San Jose State’s Brent Brennan agrees to 5-year deal to be Arizona’s next coach, AP source says

Arizona hired San Jose State’s Brent Brennan to be the Wildcats’ next head coach on Tuesday, replacing Jedd Fisch about 48 hours after he left for Washington.

Brennan, 50, agreed to a five-year contract with Arizona, a person with direct knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the school did not immediately release terms of the deal.

“Brent is an exceptional leader with a background of championship success on the field, on the recruiting trail, and as leader in the community,” Arizona athletic director Dave Heeke said in a statement. “With strong connections to the Tucson community and an appreciation for the rich legacy of our program under legendary head coach Dick Tomey, Brent’s vision to continue the upward trajectory of Arizona football is rooted in the historical excellence of the program.”

Brennan to Arizona is the latest domino to fall in college football coaching since Nick Saban announced his retirement at Alabama.

Washington’s Kalen DeBoer was hired to replace Saban on Friday, Fisch replaced DeBoer two days later and Arizona hired Brennan two days after that.

Brennan was a candidate for the Arizona job when the school hired Fisch after the 2020 season. Fisch went 1621 in three season, with the Wildcats record improving each season. Arizona went 10-3 this past season and finished No. 11 in the nation, its best season since 2014.

He spent the past seven seasons at San Jose State, leading the Spartans to three bowl games in the last four seasons, including the 2020 Arizona Bowl in Tucson. He went 34-48 at San Jose State, a program that has struggled to sustain success during its time in the Mountain West Conference.

“This incredible university is special to my family and I as it’s where I started as a coach as part of coach Tomey’s legacy,” Brennan said in a statement. “I can’t wait to meet the players, families, fans, alumni and supporters and build on the success the players and staff have started.”

Brennan is the first coach to lead San Jose State to three bowl games and was an assistant at the school. He also had stints as an assistant coach at Oregon State and Cal Poly and was a graduate assistant at Arizona under Tomey in 2000. Brennan also was an assistant under Tomey at San Jose State from 2005-09.