that most marriages (both real and practice) get is the honeymoon.

Arizona was very good last season and the expectation is that they will be again this season.

You can blame it Jedd Fisch for this.

Say what you will about that coach’s departure and subsequent attempt to attack the roster, the fact is he led Arizona to 10 wins and stocked the program with talented impact players. It’s a good thing. A very good thing, actually.

And yet, as of this writing, the DraftKings Sportsbook has Arizona’s win total set at 8. Normally, this would be a solid, if not great, season. After all, the Wildcats have won at least that many games just six times in the last 25 seasons.

But because of last year’s success and, more importantly, how the roster looks now, eight wins would certainly be viewed as a disappointment.

The hard break.

The good news is that like Fisch before him, Brennan has given no indication early in his tenure that he is not up to the task. The former San Jose State coach was able to quickly assemble a quality staff, who then went out and convinced most of the roster to give them a shot.

Given the option to transfer again after getting a feel for how the coaches were, most players stayed. Maybe it’s an improved NIL situation, or maybe you can credit a brotherhood that can’t be attributed to a single coach.

Whatever the reason, the mass exodus that many feared would happen simply did not happen.

So unlike Fisch, who took over a terrible list, or even Kevin Sumlin, given a decent but flawed team, Brennan has no built-in excuses. Nor does it have the benefit that Rich Rodriguez arrived at the takeover for Mike leaned over or that Stoops got when he replaced him John Mackovic.

Those coaches were tasked with rebuilding; Brennan is tasked with keeping the momentum going, or more accurately, not screwing things up.

So far, so good.

After holding the squad together, the next thing on the list was to strengthen the squad through the transfer window. After a bit of a slow start, the Cats got some work done, gathering a good mix of players. All told, Arizona’s transfer class consists of some who are ready to contribute this season and others who, with a little development, could make an impact down the road.

It is what was needed and all that could have been hoped for.

If the staff had struggled to bring in players, it would have been disappointing, but also understandable. They hadn’t been on the job long and had never recruited at this level.

But unfortunately the staff did well. And now, with Arizona’s roster looking as good as ever, expectations have remained justifiably high.

That’s what matters for this season. In many ways, college football is now a year-to-year proposition, with the goal being to maximize what you can when you can because you never know if another school is going to come around. For coaches and players.

In any case, the last place Brennan and his staff could show progress this offseason was long-term recruiting, and their recent success with the 2025 class — and even 2026 recruits — is a very positive sign.

So again, whatever Brennan was asked to do he did. Everything that needed to be shown was exposed. Maybe Arizona didn’t want to have to hire him, but it looks like she did the right thing.

Indeed, Brennan looks like the right coach at the right time.

With most, if any, off-field concerns alleviated, attention will soon turn to the field. Will Brennan and this staff continue to make the most of it Noah Fifita, Tetairoa McMillan and an offense that has no shortage of positional talent behind a stout offensive line? Will the defense continue to spike footballs, preventing teams from lighting up the scoreboard?

Failure to do so would not only be a disappointment, but could be detrimental to a program that is growing but not yet established. A bad season and struggles from its stars would indicate a coaching staff ill-equipped to guide top-level talent and likely lead to the exodus of key players and recruits.

Goodwill earned from a particular 2023 would be, if not lost, at risk. Brennan had nothing to do with it, of course, and should only be judged by what happens to him in charge.

But while most Arizona coaches had to build a foundation and were given time to do so, for Brennan it was already a strong one.

Arizona has already gone through a rebuild. Now, it’s up to his new coach to keep the Wildcats on their toes.