Michael Lev: 3 reasons Brent Brennan is the right choice to lead Arizona Wildcats football

I was convinced that Arizona was going to hire Brent Brennan the last time around. He seemed like the perfect man for the job — checking every single box. It still holds true today.

And now it’s happening. Brennan was named the Wildcats’ head coach Tuesday, ending a whirlwind stretch that saw Jedd Fisch leave and Brennan arrive within a 48-hour span.

More staff and roster moves are coming. But now, however briefly, we can all take a moment to catch our breath and look forward to what’s to come.

Here are three reasons the UA administration made the right choice — absolutely nailed it in every way — by hiring Brent Brennan:

Destination, Tucson

Arizona is not a steppingstone job for Brennan; it’s a destination.

As you probably know by now, Brennan’s biggest influence as an up-and-comer in the business was Dick Tomey — the greatest coach in UA history. Brennan worked for him for one year here — Tomey’s last, it turned out. They reunited at San Jose State five years later. Their friendship lasted until Tomey passed away in 2019. They would talk every Sunday following every SJSU game after Brennan became the Spartans’ head coach in ’17.

The ties to Arizona run even deeper: Brennan’s brother, Brad, played wide receiver for Tomey from 1996-2000. Brennan’s wife, Courtney, attended the UA.

Rich Tomey, Dick’s son, recently spent time with Brent.

“He just told me this would be his dream job,” Rich Tomey said. “They have someone who wants to be here and loves this place.

“With Brent, you definitely have a loyal person. I just see him (as) an old-school coach like my dad was. He’s here for the long haul.”

This might be a crazy thing to say in these radical times in which coaches and players are hopping from one school to another every five minutes, but Brennan could retire here if he does a good job — which I firmly believe he will. He turns 51 in March. It’s unrealistic to expect any coach to last a decade or more. I can see it happening with this coach in this situation.

Although Fisch talked about being Arizona’s coach for the long haul, the more success he had, the more likely it was that he’d leave for something bigger/better. He wanted to make it work here for at least one more year. But given his nomadic track record and ambition, did anyone think he’d be a lifer?

Brennan could be. It’s comforting to imagine a world in which Arizona doesn’t have to go through a coaching change every three years.

More with less

Brennan skeptics might question his ceiling as a coach, citing his record at San Jose State. If that’s your argument, you don’t understand the hierarchy of college football.

If Washington is in the upper tier in terms of resources, and Arizona is somewhere in the middle, SJSU is close to the bottom.

The Knight-Newhouse College Athletics Database details how much athletic departments spend and earn — with specific data available for football. In 2022, SJSU spent about $9.3 million on football operating expenses — 11th lowest in the nation. The median in the Mountain West Conference was $13.2 million. The median in FBS was $21.3 million. Arizona spent $26.6 million.

(Alabama was No. 1 at $78.5 million. No. 2: Washington, at $70.5 million. Explains a lot, doesn’t it?)

How did that manifest itself at SJSU? The Athletic embedded with Brennan and his staff for a week leading into the 2023 season opener vs. USC. Among the revelations: The program had to raise money to buy breakfast for the players; the practice field — shared with men’s and women’s soccer — had a broken goal post; and the staff had to set up and break down 120 folding chairs to hold team meetings.

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The latter might sound like a first-world problem. But it’s just not the way it is at the majority of programs across the country. Brennan will appreciate what he has here — recently upgraded facilities, relatively robust financial support and aggressive NIL collectives.

Despite many obstacles, Brennan turned the Spartans around. After going 3-22 in his first two seasons, SJSU was never worse than 5-7 — and won seven games three times, including a 7-1 mark during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign. He led the Spartans to three bowl berths in the past four seasons — matching their total from the previous 19 years.

“Anytime you walk into a head-coaching opportunity, you’re gonna pour your life into it. But we’re in an era now where your energy has to be met by the resources of the university to have success,” said Yogi Roth, who called the SJSU-USC game for Pac-12 Networks and visited both campuses leading up to the game.

“I saw it first-hand. Their facilities, while they were proud of them, were nowhere near USC’s. Nutrition, support staff, recruiting — it’s just a totally different conversation. Which is what made what Brent did so impressive.”

Brennan did more with less at SJSU. He’ll do even more with more at Arizona.

Culture builder

Fisch frequently emphasized culture, and he created a strong one here. It helped him keep his offensive staff together and persuaded players to stick around — until Fisch himself left for what he deemed a better opportunity elsewhere.

Brennan built San Jose State into a respectable program — 20-10 in the MWC over the past four seasons — on a foundation of culture and continuity. From all accounts, he’s a genuine, down-to-earth guy who inspires others to give their all for him.

“You can’t find any players who’ve played for him or coaches who’ve worked for him to say one negative thing,” Roth said. “The minute (Arizona’s players) meet Brent Brennan, they’re going to see the essence of who he is. And when they learn more about him, they’ll play hard for him and he’ll get the best out of them.

“There won’t be drop-off. We’ll see what the roster looks like. But in terms of the overall health of the program, Brent will take that baton and everybody who cares about U of A athletics will be very proud to be associated with him — huge alumni included, like Tedy (Bruschi) and Gronk (Rob Gronkowski). Once they get around him, they’ll fall in love with him.”

It’s impossible to quantify culture. Rhetoric can ring hollow, too. But as we’ve been reminded the past few days, actions speak louder than words.

After the 2020 MWC Championship Game — which capped a 7-0 regular season that began with the Spartans practicing 320 miles from campus to bypass COVID restrictions imposed on Santa Clara County — Brennan and his players gathered in a circle and sung “Lean on Me.” That ritual began in training camp in 2019, when SJSU was coming off a 1-11 season.

One of the players in that locker room was defensive lineman Cade Hall, the 2020 MWC Defensive Player of the Year. When a Group of Five player records 12 sacks in seven games and wins an award like that, the temptation to transfer up is strong.

Hall played his final two seasons for Brennan and his staff at SJSU.

Fellow defensive lineman Viliami Fehoko Jr. was named DPOY in 2022. The Dallas Cowboys selected him in the fourth round of the NFL Draft the following spring.

It was the second time during Brennan’s tenure that a Spartan was chosen in the first four rounds of the draft. Arizona hasn’t had a player picked higher than the fifth round since 2014.

Brennan can develop players and coach ball too.