What Brent Brennan said about Holiday Bowl preparation
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Arizona has started its game preparation for the Holiday Bowl and it’s safe to say that Brent Brennan’s squad is appreciative to play one more game as a team.
With just about a week and half left in the 2025 season, here is what Brennan had to say about the Wildcats’ preparation to this point:
Brennan’s opening statement: “Obviously, it’s a busy time for us right now. Really excited about playing in this bowl game. We’ve got a few good weeks of really good work. I’m excited about how this team comes to work every day. It’s just a really fun team to be around, just the effort, the intensity they bring to the practice environment, how much they enjoy just being together, getting out for each other, it’s been awesome. We try to be smart about not just beating them in the ground and that part of it. I think there’s a fine line to walk there, but these guys have attacked every part of it. It’s been awesome to see a lot of reps for a lot of players, a lot of the young guys, getting some opportunities to get out there and show what they can do, which has been also beneficial for us. It’s just a busy time, right? It’s a busy time, the college football world is spinning fast, and so we’re navigating that the best we can, and I’ve had great, great support from Desiree in that process, and I’m excited about where we’re going, so busy as hell, but loving every minute of it.”
On the changing of general manager within the program: “I think Gaizka has been a really important part of what we’ve done here, as is everybody. I think that’s one of those things is when you are building a program and when you’re investing in people and the time it takes to get them in the direction we wanted to go, everybody has a part. It’s just like a football team, you know what I mean? So I thought we had great work with Gaizka and Fletcher Kelly, working with our coaching staff and the evaluation process and the recruiting process. I think it gave us a chance to play good football this year, which is really exciting. With Aaron joining us, I think he’s a guy who’s been around a lot of really great leaders. He’s been a part of that program at Washington and seen it be done a bunch of different ways. I think there’s value in that we all learned from the people that were around and the people that we cross over with, and so everybody from Coach Peterson to most recently, Jedd. I think there’s value in that, and I think he’s going to bring a lot to our program. He’s a really good guy. You guys are really going to like him. He’s done a great job. He’s got a great eye for evaluation, and he’s really, really smart, which is what you need in that position. I would say the numbers, the bodies, everything changes daily. It’s just the way it is in current college football. So we’re really excited about Aaron joining us. It’s his first day on the job, so we’re kind of just getting started, but we’re excited about him being here.”
On the running backs coach search: “So we are going to elevate Lyle Moevao for that job, and Lyle has been an integral part of coaching that position over the last year, and it’s been a great fit. The guys love him. The transition has been seamless, which is really, really important, I think. I think the response from the players when I told them was outstanding, and so we’re really excited.”
On how involved Moevao is with the running backs: “That’s one of those things with the way college football scouts are built now, with everybody having kind of an assistant position coach, depending on who that guy is, sometimes they take more on their load than others. Lyle was involved in every aspect of the process for those running backs, and those players will tell you that, because he’s a great coach, he’s a great person. We’re excited about the opportunity that he has.”
On the benefit of Noah Fifita being at Arizona for his entire career: “I think it’s been incredible. I think you have a young man who is everything about college football, he’s a great leader, he’s a great teammate, he’s great out in the community. You guys have heard me say all these things before about Noah Fifita, but he really is special. Then you combine that with how he plays on the football field, and just that part of it, you’ve seen him elevate his game this year in terms of his performance and his consistency. His relationship with coach Doege, how he’s been able to execute at a high level in this offense. I think looking at it through that lens, I think the sky’s the limit for Noah, that’s why we’re so excited about the idea of him coming back for next year, because he is such a good player, but he’s also such a great teammate, such a great part of this team. I think that part of it is really, really special. Sometimes when you have high profile players that are reluctant to get out in the community and they don’t want to do it, but that’s not him. You watch him out here coaching next level football, right? Just like what he is for those kids and what he is for the city of Tucson, let alone the University of Arizona and its football program is tremendous.”
