[ad_1]
Jedd Fisch proved to be a terrific hire for Arizona, but now after three seasons of resurrecting the Wildcats football program, he’s off to Seattle to replace Kalen DeBoer at Washington. Who could Arizona target as it prepares for a move to the Big 12?
The obvious choice to replace him is the person Arizona nearly hired last time: San Jose State coach Brent Brennan. The 50-year-old former Arizona grad assistant was coming off his best season at San Jose State in 2020 when the job came open last time, as the Spartans went 7-1 and finished No. 24. Brennan stabilized the SJSU program and continues to impress at one of the toughest jobs in the FBS. The Spartans have had back-to-back winning seasons despite the additional new challenges that have come from the new era of the transfer portal. Brennan is well respected both among his peers and around Arizona. I suspect he will be the favorite this time around.
Washington State coach Jake Dickert has done impressive work with all sorts of challenges and brought much-needed stability to a program that had been reeling from every issue imaginable the past five years. He stepped in two years ago after Nick Rolovich’s brief tenure culminated in his ouster in what became a public battle over his COVID-19 vaccination status. The Cougars also have had to cope with the death of two teammates since 2018, and then there was the matter of seeing the school get left behind as the Pac-12 splintered apart and Wazzu got stuck without a home. Dickert’s players credit him for bringing structure and for showing a passion for both sides of the ball. His record in three seasons is a modest 15-16, but that doesn’t come close to telling how good he’s been for the Cougars.
UNLV coach Barry Odom did a really good job at a place that had just one winning season since 2000. The Rebels went 9-5 in his first season, and the former Missouri coach showed a lot of growth from his first time running a program. The 47-year-old from Oklahoma would fit well in the Big 12 footprint and has deep ties in the state of Texas.
Arizona offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Brennan Carroll would offer some continuity from the Fisch regime, which would be appealing. The 44-year-old son of Pete Carroll is a former USC recruiting coordinator and has been the right-hand man to Fisch as they’ve overhauled Arizona and made the Wildcats into a Top 25 team and a legit force on the West Coast. The younger Carroll’s ability to find and land talent has been a huge key to Arizona’s rise.
Texas State coach G.J. Kinne, 35, has had a fast rise. In his only season at FCS Incarnate Word, he led the program to a 12-2 season and No. 3 ranking. This year, in his first season at Texas State, he led the Bobcats to an 8-5 record and a bowl win at a program that had been struggling. He’s a creative offensive mind who probably would keep folks in Tucson excited.
UNLV offensive coordinator Brennan Marion, Kinne’s old college teammate at Tulsa, is another up-and-comer who figures to get some consideration. The 36-year-old former Tulsa wideout helped Odom get things turned around in Vegas. Marion’s Go-Go offense was the spark, leading the MWC in scoring despite losing starting QB Doug Brumfield to injury in September. Marion turned to redshirt freshman QB Jayden Maiava, who piloted an offense that scored 40 points in four consecutive games, a first at UNLV. Maiava has since transferred to USC.
Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein, 34, is another intriguing name to keep an eye on. The former Louisville QB, who later was a Texas high school coach, has had a fast rise in going from UTSA offensive coordinator to a big debut season at Oregon in 2023. His Ducks offense was No. 2 in the nation in yards per play.
(Top photo of Brent Brennan: Samuel Stringer / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
[ad_2]
Source link