Arizona's Brennan's Thoughts After Day 1 of Spring Practice
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The Arizona Wildcats have begun their preparation for the 2026 football season, as spring practice has started. This will be the third year that head coach Brent Brennan leads the team, and he will look to build on the 9-4 record Arizona achieved.
The Wildcats team was loaded with a ton of experienced veterans, which was a huge part of why they were so successful, one year removed from their tumultuous 2024 season, when they went 4-8 and finished 14th in the Big 12. Now that most of those players have departed, it will be up to the new faces brought in and the returning players who learned under the veterans.
Brennan himself received a pay raise earlier in the offseason, signing a contract that extends him through 2030 and pays him $4.7 million.
The improved contract underscores the program's confidence in the third-year head coach and his ability to take the Wildcats far in football. Although Arizona has lost many key components of last year's team, there are still plenty of veterans to help guide the newer players in a new era of Wildcats football.
Noah Fifita's Second Year With Seth Doege
Fifita had a stellar season, throwing for 3,229 yards, 29 touchdowns, and just six interceptions. He also passed the great Nick Foles to become the all-time touchdown leader for Arizona. With one more year left to play, he has the opportunity to become the all-time yards leader as well.
A big part of Fifita's success last year was Seth Doege's coaching, who was brought over from Marshall. Doege's fast-tempo offense suited Fifita's skill set perfectly, as the numbers showed. Now that he is returning, it will be the first time Fifita has had the same offensive coordinator for two years.
"I think that's huge for our whole offensive football team, not just Noah," Brennan said. "I think we've talked about his relationship with Seth a lot before. I think that's also a really critical factor in Noah choosing to come back."
How Quincy Craig and Kedrick Reescano Help the Younger Running Backs
The running back trio of Quincy Craig, Kedrick Reescano, and Ismail Mahdi was a lethal one for teams to try to contain for much of the season. Each player had specific skills that made them tough to handle.
Now that Mahdi has moved on, Resscano and Craig are the only veteran players in the running back room. Their experience with the program will help the younger running backs progress to the college level. Although Wesley Yarbrough and Cornelius were on the team last year, they will most likely take on more of a workload given Mahdi's departure.
"Obviously, Quincy and Ked are both proven players for us," Brennan said. "So those other guys give them a chance to get more reps, and give more opportunity, because those two guys are limited, and there's a handful of guys some posting surgeries, whatever, it's going to take some time to get back."
Second Year Wide Receivers Potentially Making Leaps Through Practice
One more big reason why Fifita was able to be more productive last season was the acquisition of a handful of receivers he could throw to. Fifita struggled in 2024, largely because he had a hard time finding other receivers besides Tetairoa McMillan.
Last season, Fifita threw to several players. Kris Hutson, Chris Hunter, Luke Wysong, Tre Spivey, and Javin Whatley were all dangerous targets and torched defensive backs.
Hunter, Spivey, and Hutson are all returners and will help the younger receivers evolve beyond where they were in 2025. Brennan expects receivers such as Gio Richardson, Isaiah Mizell, and Brandon Phelps to make huge leaps.
"I'm expecting them to all make a huge jump," Brennan said. "Obviously, Gio had the most production of those three that you just mentioned, but all of them are really good football players and have had an outstanding offseason. Mizell's put on some good weight."
"Brandon Phelps, statistically, numbers-wise, in his squat, clean, bench, all that stuff, was one of the best on the team in terms of the jump he made, the percentage jump. And so that part of it, I think, our expectations for those three are really high."
Nathaniel Martinez and a set of shoulder pads at 7 years old. He later graduated from Pima Community College in 2023, where he began writing for the Pima Post. He is working to achieve a Bachelor’s in Mass Communication and Media Studies.