The honeymoon didn’t last long for Arizona head football coach Brent Brennan.
Taking over a team coming off a banner 2023 season and loaded with expectations in 2024, Brennan had his own fans questioning his job security throughout a dismal first year. As the 4-8 season came to a close, however, Wildcats athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois backed her coach.
This summer, BuffZone is previewing each of Colorado’s opponents for the 2025 season and in this installment we look at Arizona, which will visit the Buffs in Boulder on Nov. 1.
Brennan turned around San Jose State before taking over at Arizona, which went 10-3 in 2023 under Jedd Fisch, who bolted after that year for Washington (taking several key Wildcats with him).
Despite having one of the best receivers in the country last year in Tetairoa McMillan (the No. 8 pick this year’s NFL Draft) and a returning starter at quarterback, Arizona sputtered offensively. One of the preseason favorites in the Big 12, the Wildcats went 1-7 in their last eight games.
Behind new coordinators and a whole lot of transfers, Brennan is looking to get the Wildcats back on track.
Arizona head coach Brent Brennan, right, makes a point with an official during the first half of an NCAA college football game against TCU, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
“I think we’re really excited about where we’re at right now with this team,” Brennan said in a recent interview with 365 Sports. “We’ve had a great offseason, we’ve added some key players in the portal and we’ve also added some big-time personnel in the coaching and recruiting department. We’re moving forward. Our guys are locked into the process, and we’re getting after it every single day here.”
Seth Doege takes over as offensive coordinator after filling that role at Marshall last year. He runs an up-tempo offense and helped Marshall score 9.0 more points per game than in 2023. He’ll look to do the same for an Arizona offense that averaged just 21.8 points last year (114th nationally), a number that drops to 18.2 when taking out a 61-point burst in the opener against New Mexico.
Noah Fifita is back at quarterback, but the Wildcats need him to return to 2023 form (72.4% completion rate, 25 touchdowns, six interceptions) and not have a repeat of 2024 (60.5% completion rate, 18 TDs, 12 INTs).
McMillan, leading rusher Quali Conley and most of the offensive line from last year is gone, so the Wildcats added 16 offensive transfers, including seven linemen and five receivers.
Running back Kedrick Reescano (359 yards) returns, but transfers Ismail Mahdi (991 yards at Texas State last year), Quincy Craig (602 yards at Portland State) and Mike Mitchell (158 yards at Utah) should boost a ground game that ranked 119th nationally.
Last year’s No. 2 receiver Chris Hunter (35 catches, 323 yards, three TDs) is back, but a host of transfers, including Kris Hutson (54 catches for 683 yards at Washington State), Javin Whatley (56 catches for 697 yards at Chattanooga) and Luke Wysong (69 catches for 840 yards at New Mexico) will battle for starting roles.
Defensively, Arizona gave up 31.8 points per game (ranking 108th) but promoted Danny Gonzales, who was the linebackers coach last year, to coordinator.
A trio of key defenders left to join Fisch at Washington this offseason, but Arizona returns its top four tacklers and six starters overall. Linebacker Taye Brown, defensive end Tre Smith, nickel Treydan Stukes and safeties Dalton Johnson and Genesis Smith are all key returners.
A plethora of transfers are expected to be in the rotation, including defensive lineman Tiaoalii Savea. He was a part-time starter at Arizona in 2023 (22 tackles, six tackles for loss) and is back after playing at Texas last year.
Outside expectations are low, but the Wildcats have some pieces in place to rise above those expectations and post a winning season.
“I just feel like we’re way further ahead (than last year),” Brennan said. “I feel like we’re in a great spot. I think this team knows what the expectations are for how we work and how we go about our business. These kids have been fantastic buying in.”
Arizona Wildcats
Head coach: Brent Brennan, 2nd season (4-8, 38-56 career)
2024 season: 4-8, 2-7 Big 12
Series with CU: Buffs lead 17-10
Matchup with the Buffs: Saturday, Nov. 1 (TBA), at Folsom Field in Boulder
Colorado wide receiver LaJohntay Wester (10) makes the catch in front of Arizona defensive back Dalton Johnson in the first half during an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
5 Guys to Watch
QB Noah Fifita: Entering his third year as the starter, Fifita has thrown for 5,955 yards, 44 touchdowns and 18 interceptions in his career. He had a stellar 2023 season (165.9 rating), but slipped to a 126.5 rating last year.
RB Ismail Mahdi: A transfer from Texas State, Mahdi isn’t the guaranteed starter, but he brings a great deal of success to Tucson. He rushed for 2,322 yards and 14 touchdowns the past two years at Texas State. He ran for 459 yards as a freshman at Houston Christian. In his career, he’s also caught 74 passes for 720 yards and five TDs.
S Genesis Smith: He recorded 63 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions and six pass breakups last year as a first-time starter. In his first two seasons, he’s posted 87 tackles and four interceptions.
DE Tre Smith: Led Arizona with 4.5 sacks in 2024, while adding 43 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss. He was first-team All-Mountain West in 2023 at San Jose State, recording 9.5 TFLs and 6.5 sacks.
DB Treydan Stukes: His 2024 season was limited to four games because of injury, but he posted 18 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and an interception. A sixth-year senior, he has played in 42 games, posting 154 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, three interceptions and 25 passes defended.
Good to know
• Arizona is one of only two teams (also Utah) that Colorado has played every year since 2011, when CU joined the Pac-12. As Pac-12 (and now Big 12) rivals, CU is just 5-9 against the Wildcats. Prior to 2011, CU was 12-1 against the Wildcats, with all of those games between 1931 and 1986.
• Other than Georgia Tech in the opener, Arizona is the only team that has a bye the week before playing the Buffs.
• The Wildcats will play five of their first six games at home in Tucson. That includes a nonconference matchup with Big 12 rival Kansas State, a game that was scheduled before Arizona’s move to the Big 12. Four of the last six games for the Wildcats will be on the road.
• Defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales spent time at Arizona State as defensive coordinator in 2018-19. Success in that role helped him land the head coaching job at New Mexico, his alma mater, in 2020. He went 11-32 in four years at New Mexico.
• Transfer receivers Kris Hutson (Washington State), Javin Whatley (Chattanooga) and Luke Wysong (New Mexico) have played a combined 13 years of college football, racking up 408 catches for 5,209 yards. Each one has at least 134 career catches. In addition, Cameron Barmore is a sixth-year senior who caught 162 passes for 2,299 yards at Mercyhurst, a D-II program that moved to the FCS last year.
Portal movement
Per 247Sports.com, the Wildcats lost 35 players to the transfer portal in the offseason, while signing 27. Like a lot of teams, the majority of the losses were backups, but the defense took a hit with three key players – linebacker Jacob Manu, cornerback Tacario Davis and defensive lineman Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei – all rejoining former Wildcats coach Jedd Fisch at Washington. Wendell Moe Jr., a 27-game starter at left guard, is now at Tennessee. Other key departures include corner Emmanuel Karnley (Miami), safety Gunner Maldonado (Kansas State) and defensive lineman Isaiah Johnson (North Carolina). Arizona loaded up with 16 transfers on offense, including Tre Spivey III (Kansas State), Hutson, Whatley and Wysong at receiver. Defensively, Savea, defensive lineman Deshawn McKnight (UT Martin), linebackers Max Harris (Texas State) and Riley Wilson (Montana), and cornerbacks Jay’Vion Cole (Texas), Michael Dansby (San Jose State) and Ayden Garnes (West Virginia) could all compete for starting roles.
Originally Published: June 28, 2025 at 3:25 PM MDT