Joe Salave’a ecstatic to return to Arizona football, boost Brent Brennan’s staff

Arizona Wildcats football brought back a program standout to bolster head coach Brent Brennan’s staff: Joe Salave’a.

The program named Salave’a, a decorated defensive lineman at the UofA from 1994-97, its new associated head coach and defensive line coach on Thursday. Arizona also announced the decision to promote Danny Gonzales to defensive coordinator.

“When you go on your journey of coaching and it takes you to different places, this has always been a place close to my heart,” Salave’a told reporters on Friday. “So I was never really detached. I always tried to keep up with it but never had the opportunity … When Brennan reached out, it was surreal because I can go back to how this place was built upon and my journey. I was really excited.”

Salave’a became a captain for head coach Dick Tomey’s Wildcats in 1996 and earned First Team All-Pac-10 honors in 1997. The Samoan native was a fourth-round NFL draft pick in 1998 and went on to play eight years in the pros for Tennessee, Baltimore, San Diego and Washington.

San Jose State, led by Tomey at the time, hired Salave’a as its defensive line coach after his playing days, and he connected with a fellow assistant, Brennan.

The two got to know each other on the recruiting trail, memories that helped Brennan finalize his decision.

“I could tell right away he was such a natural with people and such a natural on the field with his command and his energy,” Brennan said. “Thise were things that I remember that impacted my decision to bring him back.”

He’s home 🐻⬇️ pic.twitter.com/WgqA9cLi1F

— Arizona Football (@ArizonaFBall) January 10, 2025

After starting his coaching career with Brennan at San Jose State, he coached at Arizona for one season in 2011 before moving on to Washington State for the next five years. The Cougars named Salave’a assistant head coach for his final two years in the program under head coach Mike Leach.

He stayed in the Pac-12 as Oregon hired him as an associate head coach, defensive line coach and co-defensive coordinator in 2017, and he spent the next five years in Eugene with head coach Mario Cristobal before they both moved onto Miami from 2022-24.

Salave’a has come back to coach against Arizona a number of times, but his flight back to Tucson to rejoin the Wildcats was a very different experience. He described seeing the faces of Tomey, former Arizona defensive coordinator Rich Ellerson and his teammates as the plane touched down. And he mentioned having goosebumps during his press conference, saying he was ready to jump though the roof.

“Very surreal,” Salave’a said. “It’s probably gonna take a couple days to let it all sink in. … We’re looking forward to this new journey and help Brennan bring to light the goals of this program and elevate it to where it should be and needs to be.”

Salave’a called the Arizona football program a “sleeping giant,” expressing the need to establish a standard and a culture, one that stresses opportunity and development.

The Wildcats have revamped their coaching staff this offseason after a 4-8 campaign with Salave’a, Gonzales and offensive coordinator Seth Doege.

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