Arizona Head Coach Brent Brennan

[CalStateTempe]

The only one who's seemingly been able to adapt to what he has was Akina, until half his players tore their ACLs

What happened to our S and C this season? Seems like we fucked that up too in the spring and summer .

[Fishclamps]

I honestly have no idea, cause that dude came from Stanford and is apparently respected amongst other S&C coaches.

Could be on him, could just be insanely bad injury luck after a year where only JDL got hurt, or some combo of the both.

[Merkin]

I wonder if any of it is the new turf? Was put in July 2022. UA had 4 players injured during the Colorado game, with one, Isaiah Johnson, injured during warmups.

Would be interesting to see how many players are injured during home games compared to away.

[Fishclamps]

Again, we only had one significant injury last year on the same turf.

If I had to guess, outside of S&C issues (I do think Tyler Owens was a far better S&C guy) I would say most of our worst injuries have come on the defensive side of the ball and I can only attribute that to the fact that our D has had to play much more this year since our O usually can't stay on the field longer than 1-2 minutes.

[TheCatInTheHat]

What is kind of maddening is Brennan's coach-speak blandness. Not to promote the idea excessively, but does he ever yell? Think of the competitive fire displayed by a Smith, Stoops, or RichRod, and think of some of the anger they showed at losing. Some of a coach's personality rubs off on the players. So we've now got Mr. Rogers. And it does in fact resemble Ben Lindsey stonewalling and shrugging his way through a year he'd written off. (Note Lev's comment about a mid-field punt on a 4th and 4 when down by 21.) Behavior aside, there's nothing to hang your hat on. Loop and an occasional Fifita to McMillan completion. Everything else is broken. DRF will smile bravely through the rest of the season, but I don't see any real solutions from off-season staffing changes. We won last year because of a next-level offensive approach. Reverting to the old MWC tried-and-true just results in an Arizona beating its head against the same old brick wall. The correlation to this situation is when Dempsey had Lindsey imposed on him by Strack his first year, and he had no choice but to fix that mistake. It was hard, and it was expensive, and I don't know if DRF has what Dempsey had. I hope the big boosters pony up, but the inept administrator carpetbaggers screwing up every five or ten years has to be getting old to them. The sad alternative is another Kevin Sumlin term.

[Merkin]

What is kind of maddening is Brennan's coach-speak blandness. Not to promote the idea excessively, but does he ever yell?

Someone wanted a Dick Tomey clone. Never could tell if UA threw a pick 6 or scored on one with Tomey. Same expression.

[TheCatInTheHat]

Yeah, I've had the opportunity to have some brief back-and-forth conversations with Smith, Tomey, Stoops, RichRod, and Fisch. Football coaches are a different breed, and you could always see the wheels turning as they have other stuff going on in their minds. But Tomey was at a different level. He was out somewhere beyond Jupiter.

[azgreg]

[Winger]

Its over. You have to find the $9 mil and blow this up. Brennan was hired in 2 hours with the Arizona AD working out of a hotel room in Washington due to a grounded plane. No search, no due diligence, no competition, nada. He isnt qualified for the job and if you need a second opinion Scheer’s at the time of the hiring was : “anyone but Brennan”. Heeke and Robbins left so many turds it is easy to lose count but this was their final one. Unreal how incompetent the Arizona AD has been since Ced left. Trashed a legit national caliber department, mostly behind laziness coupled with sappy nepotism.

My god the inbred Arizona nepotism was off the charts with the last admin.

Beyond off the charts. And it ignores the historical fact that says that if you want to have success at Arizona you do the exact bleeping opposite.

[Winger]

The only one who's seemingly been able to adapt to what he has was Akina, until half his players tore their ACLs

What happened to our S and C this season? Seems like we fucked that up too in the spring and summer .

Bunch of parents feel the staff has worked the kids into the ground.

[Merkin]

They certainly looked worn out v. UCF. Good thing they have a bye week to rest up, if S&C lets them.

[IrishAzCat]

So we've now got Mr. Rogers.

[AZCatGirl]

[Merkin]

I generally find CBB's pressers to be excruciatingly boring and predictable, but it will be interesting tomorrow.

[PHXCATS]

What if half the money for the buyout went to NIL?

[Chicat]

What if half the money for the buyout went to NIL?

