Five Big 12 teams will open training camp in 10 days with new offensive and defensive coordinators (and the same head coach from 2024), which is unusual.
Head coach Brent Brennan gets linebacker Justin Flowe (0) back in the right state of mind while the Wildcats work on goal line drills during a spring training session in Arizona Stadium in Tucson on April 5, 2025.
Kansas, Houston, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Arizona all have rebuilt their offense/defense. Arizona promoted Danny Gonzales from linebackers coach to DC, and hired Marshall coach Seth Doege to be OC. Do you know the last time that happened at Arizona with a returning head coach?
In 2003, third-year coach John Mackovic hired Mike Deal as OC away from the Scottish Claymores of NFL Europe, and Mike Hankwitz as DC, who had been fired at Texas A&M. What did it help? Mackovic was fired at midseason as Arizona went 2-10.
In 2010, seventh-year coach Mike Stoops had to replace OC Sonny Dykes, who had become head coach at Louisiana Tech, and his brother, DC Mark Stoops, who left to become DC at Florida. Stoops promoted Seth Littrell to be OC and Tim Kish to be DC. It’s no exaggeration to say Dykes and Mark Stoops leaving in the same year was one of the most costly losses in UA football coaching, ever. A year later, Mike Stoops was fired at midseason.
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After one year at the UA, neither Dick Tomey nor Larry Smith replaced coordinators in the same year, a tribute to the longevity of former Arizona coordinators such as Larry Mac Duff and Moe Ankney.
This is again another challenge of high proportions for Brent Brennan. No pressure, right?
No one believes in the 2025 Arizona football team, and that’s OK | Michael Lev
