Under new coach Brent Brennan, Arizona hopes to keep momentum going – Longmont Times-Call

New Arizona head coach Brent Brennan is introduced to fans during a timeout of their NCAA college basketball game against Southern California Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024, in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)

After finally getting the program back on track last year, Arizona football looked to have a bright future under head coach Jedd Fisch.

Then legendary Alabama head coach Nick Saban retired in January, which had an impact in Tucson. Alabama replaced Saban with Washington’s Kalen DeBoer. National runner-up Washington took Fisch from Arizona.

While that halted the momentum Fisch had built in Arizona, the Wildcats appear to be in good hands with his replacement, Brent Brennan.

This summer, BuffZone will preview each of Colorado’s opponents for the 2024 season, and in this installment we look at Arizona, who is moving up from the Pac-12 along with the Buffs. Arizona will host the Buffs in Tucson on October 19th.

Brennan spent the last seven seasons as the head coach at San Jose State, turning that program around. From 1991-2019, the Spartans went to three bowl games. Brennan has taken them to bowl games in three of the last four seasons.

The task will be different in Arizona, but he got an early win when star quarterback Noah Fifita and wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan opted to stay in Arizona while many of their teammates hit the transfer window.

“I think we have a great group,” Brennan said in a recent interview with 365 Sports. “I give these players all the credit because they were the ones who were so committed to each other and so connected that they wanted to continue this journey to Arizona together. They love the city of Tucson, they love the U of A.”

Teammates at Servite (Calif.) High School, Fifita and McMillan are among the best QB-receiver duos in the country. Fifta took over as the starting quarterback early last season and exploded, throwing 25 touchdown passes.

McMillan ranked fifth nationally with 1,402 receiving yards in 2023 and is considered by many to be a preseason All-American.

Around them, the Wildcats have three full-time and one part-time offensive linemen, as well as starting wide receiver Montana Lemonious-Craig. The Wildcats charged through the transfer portal to fill holes at running back and elsewhere.

Defensively, Arizona took a huge leap last year. Eight straight years from 2015-22, the Wildcats gave up at least 31.4 points per game each season. Last year, they cut that to 21.1, ranking fourth in the Pac-12 and 30th nationally.

Several key players from that unit are gone, though, especially up front. The Wildcats filled those holes in the transfer window, but they’ll need that group to come together.

However, a lot of talent remains on defense, led by last year’s leading tackler (linebacker Jacob Manu) and most of the secondary, including all-conference corner Tacario Davis.

Despite some early offseason turmoil, Arizona could be a contender in the Big 12. Led by Fifita, the Wildcats have a potentially high-powered offense. If the defense comes together, Arizona has a chance to keep the momentum going and post back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in a decade — and possibly make a run at a conference title.

“I think we’re in a great place,” Brennan recently told News 4 in Tucson. “I really believe in our strength and our conditioning staff and I think they’re doing a great job with our players right now. This team is really committed and (there is) great leadership in all classes.

“We feel great where we are. We’re excited for that and we’re excited for the new conference.”

The Wildcats of Arizona

Trainer: Brent Brennan, first season (34-48 career)

2023 season: 10-3, 7-2 Pac-12; beat Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl, 38-24

Series with CU: Colorado leads 16-10

The game

WHO: Colorado Buffaloes at Arizona Wildcats

When: Saturday, October 19, set time

Where: Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Arizona.

5 guys to watch

CB Tacario Davis: He finished second in the Pac-12 last year with 15 pass breakups (six more than those who ranked third on the list) and earned second-team all-conference honors. He also had 25 tackles and an interception.

QB Noah Fifita: He came off the bench early last year, but when he got the starting job, he didn’t let up. He was the Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year, completing 72.4 percent of his passes (school record) for 2,869 yards, 25 touchdowns and just six interceptions. Arizona went 7-2 in his nine starts.

LB Jacob Manu: Last year as a sophomore, he led the Pac-12 in tackles with 116 and earned first-team all-conference honors. He also had 9.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, 13 quarterback hurries and an interception.

WR Tetairoa McMillan: Caught 90 passes for 1,402 yards and 10 touchdowns last year, averaging 15.6 yards per catch and earning Associated Press third-team All-American honors. In two seasons of college football, both at Arizona, he has 129 catches for 2,104 yards and 18 touchdowns.

BY Tre Smith: A transfer from San Jose State, he earned first-team All-Mountain West honors last season as a sophomore. He had 66 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. He had 89 tackles and 9.5 sacks in his collegiate career.

Good to know

• Arizona enters the season on a seven-game winning streak. It’s the second-longest active winning streak in the country behind only defending national champion Michigan, which has 15 straight.

• Dino Babers was hired as offensive coordinator after spending the last eight seasons as head coach at Syracuse. Babers returns to Tucson as he was an assistant with the Wildcats from 1995-2000, including the last three years as coordinator. Brennan was a graduate assistant under Babers in 2000 at Arizona.

• New defensive coordinator Duane Akina also has plenty of experience with the Wildcats. From 1987-2000, he was on the staff in various roles, including defensive backs coach and served four years (1992-95) as offensive coordinator. He coached defensive backs at Texas from 2001-13 and at Stanford from 2014-22 before returning to Tucson last year as an analyst.

• The Buffs are 9-4 all-time against the Tucson Wildcats, but most of that came long before the teams became conference rivals in the Pac-12. During the Pac-12 era (2011-23), the Buffs were just 2-4 at Arizona Stadium.

• Former CU Montana wide receiver Lemonious-Craig returns for his second year with the Wildcats. Last year’s starter, he caught 28 passes for 296 yards and three touchdowns. In three years at CU, he had 33 catches for 482 yards and five touchdowns.

• Kicker Tyler Loop is one of the best in the country and was a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award last year. In his career, he made 49 of 57 field goals (86%) and all 103 extra point attempts.

Portal movement

Typical of a team that has gone through a coaching change, Arizona has had plenty of activity in the net this offseason. The Wildcats lost 28 players, 10 of whom followed former coach Jedd Fisch to Washington, including last year’s leader Jonah Coleman, cornerback Ephesians Prysock and tight end Isaiah Ward. Arizona also lost starting tackle Bill Norton (Texas) and part-time starting quarterback Daniel Heimuli (Georgia State). Former starting quarterback Jayden de Laura is now at Texas State. The Wildcats bring back 24 transfers, including two of the top running backs in the Mountain West last year, Jacory Croskey-Merritt (New Mexico) and Quali Conley (San Jose State). Shancco Matautia, who played three years at New Mexico and spent the spring at Arizona State, could be the starter at right guard. Played with Fifita and McMillan in high school. Receiver Reymello Murphy (Old Dominion) and tight end Sam Olson (San Jose State) could also make an impact on offense. On defense, seniors Tre Smith (San Jose State) and Lance Keneley (Stanford) and linebacker Stanley Ta’ufo’ou (USC) could all make an impact.