The offseason is here for most Arizona sports, the 2025-26 season in the books and the 2026-27 seasons still a few months away.
What better time than now to press pause and check the pulse of each Wildcat program?
Over the next few weeks we’ll take a look at each of the UA’s men’s and women’s athletic programs to see what shape they’re in, as well as the prospects for the near future. We’ll break down each team and evaluate how it has performed under the current coaching staff, comparing it to how it looked
beforehand, and assess how it fits into the Big 12 Conference.
First up: Football under Brent Brennan
How it looked before
The Jedd Fisch era from 2021-23 began amid a school-record 20-game losing streak and ended with just the fourth 10-win season in program history. And as quickly as it began it was over, with Fisch bolting to Washington in January 2024 for a huge raise while taking plenty of players with him.
The hiring of Brennan came as quick as it could, Arizona bringing him over from San Jose State where he’d managed to turn one of the toughest places to win into a regular contender in the Mountain West Conference. With more time, Brennan might not have been the first choice (or second or third) but he was the best option in a pinch and his main task was to keep the remaining talent from going into the NCAA transfer portal.
That goal was mostly accomplished, but very little else went well that first season. The Wildcats dipped from 10-3 to 4-8, squandering the final year of future NFL 1st round pick Tetairoa McMillan‘s college career. The fan base wanted Brennan gone, willing to cut bait early and try to start over again rather than watch things get worse.
Taking Stock 2026
The offseason provides a great opportunity to evaluate each of Arizona’s athletic programs under its current leadership. Check back each day for another sport breakdown.
- Sunday, May 31: Football
- Monday, June 1: Volleyball
- Tuesday, June 2: Soccer
- Wednesday, June 3: Triathlon
- Thursday, June 4: Cross country
- Friday, June 5: Men’s and women’s swimming
- Saturday, June 6: Women’s basketball
- Sunday, June 7: Men’s basketball
- Monday, June 8: Gymnastics
- Tuesday, June 9: Beach volleyball
- Wednesday, June 10: Women’s golf
- Thursday, June 11: Women’s tennis
- Friday, June 12: Men’s tennis
- Saturday, June 13: Baseball
- Sunday, June 14: Softball
- Monday, June 15: Men’s golf
- Tuesday, June 16: Men’s and women’s track and field
Where things stand now
Good thing that cooler heads prevailed. Athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois, hired less than a month after Brennan, not only declined to make a change in leadership but also put more support behind the program. A full offseason allowed Brennan to put together a better coaching staff, elevating Danny Gonzales to defensive coordinator and bringing in Seth Doege to run the offense, while addressing numerous needs through the portal.
The result: A 5-game improvement in the win column, going 9-3 in the regular season and playing in the Holiday Bowl. Along the way quarterback Noah Fifita set the school single-season and career touchdown pass records while Gonzales’ defense was one of the most-improved in the country.
The 2026 team saw four players drafted, all from the secondary, and did not lose any significant contributors to the portal. Brennan, Doege and Gonzales have since been rewarded with contract extensions.
Life in the Big 12
After going 2-7 in conference play in 2024, Arizona improved to 6-3 and a tie for fourth place. To put that in perspective, the Wildcats had only won six or more league games six times in 46 seasons in the Pac-12.
As part of a 16-team league, which nine opponents a team plays each fall goes a long way toward determining how it fares, and the UA avoided two of the top three teams in 2026. That won’t be the case in 2027, as it plays all three of those squads including a trip to defending champ Texas Tech on Halloween.
Being in the Big 12 has also benefited Arizona on the recruiting front, as it has made the lucrative Texas market more achievable since there’s at least one game per season played in the Lone Star State. The 2026 recruiting class has signees from Texas after inking nine in 2025.
One big question
Can success be sustained? Brennan was able to right the ship after his disappointing debut, but which season was the outlier? Arizona has traditionally had a backslide after its best seasons, including going from 12-1 in 1998 to 6-6 in 1999.
Bringing back Fifita for his final season, as well as plenty of other pieces, puts Arizona in good position for another solid fall. It may not compete for the Big 12 title but it should be competitive in the conference and make another bowl game, which should be the expectation as opposed to making the College Football Playoff.
To further this cause, Brennan’s extension includes a clause where his annual salary gets a raise after each season that he wins at least eight regular season games.