On if he would’ve preferred playing in an earlier bowl game: “I look at it more through the program lens. We’re excited to play a bowl game in January. That’s something that you always want to be playing as late as you can in college football. I think that part is really exciting for us. We’re honored to be playing in the Holiday Bowl. We can’t wait for that part of it. I think it also speaks to just how hard our players are working, and how excited they are about coming to practice every day, and how excited they are to go to San Diego and play the game. So I think that part of it is, whenever it is, obviously we don’t have control over it outside of playing good football. This year, this team played good football and got a chance to play in a really hot little bowl game.”
On his memories from the 1998 Holiday Bowl: “We had over 100 family and friends there for the game. It was just an awesome night, obviously, and I was fairly young, and so the parents and all the older crew, they got the good tickets. So me and the young ones, we were up in the nosebleeds, but it didn’t matter. It was a lot of fun. Obviously, that was a great game for Arizona.”
On if there have been any conversations of players opting out of the bowl game: “Not opting out, we’ve had a lot of conversations about the rev sharing process and trying to be like, really in a good spot for that, because of where the portal falls, and just what those things are gonna look like going forward. I’m really excited about us having just one portal. I think that’s really good for college football and so the timing of the bowl game and opening the portal, it’s gonna be a little bit of chaos, right? We’re going to come back from San Diego on the third and probably go right into some version of official visits on the third, fourth, like every day, you know? So you know that part of it is really where our focus has been, has been on roster retention. So not yet, but there could be. That’s one of those things I think we’ll know more after Christmas, right? All these players are gonna go home for three or four days, and they’re gonna be around their families and their agents and all that stuff, and those are family decisions. I understand that, I respect it, and that’s the world that we live in. I do think the way these kids care about each other, the way they’ve been practicing, has been really impressive. I think a couple of you were out there a few times earlier last week to see it, but this team really cares about each other and that’s the great thing about the team. That’s the great thing about football, right? Whoever it is, we’re gonna get ready to play.”
On overall end of season conversation with players: “Every player is different, and so you really need to know who you’re talking to and what kind of relationship you have with them. I would say it’s like, that’s a full staff effort, that’s everybody in the building having those conversations with these players as we try and kind of navigate and put that together for what is in the future. I think everybody’s excited about the football we played this year. I think they’re excited about the direction of the program, they’re excited about the coaching staff and their teammates, and I think they’re excited to play with these guys going into next season. That’s why this game is so important to us, because it’s the last game we get to play this year, and we want to feel great about how we finish this year and be excited moving into what’s next.”
On the importance of staff retention: “I think, first of all, we’re in the craziest coaching carousel in the history of college football. There’s never been one like this. Every person in our football program is important to what we’re doing here, every single person, and it doesn’t really matter what their title is, everybody contributes in a significant way, and everybody is treated that way with love and respect, because they’re all making us better. When we lose somebody, we try to get somebody better, and we won’t know if they’re better until we do the job with them for a little bit of time.”
On what support from Desiree Reed-Francois looks like to the program: “That looks like staff retention. What that looks like is how we prepare for the bowl game, how we feed our team, how we take care of them, what we’re able to do with them, all those things go into that. I think that’s one of those things that is important, like you have to have alignment with your president, your AD, your head football coach, the other head coaches in the athletic department here. I think it’s really, really important. Consistency of leadership matters. When I’m looking at the coaching staff, I really believe in our coaching staff. I think they’ve done a fantastic job. So I am someone that believes in the consistency of that leadership, that consistency of the messaging, the consistency of the players, knowing who’s going to coach them, and being around those people every single day. Lots of people have come after coaches on our coaching staff, and fortunately, we’ve been able to keep that thing intact, because I think we have something really special here.”
On the development of Matthew Lado: “Last year, Matt Lado was a true freshman. Outside of quarterback, offensive tackle is the hardest position to play on the field as a true freshman. I’m just telling you, like physically, you’re not ready for it. Mentally, the volume of play calls or adjustments or offensive line calls is like infinitely more than what you had in high school most of the time. I think he benefited from playing a little bit, and I would say the biggest benefit was it all. Most of last year, he got to spend all that time with Coach Oglesby, and he got to travel and he got to be in those meetings and have that experience and be around the guys and see how it works. I think that’s the biggest benefit for playing a small amount of snaps in a game. Being able to travel like every day, get close to Josh every day, being in those meetings, that’s where I think the value is.”
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