Jan 2, 2026; San Diego, CA, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Brent Brennan reacts against the SMU Mustangs in the first half during the Holiday Bowl at Snapdragon Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Brennan Evaluates Wildcats' Roster After Transformative Offseason

Originally posted on Arizona Wildcats on SI
By Justin Backer | Last updated Mar 4, 2026 6:00 AM ET

The Arizona Wildcats had quite a busy offseason after a surprise breakout season, with head coach Brent Brennan hitting the transfer portal hard to improve the roster.

After going just 4-8 in Brennan’s first season with the team in 2024, the Wildcats went 9-4 last season, peaking as high as #21 in the AP Poll and making an appearance in the Holiday Bowl, where they would go on to lose to SMU.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The strong campaign marked just the second time since 2017 that the team made a bowl game, and was also just the 8th time in program history that they won 9 games or more — the second time in the last three seasons.

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Arizona’s Changes

With another solid season under their belt, Brennan and his staff did plenty of work in the offseason to improve the roster. In total, the Wildcats are bringing in 24 incoming transfers, including edge Cooper Blomstrom, tight end Cole Rusk, safety Lee Molette, defensive back Dwight Bootle, and defensive back Daylen Austin, among others.

While they’ve made plenty of additions, they’ve suffered a fair amount of losses, too. 20 players from the 2025 roster opted to hit the portal and transfer elsewhere, including safety Jack Luttrell, wide receivers Rex Haynes and Devin Hyatt, and offensive lineman Michael Wooten, among others.

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On the bright side, the Wildcats were able to retain star quarterback Noah Fifita, who has been the team’s starter for the past three seasons. In 2025, Fifita threw for 3,228 yards with 29 passing touchdowns to just 6 interceptions.

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Brennan’s Thoughts

Speaking for the first time since the loss at the Holiday Bowl, Brennan gave an evaluation of his team’s outlook after going through the process of the transfer portal and the incoming freshman class.

“I think we feel great about the players that we have coming in, and I’m excited for the players that left,” Brennan said. “They’ve already found good opportunities, and that’s going to be a great thing for them. I think that’s what you want. I want every player that comes and plays at Arizona to have a great experience being a part of our program. How much they play or not, is really up to them. We make the determining decisions, but at the end of the day, how they perform in practice decides who plays in the games.”

“I do feel good about the people that we’ve added,” he continued. “I think it’s going to be a lot of fun to get on the field, actually get to playing football, and get to practicing.”