Well since the other half of the money can’t buy out Brennan then we are exactly where we are right now. A flawed coach way over his head with a few very talented guys that are being misused and/or underutilized while the team underachieves.

What if ALL of the buyout money went to NIL? Now you’re talking about a talent level across multiple positions that could possibly make up for the obvious coaching deficiencies. But do kids worth that amount want to play for a guy who doesn’t know what he’s doing and can’t put them in the best position to maximize their value in the NFL?

Recruiting isn’t JUST money. No top tier talent wants the NIL income they got at UA to be the last they get from football. If we want to have a truly successful program we need to fully fund the NIL collectives AND have intelligent, successful coaching. Also, players want to win. Not only for their exposure but because it’s fun. Brennan isn't the guy. He isn’t successful. He’s not putting guys in the NFL. So even if we did have $16M out there to spend on players, who would take it? Mercenaries on their 5th team who have a name but aren’t actually good and know there’s no way they’re getting a sniff at the NFL? No thanks.

[Irish27]

Brennan is not even on the top-20 list of coaches on the hot seat, https://coacheshotseat.com/

If this was year two, he would be on that list.

[Merkin]

Brennan is not even on the top-20 list of coaches on the hot seat, https://coacheshotseat.com/

If this was year two, he would be on that list.

The salary discrepancies on that list is just nuts.

#7 Moorhead Akron $620K
#8 Kentucky Stoops $9,000,000

Plenty more like that too.

Brennan should be in the Top 20 next list. They don't have the UCF loss on there yet.

[ChooChooCat]

Brennan is not even on the top-20 list of coaches on the hot seat, https://coacheshotseat.com/

If this was year two, he would be on that list.

Coaches don't usually get fired after their first year, but then again most coaches weren't hired by an AD who was fired a week after.

[azgreg]

Who gets fired today?

[ChooChooCat]

Who gets fired today?

[azcat49]

I just don’t get what the window dressing of firing coaches will do. Some say it shows he cares but it doesn’t change anything in season. Those guys still get a check. Just seems after the season it could come.

If it does happen today I wouldn’t shed a tear if Babers and Wade were let go.

[azgreg]

That leads me to believe that Brennan knows he's not coming back after this season.

[Postmaster]

Who gets fired today?

Cheerleading coach?

[Postmaster]

If he wants to channel his inner Tomey he should install a new offense during the next two weeks.

[UAEebs86]

If he wants to channel his inner Tomey he should install a new offense during the next two weeks.

Wish & Shoot!

[Merkin]

If he wants to channel his inner Tomey he should install a new offense during the next two weeks.

Wish & Shoot!

Tomey did eventually hire the great offensive minded Homer Smith as OC due to complaints about Tomey's extremely conservative offense.

At this point, I don't see any disadvantage to running a gimmicky offense like the Run and Shoot. When was the last time you have seen it? No team has practiced against it.

Smith was on the architects of the wishbone, but UA no longer has a stable of running backs due to transfers, injuries, and in one case voluntarily redshirting. Probably a good choice in retrospect, right Speedy? Save a year of eligibility to play for a winning team.

[Postmaster]

Isn't that what Navy was running and why Tate didn't want to play for their coach?

[azgreg]

Isn't that what Navy was running and why Tate didn't want to play for their coach?

Navy ran/runs the triple option.

[azgreg]

[AZCatGirl]

Which completely contradicts what he said after the loss Saturday.

Dead man walking.

[CalStateTempe]

Does he ever consider anything?

[CalStateTempe]

Well…anything?

[azgreg]

Well…anything?

He's still the coach and will be until further notice.

[CalStateTempe]

So what was the pressor all about?

[CalStateTempe]

Lmao, did this lame-o call a pressor to basically say

“Respect my authoritah!”

[azgreg]

So what was the pressor all about?

It was his regular weekly presser.

[azcat49]

It probably doesn’t serve the team well being a couple coaches down. That said, what AzGreg said about no changes might mean he knows he is gone. That makes some sense. Ha has to have had some conversations with DRF

[Merkin]

I have zero insider knowledge, but suspect that DRF and CBB are negotiating the terms of his buyout. Try to get it down to $10M which is his buyout.

