Arizona Football Legends Helping Build the Future

A lot of former Wildcats in football and basketball have gotten into coaching and made a name for themselves after their playing careers came to an end. Right now, Arizona has two former players on the football coaching staff that have been making an impact on the program.

When head coach Brent Brennan took the Arizona job, he brought in star receiver Bobby Wade to be his receiving coach and help prepare Tetairoa McMillan for the NFL Draft. Although it was a down year for the team, Wade was able to help McMillan through the process on the way to being the No. 8 overall pick to Carolina.

After a down first season, Brennan mixed things up with his coaching staff and landed one of the most sought after defensive line coaches in college football in former Wildcat Joe Salave’a, who had been wanting to make a return to Tucson for quite some time.

After serving two seasons at San Jose State, Salave’a took a job with the Wildcats under then-head coach Mike Stoops during the 2011 season. However, Stoops was fired midway through the season and when Rich Rodriguez took over he didn’t retain him for his coaching staff.

SInce then, Salave’a has been making a major name in the coaching world for himself as he was a critical piece to Washington State head coach Mike Leach’s staff from 2012-16 rebuilding the defensive line and working his way up to associate head coach.

After WSU, Salave’a worked for Oregon and Miami from 2017 to 2024 where he established himself as one of the top recruiters in the game. His ties to the Polynesian community and Southern California have made him one of the best on the recruiting trail.

Now, both coaches are back in Tucson and looking to help rebuild the program that they care deeply about. Both have been able to get recruits interested in the program despite having a down 2024 season.

On the offensive line of the ball, Wade was able to help land four-star wide receiver Isaiah Mizell despite a late push from Notre Dame during the 2025 recruiting cycle. And although Salave’a hasn’t gone through a complete cycle with this staff yet, there is interest from high-level recruits that are set to make their college decisions throughout the month of July.

Arizona’s in the process of getting back on track and with the help of two former Wildcats in critical coaching positions, the future of the program seems to be trending in the right direction.

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