Two of the names Ortege Jenkins suggested to take over as Arizona’s new football head coach are on the UA staff.
When former Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch took the same role at Washington after leading the Wildcats to a 10-3 season and a win in the Alamo Bowl, Jenkins, a former UA quarterback, recommended current UA head coach Brent Brennan and Dino Babers, a former Syracuse head coach, along with former defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen and ex-Wildcat linebacker Antonio Pierce, who is now the full-time head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.
Under Brennan, the 62-year-old Babers, who is another Dick Tomey disciple, is expected to join Arizona’s staff as an offensive coordinator, albeit his hiring hasn’t been officially announced by the team yet.
As the offensive coordinator of Arizona’s 12-1 season in 1998, Babers coached the Wildcats to finish Top 20 nationally in scoring offense (15th) and total offense (18th). Arizona utilized two quarterbacks in the ‘98 season: Keith Smith and Jenkins, who is known for the “Leap by the Lake” against Washington, one of the most celebrated plays in program history.
“Babers has always been one of my favorites. One of the guys that taught me a lot of things,” Jenkins said. “He’s one that will hold people accountable. We had a great time in Tucson, lighting it up with the offense. The beautiful thing is this team has been able to keep the guys intact with notable guys like (quarterback Noah Fifita, wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan and linebacker Jacob Manu), but you also have to think about that (offensive) line. Just being able to keep four out of the five guys coming back is outstanding.”
Jenkins joined “Spears and Ali” on ESPN Tucson recently to talk about Babers, Brennan and Fifita. Here’s what he said:
How is Babers as an offensive coordinator? Does he have a set system or does it vary depending on offensive talent available?
A: “No matter what, your style is going to be based on personnel. The beauty thing is that we have really good personnel from an offensive standpoint. But piggy-backing on some of the things the guys do well, I would lean on Coach Babers. He’s going to add his twist to it and he’s going to be explosive. When we were playing during that time, we were very explosive.
“We were spreading the ball around, using Trung, throwing to Dennis, a lot of big things.
“He spread the ball and made sure we utilized the talent that we had. I see him doing the same exact thing and being explosive guys. You have a quarterback who’s efficient and understands the offense, understands his players, makes plays, very smart, and then you have guys who are explosive on both sides of the ball. I would guarantee he’s going to stay explosive with it, mix it up a little bit and keep it rolling.”
Dino Babers, Arizona’s offensive coordinator in 1998, coached the team to its first 5,000-yard season when the focus was on the Desert Swarm defense.
In your experiences dealing with a change at offensive coordinator, how challenging is it to comprehend the new offense for a quarterback?
A: “It takes time. That’s why I’m sure they’re working day and night diligently with the guys, with the coaching staff and getting everybody on the same page. Homer Smith was my first offensive coordinator. Homer Smith was a legendary offensive coordinator, but Dino Babers was on staff. So when Homer Smith stepped down and Babers went from our running backs coach to offensive coordinator, we just kept the same thing, but then the following year we threw in signals, so we had to completely learn not bringing in calls from the sideline.
“It takes time. But these guys are dynamic, man, and they’re smart; they’ll pick it up. Knowing Coach Babers, he’s not going to make it to where it’s like opening up a brand new book of things, because that’s depending on what they have going on.
“I think it’ll be easy for the guys to pick it up and move forward.”
What’s your assessment of quarterback and leader Noah Fifita?
A: “People always say, ‘Ah, he’s short and so small.’ Listen, Noah been short his whole life. That ain’t nothing new. He was short when he played Pop Warner, he was short at Servite (High School) and he’s short at Arizona. It doesn’t mean anything.
“He’s efficient, smart, knows how to get the ball out of his hands, stays on time, knows how to find his lane and he’s a student of the game, which is huge. He likes to know everything that’s going on and that’s what makes him very efficient. He knows the players he needs to get the ball to and it seems like he knew that often.
“To me, he’s a special player. He’s almost like a Russell Wilson-type guy. He can run when he needs to and is very accurate with the football. I think he’s a special kid and is a great locker-room guy and everyone loves him. The quarterback position is in good hands. As long as he keeps working on his craft and keeps getting better, I think we’ll be OK.”
Quarterbacks Keith Smith, left, and Ortege Jenkins of the 1998 Arizona Wildcats football team.
As an alumnus, how do you reflect on what Fisch accomplished in three years? What are your expectations for the Brennan era?
A: “I stay firm with this, maybe the exit wasn’t done in the best way or the way people wanted to see it happen, but you have to remember in the nature of the business, that’s just how it happens, there’s a lot of moves made fast. There’s a lot of things behind the scenes that we don’t have access to. There’s a lot of speculation, but not everything is true. Winning one game to five games and then ending it with 10 (wins) with a young squad of a lot of guys returning, you gotta think about it. The program was in good hands. Jedd did a great job of doing what he does. He brought the alumni back, he was engaged, he won games and the players seem to be excited and they were enjoying it. I’ve been back to school more times than I have in the last 20 years because of his open-arms policy that he had.
“I don’t have a grudge — and I really don’t have a grudge because I know about the coaching staff that’s there now.
“Now Brent has to come in and implement his system and the things that he does. He’s done a great job of keeping the guys intact. Guys are jumping out of the portal and staying home because Brent is a players’ coach.
“Coach Babers probably got five guys in the Ring of Honor. ... The expectations are high, let’s keep it real. They won 10 games last year and the expectations are through the roof. They understand that and that’s why they’re working hard and diligently to get these guys bought in to what they’re doing. It’s time to get to work.”
Arizona head coach Brent Brennan sat down with the Arizona Daily Star at Davis Sports Center. (Video by Justin Spears / Arizona Daily Star)
New Arizona football coach Brent Brennan discusses his initial impressions of QB Noah Fifita and WR Tetairoa McMillan (Video by Justin Spears / Arizona Daily Star)
University of Arizona athletic director Dave Heeke introduces new Arizona football coach Brent Brennan during a press conference on Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024 at Arizona Stadium. (Courtesy Arizona Athletics)