CBB may not have a good football mind, but he certainly isn't dumb and has to know he is in way over his head and it will get worse before it gets better. He alluded to that earlier when he said he won't be calling any defensive or offensive plays, he will be a CEO.

[azcat49]

Only thought I have is why would he negotiate? He is due like 16m if fired after year one. She could try but why would he even entertain such a loss. At 16m, he should be set for life pretty well

[Carcassdragger]

Which completely contradicts what he said after the loss Saturday.

Dead man walking.

Well, more of the same I guess.

Awesome.

[Alieberman]

The big changes we are going to make is not to make any changes.

I'm sure that will fix everything

[TheCatInTheHat]

It's sad that after the hopes and expectations to bridge the Alamo Bowl season with a drop-off to maybe a Sun or LA Bowl, now our best dream scenario is to start over from square one, possibly with a hot young coach and staff who dominated at a lower level.

Considering what even mid-level P4 and lesser league coaches are getting these days, I'd doubt we could get any "can't miss" coaches from P4, the AAC, etc. And considering that Brennan would be damaged goods, there might even be a lawsuit (the way it goes these days) over whatever promises Heeke made on behalf of UofA after a "one and done" scenario...just like with Lindsey. I wouldn't expect the slightest cooperation. If DRF can pull a rabbit out of her hat, I'll be impressed, but she's got some bad cards.

From what I've seen, I can't visualize any "slow build to ultimate (even mild) success" under Brennan. The good coaches install their culture immediately and are usually somewhat competitive, even if it's radical change of styles and they're short on talent. Smith, shifting from a power option to a spread with a freshman QB, won at Cal and Iowa, beat #2 UCLA and at least won 5 games. RichRod won 7 and a minor bowl...with B.J. Denker. Hoops is a different animal, but Olson finished just 2 under .500 in conference and won 6 of his last 8, with a 6-7 non-scoring center and a handful of role players. In all cases, you felt like there was organization, direction, and drive.

But this feels like a ghost shift drifting aimlessly.

[Merkin]

Only thought I have is why would he negotiate? He is due like 16m if fired after year one. She could try but why would he even entertain such a loss. At 16m, he should be set for life pretty well

Just to save himself and the university some embarrassment. Ben Lindsey and Dick Tomey both sued the university. Lindsey never coached basketball again, and Tomey ended up at SJSU.

Last UA head coach to be a head coach at another P5 school? Larry Smith.

[azcat49]

While CBB is going to be fired I am not sure how much he could win in a settlement given he is going to receive the whole amount of his contract.

He could say his reputation was damaged but I don’t see how he wins anything given we payed him out in full.

Last part Merk (and I respect your posts immensely), Fisch was the last coach to go P5( I think you meant last fired coach though). I don’t remember Tomey having a law suit against the UofA?

My main point in all of this is that he should not have to negotiate his firing and he should get his full agreed upon amount (16m)

[Carcassdragger]

Only thought I have is why would he negotiate? He is due like 16m if fired after year one. She could try but why would he even entertain such a loss. At 16m, he should be set for life pretty well

Just to save himself and the university some embarrassment. Ben Lindsey and Dick Tomey both sued the university. Lindsey never coached basketball again, and Tomey ended up at SJSU.

Last UA head coach to be a head coach at another P5 school? Larry Smith.

Uhhh Fisch?

[Merkin]

Uhhh Fisch?

Last part Merk (and I respect your posts immensely), Fisch was the last coach to go P5( I think you meant last fired coach though).

It sucks getting old. And J is even older than me!

I don’t remember Tomey having a law suit against the UofA?

Even though Tomey resigned, he sued the UA seeking damages where he wanted to get paid if he was fired since it was quit or be fired.

Believe Tomey won.

If memory serves. So maybe not.

[Merkin]

A former poster here and at TOS.

[Postmaster]

Oh, so remember him.
What was his s screen name?

[Postmaster]

Uhhh Fisch?

Last part Merk (and I respect your posts immensely), Fisch was the last coach to go P5( I think you meant last fired coach though).

It sucks getting old. And J is even older than me!

I don’t remember Tomey having a law suit against the UofA?

Even though Tomey resigned, he sued the UA seeking damages where he wanted to get paid if he was fired since it was quit or be fired.

Believe Tomey won.

If memory serves. So maybe not.

Hey, Sumlin went to the pros.