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Arizona redshirt freshman wide receiver Brandon Phelps discovered that last year when he signed with the Wildcats’ 2024 recruiting class and joined the team as an early enrollee for the spring just for his head coach to take another job a week later.

A mass exodus was subsequent. Multiple high school players and transfer portal signees from Arizona’s 2024 recruiting class splintered and either followed former UA head coach Jedd Fisch to Washington or landed somewhere else.

Not Phelps. The in-state wide receiver and Phoenix-area product was one of the few early enrollees who made it through the year and is still playing for the Wildcats. Two days after Fisch left, Arizona hired San Jose State head coach Brent Brennan.

“That was such a tricky time,� Brennan said. “I felt bad for those guys, because 19 (players) had gotten here and the coaching change happened five days later. They didn’t know me and they didn’t know our staff. A bunch of guys left and some guys stayed.

“B-Phelps was one of the guys that chose to stay and I’m glad he did. ... It’s been awesome to see his progress. If he continues to work hard and continues to develop, he can be a great player. With his size and physicality — he can run and has a good catch radius.�

Phelps said Arizona’s 2024 “recruiting class was put in the worst possible situation for incoming freshmen.�

“A lot of decisions had to be made,� Phelps said. “I can only talk for myself, but I’m really happy with the decision that I made to stay.�

Phelps stayed at Arizona, “because I always felt like I had loyalty to Tucson,� he said.

“That old coaching staff, they gave me my first-ever scholarship for football in the ninth grade, so I felt like Tucson always had my back and I felt like I didn’t need to go anywhere else,� Phelps said. “I felt like this was home — and it’s close to my family. I do this for my family, so my family is able to see me and I’m able to go home.�

Before Tucson, Phelps called Gilbert home. He started at American Leadership Academy — Gilbert North and finished his high school career as a state record-holder for career receiving yards (4,475), touchdowns (60) and receptions (271). Phelps’ career receptions record was broken by Marana standout Dezmen Roebuck (352), who signed with Washington this year.

Phelps had 25 games with over 100 receiving yards — three games with over 200 yards. He had 28 touchdowns as a junior and led the Eagles to a Class 4A state championship in 2022.

“It was a blessing,� Phelps said of his high school career. “I was able to play early on just because I was bigger, faster and stronger. My coaches always put me in position to be successful. I didn’t take any moment for granted. I don’t like to reminisce on those times, because I’m in college now and it doesn’t really matter, but it’s nice to know that I was able to be put in that position.�

Even though Phelps doubled-down on Arizona, life threw him another curveball and sidelined him with an injury in the fall. Sitting out and not playing football was a drastic adjustment for Phelps.

“I’m not used to it,� he said. “All my life, I was always playing. Being able to observe from the sideline, you notice how much details matter. ... Knowing exactly how many steps for a route, knowing when you have to break, those are things I had to learn and develop.�

Phelps got to observe and learn from the best — maybe the best to ever play the position at Arizona — in NFL-bound Tetairoa McMillan.

“T-Mac was an incredible player,� Phelps said. “I was happy to be given the opportunity to see his habits every single day and how he presented himself. This year, I’m trying to model the little habits he had to my game. Obviously, I’m not going to be perfect at that, because T-Mac was one-of-one. Just having the ability to be behind and learn, because he was a very knowledgeable player, I feel like was a great opportunity for me.�

Tre Spivey III, a 6-4, 213-pound Kansas State transfer, and the 6-3, 198-pound Phelps are among the players ascending at Arizona’s “X� receiver, the position previously played by McMillan.

“Tre is an awesome dude and works hard,� Phelps said. “He puts in a lot of effort every single day. We go do a lot of study sessions together and go over plays. All you need is good effort and good attitude, and he has both of those.�

Arizona is without its crowned jewel at receiver in McMillan, Arizona redshirt junior Chris Hunter III, who is the leading returner at receiver, has shouldered the leadership role and “I look at the way he leads and I’m trying to model how I lead just like he does,� Phelps said.

“I feel like from the beginning of spring to now, his leadership, we’ve become a better group and such a closer group,� Phelps said of Hunter. “I’m just going to keep reiterating what he’s saying, because he’s the leader of our group.�

Brennan “has a lot of faith in (wide receivers coach) Bobby Wade as a teacher� and “I think Bobby can make (Phelps) a good one,� said Arizona’s head coach.

Phelps is on pace to have a prominent role with the Wildcats in 2025 and has been one of the most notable rising players in the spring. Some of his McMillan-esque plays in spring practices include a high-point catch over Texas transfer cornerback Jay’Vion Cole near the sideline for a chunk play. Phelps also hauled in a 70-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Braedyn Locke during Arizona’s practice Saturday evening. Brennan said, “It’s great to see Brandon Phelps healthy and making plays again.�

“So far, he’s had a really good spring,� added Brennan. “I think everyone on the team is excited about him and excited about his future.�

Phelps cited “daily habits� and focus on his craft to the ascension this spring.

“I feel like I have really good daily habits with how I go about my day,� he said. “I feel like I’ve been put in the right position to make a play. I gotta give that to the coaches and obviously Noah (Fifita) and all of the quarterbacks. I can’t do what I do without them throwing me the ball. It’s not only me, it’s a team effort.�

Although Arizona’s offense has endured growing pains in the spring under new play-caller Seth Doege, Phelps is an advocate for the “pace and tempo� of the offense.

“You can see out on the field that we’re going and going and going,� Phelps said. “We’re going to get to the next play. Even if the last one didn’t work, we’re going to do the next one and see what happens.�

Phelps, now in his second year at the UA, is majoring in criminal justice and wants to become the counterpart to his brother, who is a Tucson firefighter.

“As a first responder, I want to be a police officer,� Phelps said. “I want to serve the community. ... I’ve always just wanted the ability to help people.�

For now, Phelps’ version of protecting and serving people is his contributions to getting Arizona’s offense back on track.