TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – Arizona Head Football Coach Brent Brennan talked about the upcoming season today, July 8, at Big 12 Conference Media Days.
During an appearance on ESPN, Coach Brennan talked about the turning point last season that gave the team energy to make a strong finish after enduring a brief losing streak.
Coach Brennan said consecutive losses to BYU and Houston made the team focus and push forward.
“We knew we had a good football team,” Brennan said. “We were confident in what we were doing. We just had those two back-to-back losses that were devastating. And to the credit of our players and our coaches, everybody just went back to work.”
The Wildcats finished with a 9-3 record in the regular season, and lost the Holiday Bowl to SMU by a score of 24-19.
In a news conference Wednesday, Coach Brennan said he expects the team to build on the energy from last season’s strong finish.
“We got to capitalize on the momentum of last season, and I feel like we’ve been doing that with a really strong offseason, some really good recruiting, and high-level stuff with our administration and also our donor base and our fan base.”
The Wildcats will be led once again by quarterback Noah Fifita, who threw for an Arizona single-season record 29 touchdowns in 2025.
“I think we’re incredibly blessed to have a quarterback like Noah Fifita that definitely has a Heisman résumé. Some of you can all check that data in front of you, because I think we passed out a résumé to everybody in the building,” Brennan said.
“Noah Fifita is the best story in college football. He’s an incredibly good football player, but he’s also this rare human being that chooses the right things every day. He’s a man of great faith. He’s a great teammate. He’s a great leader. He’s super engaged in our community. He’s got a nonprofit. He always finds ways to do extra to give, and I think that’s rare in today’s day and age.”
“I think so many kids are just taking all the time, and I get it. That’s the culture. That’s life. But this young man, he doesn’t only kick ass on Saturdays, he kicks ass every single day of the week. He is as special as it gets.”
The Wildcats open their season at home against Northern Arizona University on Saturday, September 5.
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