 Brennan in 2024 | |
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Arizona |
| Conference | Big 12 |
| Record | 4–8 |
| Annual salary | $2,200,000[1] |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | (1973-03-20)March 20, 1973 (age 51) Redwood City, California, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1993–1994 | UCLA |
| Position(s) | Wide receiver |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1996 | Woodside HS (CA) (assistant) |
| 1998 | Hawaii (GA/WR) |
| 1999 | Washington (GA/TE) |
| 2000 | Arizona (GA) |
| 2001–2004 | Cal Poly (WR/RC) |
| 2005–2006 | San Jose State (WR/RC) |
| 2007–2008 | San Jose State (TE/RC) |
| 2009 | San Jose State (co-OC/OL/TE/ST) |
| 2010 | San Jose State (WR) |
| 2011–2016 | Oregon State (WR/OWR) |
| 2017–2023 | San Jose State |
| 2024–present | Arizona |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 38–56 |
| Bowls | 0–3 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| |
| Awards | |
| Mountain West Coach of the Year (2020) | |
Brent Munger Brennan (born March 20, 1973) is an Americancollege football coach who is currently thehead football coach at theUniversity of Arizona. Brennan was the head football coach atSan Jose State University from 2017 to 2023.
Prior to his head coaching positions, Brennan served as an assistant coach atOregon State University, San Jose State University,California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, the University of Arizona,University of Washington and theUniversity of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
Brennan was born and raised inRedwood City, California, and attendedSaint Francis High School inMountain View, graduating in 1991.[2][3][4] Brennan later went toUCLA. He lettered in football in 1993 (jersey number 14) and 1994 (jersey number 86) as awide receiver and graduated in 1996.[2][5]
Brennan began his coaching career atWoodside High School inWoodside, California, as an assistant in 1996. After two seasons at Woodside, Brennan enrolled in graduate school at theUniversity of Hawaii at Manoa and served as a graduate assistant on theHawaii Rainbow Warriors football team in 1998.[6] Brennan also had stints as a graduate assistant atWashington underRick Neuheisel in 1999 andArizona in 2000 underDick Tomey.[2]
From 2001 to 2004, Brennan was wide receivers coach atCal Poly underRich Ellerson.[2] Brennan also became recruiting coordinator in 2004.[6] Cal Poly moved fromindependence to theGreat West Football Conference in 2004 and won the conference championship in its inaugural season there.
Reuniting with Tomey, Brennan became an assistant coach atSan Jose State in 2005 and would coach in various capacities for six seasons, encompassing Tomey's entire tenure andMike MacIntyre's first season. Also a recruiting coordinator, Brennan coached wide receivers in 2005 and 2006, during which he coached future NFL draft picksJames Jones andJohn Broussard and helped San Jose State win its first bowl since 1990 in the2006 New Mexico Bowl.[2] Brennan coached tight ends while still being recruiting coordinator in the 2007 and 2008 seasons. In 2009, Brennan became co-offensive coordinator and special teams coordinator, while coaching offensive tackles and tight ends as well. When MacIntyre became head coach in 2010, Brennan only coached wide receivers.[2]
From 2011 to 2016, Brennan coached wide receivers atOregon State, more specifically outside receivers in his final season.[7] Among the players that Brennan coached at Oregon State were the school's all-time leading receiverJames Rodgers, andAll-American receiversBrandin Cooks andMarkus Wheaton;[8] Cooks also won theFred Biletnikoff Award in 2013.[9]
Brennan was hired as San Jose State's head coach on December 7, 2016.[10] His first two seasons ended with a combined 3–22 record, including a 1–11 season in 2018 that tied the 2010 team for the fewest in program history. Despite the poor record, five of the 2018 team's losses were by fewer than nine points, with three being determined by a field goal.[11]
In 2019, the Spartans began 2–1, and a victory overArkansas marked the team's first win against aSoutheastern Conference opponent.[12] San Jose State also defeatedArmy, becoming the 20th program all time to beat all three FBSUnited States service academies (Army,Air Force, andNavy), andrivalFresno State in a comeback.[13] The Spartans finished 5–7, falling one win short ofbowl eligibility.[12] Brennan received a three-year contract extension at the end of the season.[13]
The 2020 Spartans went 6–0 in the regular season despite having two games canceled and their final two home games relocated due to theCOVID-19 pandemic; the pandemic had also forced the team to conduct preseason practices atHumboldt State University due toSanta Clara County restrictions.[14] San Jose State's undefeated record qualified them for theMountain West Conference Football Championship Game, where they defeatedBoise State for the first time 34–20; it was the Spartans' first undisputed conference championship since 1990 and their first 7–0 record since 1939.[15] Brennan was named the Mountain West Coach of the Year for his team's successes, which included being ranked in theAP Poll for the first time since 2012 and a debut appearance in theCollege Football Playoff rankings,[16][17] and also finished fifth in theAssociated Press College Football Coach of the Year Award voting with three first-place votes.[18] He signed a contract extension on December 23.[19]
San Jose State regressed to 5–7 during an injury-marred 2021 season.[20] Over the next two years, the team recorded back-to-back bowl appearances for the first time since 1986 and 1987, including rebounding from a 1–5 start to 2023.[21] The 2023 regular season saw the Spartans defeat 25th-rankedFresno State for their first win over a ranked opponent since 2013, before missing the Mountain West Championship Game via tiebreaker.[22][21]
Brennan finished his career at San Jose State with an overall record of 34–48, with three bowl appearances and one conference title game appearance. He was the first head coach in program history to qualify for three bowl games.[23]
On January 16, 2024, Brennan was hired as the head coach atArizona,[24] signing a five-year contract worth $17.5 million.[1]
Brennan entered his first season with expectations of competing for theBig 12 championship, as the Wildcats were ranked 21st in the AP preseason poll.[25] He led Arizona to victories in three of their first four games, but the Wildcats faltered down the stretch, losing seven of their final eight games, capped off with a 49–7 defeat to their rivalArizona State.[26] The Wildcats finished 4–8 in their first season under Brennan, six wins fewer than last season.[27]
Brennan's father Steve played for San Jose State in 1967 while his mother Beth was a cheerleader at the university.[28] He is a first cousin of former Hawaii quarterbackColt Brennan.[29]
Brennan has been married since 2000; they have three children.[30]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose State Spartans(Mountain West Conference)(2017–2023) | |||||||||
| 2017 | San Jose State | 2–11 | 1–7 | T–5th(West) | |||||
| 2018 | San Jose State | 1–11 | 1–7 | 6th(West) | |||||
| 2019 | San Jose State | 5–7 | 2–6 | T–4th(West) | |||||
| 2020 | San Jose State | 7–1 | 7–0 | 1st | LArizona | 24 | 24 | ||
| 2021 | San Jose State | 5–7 | 3–5 | 5th(West) | |||||
| 2022 | San Jose State | 7–5 | 5–3 | T–2nd(West) | LFamous Idaho Potato | ||||
| 2023 | San Jose State | 7–6 | 6–2 | T–1st | LHawaii | ||||
| San Jose State: | 34–48 | 25–30 | |||||||
| Arizona Wildcats(Big 12 Conference)(2024–present) | |||||||||
| 2024 | Arizona | 4–8 | 2–7 | T–13th | |||||
| Arizona: | 4–8 | 2–7 | |||||||
| Total: | 38–56 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||