Arizona taps SJSU’s Brennan as new head coach

Pete Thamel, ESPNJan 16, 2024, 11:10 AM ET

Arizona has hired San Jose State‘s Brent Brennan as the school’s next football coach, the school announced Tuesday.

Brennan’s deal with the Wildcats is for five years, according to a source.

Brennan, who just finished his seventh season as San Jose State’s head coach, was a finalist for the Arizona job in 2020 when Jedd Fisch was hired. Fisch was named Kalen DeBoer’s replacement at Washington on Sunday.

Brennan, 50, has guided San Jose State to a 26-19 record over the past four seasons, with three bowl appearances during that span. He was a graduate assistant at Arizona in 2000 in Dick Tomey’s final season and also worked under Tomey as an assistant at San Jose State.

Tomey, who died in 2019, is Arizona’s all-time wins leader with 95.

Before taking the San Jose State job, Brennan coached receivers at Oregon State under Mike Riley and then Gary Andersen. Brennan coached 2013 Biletnikoff Award winner Brandin Cooks in 2013.

Brennan played football at UCLA and began his coaching career as a high school assistant in Woodside, California.

Information from ESPN’s Chris Low was used in this report.