ESPN’s Pete Thamel lists Arizona’s Brent Brennan on the hot seat in 2025

Arizona Wildcats head coach Brent Brennan was listed by ESPN’s Pete Thamel as a coach who could be on the hot seat in 2025.

Brennan is coming off his first season with the Wildcats where the team finished a disappointing 4-8 after the Wildcats won 10 games in 2023 under former head coach Jedd Fisch and had several starters returning to the team, including quarterback Noah Fifita and star wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan.

Thamel said that moving on from Brennan is an option for the program if its have similar results this year.

Arizona’s dip from 10-3 in Jedd Fisch’s first year to 4-8 in Brent Brennan’s first season has led to scrutiny. Also, there has been a new athletic director brought in since Brennan was hired. The buyout price is steep at $10.6 million, but it’s something Arizona is expected to consider if there’s no improvement. It doesn’t help matters for Brennan that rival Arizona State burst into the CFP in Kenny Dillingham’s second year.

How does Brennan, Arizona look headed into 2025?

Arizona enters 2025 after undergoing several roster and coaching changes in the offseason, most notably hiring new offensive coordinator Seth Doege and defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales.

While Fifita returns for his junior season, the Wildcats’ offense will have a big hole to fill at the wide receiver position with McMillan leaving for the NFL. The Wildcats added four receivers through the transfer portal, including senior Javin Whatley, who caught 140 passes for 2,125 yards and 18 touchdowns across three seasons (2022-24) with the Chattanooga Mocs.

The Wildcats defense looks to bounce back after a season that saw the team finish 13th in the Big 12 in points allowed per game (31.8) and total yards per game (414.3). The Wildcats secondary sees several starters return, including Treydan Stukes, Dalton Johnson and Genesis Smith. Sophomore defensive lineman Julian Savaiinaea and senior Tre Smith return on the defensive front for the Wildcats. 

Arizona kicks off their season against Hawaii at Arizona Stadium on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. MST. The game can be seen on TNT.

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