Arizona needs a new head coach. Jedd Fisch has left for Washington, continuing the domino effect of Nick Saban’s retirement. Alabama hired Kalen DeBoer from Washington, so Washington has hired Fisch. Now it’s on Arizona.
Fisch took over one of the worst Power 5 programs in the country three years ago and improved the Wildcats from 1-11 to 10-3 in three seasons. The breakthrough came this year, with wins against UCLA, Utah, Oregon State, Arizona State and Oklahoma. The Wildcats finished No. 11 and were expected to be one of the conference favorites upon moving to the Big 12 next season.
Instead, they’ll have to find a new head coach and deal with any roster fallout from a coaching change.
So how good is the Arizona job? What names could get in the mix? Here are the factors to keep in mind.
This is a much better job than the last time it was open
Arizona football was a complete mess after the 2020 season, coming off an 0-5 campaign and 70-7 loss to rival Arizona State, which led to then-coach Kevin Sumlin’s dismissal. Fisch came in, stabilized the program, began recruiting better and started to see it pay off in 2023.
It’s hard to say how many foundational parts are in place given roster turnover in the transfer portal era, but Fisch showed this is a job that can win and has a lot to sell. That will make it more appealing than last time.
The University of Arizona is facing a financial catastrophe
In November, the school announced it had a $240 million budget shortfall. Last month, the school announced its chief financial officer had resigned and it implemented a hiring freeze, international travel freeze and deferred certain capital projects and investments. The recovery plan also impacts athletics by raising ticket prices, reducing costs and centralizing administrative functions. President Robert C. Robbins said late last year that athletics was not producing the revenue expected and that cutting sports could be an option.
Still, it was reported as recently as last week that the school and Fisch had agreed in principle on a new contract with a raise. But his salary was $3.25 million, second lowest among public Pac-12 schools. It’s not clear how much of a raise it would have been, but that salary range is going to impact the candidate pool. Candidates will want a full understanding of the financial situation, and university observers will certainly keep an eye on how much the school is spending on a coach.
The facilities are in place
Arizona has invested a lot in football in the last decade. Arizona Stadium has been updated multiple times. The 189,000-square-foot Lowell-Stevens Football Facility opened in 2013 and has everything, with training facilities, locker rooms, offices and more. A $16.5 million indoor practice facility also opened in 2019 and sits across the street from Arizona Stadium and the football operations building.
Given the state of Arizona’s finances, there may not be much more coming soon, but this program has key infrastructure already in place.
There is no consistency in Arizona’s past hires
Sometimes you can look at a school or athletic director’s history to find a pattern. That’s not the case here. Across Central Michigan and Arizona, athletic director Dave Heeke has hired Butch Jones (West Virginia assistant), Dan Enos (Michigan State assistant), John Bonamego (Detroit Lions assistant), Fisch (New England Patriots assistant) and Sumlin (recently fired by Texas A&M). Before Sumlin, the school hired Rich Rodriguez (unemployed) and Mike Stoops (defensive coordinator).
So what names could get in the mix?
Here are potential names based on conversations with industry sources.
UNLV head coach Barry Odom took the Rebels to 9-5 in his first season with an appearance in the Mountain West championship game. It was the program’s best season in almost 40 years. UNLV led the MWC in scoring offense but just lost talented freshman quarterback Jayden Maiava to transfer to USC. Before UNLV, Odom was 25-25 as Missouri’s head coach from 2016 to 2019 with two bowl appearances. In between was a successful three-year stint as Arkansas’ defensive coordinator.
San Jose State head coach Brent Brennan was a finalist the last time this job was open, and it went to Fisch. Brennan has taken the Spartans to bowl games in three of the last four years and had the best record in the Mountain West twice in that span. At a very difficult job low on resources, he continues to win. The 50-year-old California native has spent his entire career on the West Coast, including a year as an Arizona graduate assistant in 2000.
Texas State head coach GJ Kinne has had a quick rise. The 35-year-old is 20-7 as a head coach. He went 12-2 at Incarnate Word in San Antonio in 2022 and led Texas State to an 8-5 record and a bowl win last year, its best season as an FBS program. He’s a smart offensive mind who successfully navigated the transfer portal in overhauling the Texas State roster in one year.
GO DEEPER
Arizona candidates to replace Jedd Fisch: Brent Brennan, Jake Dickert, Barry Odom and more
Washington State head coach Jake Dickert has done admirable work in a difficult job. He’s 15-16 in three seasons, including an interim run to a bowl game in 2021 and a 7-6 record in 2022. With the Cougars getting left behind in conference realignment, it would make sense to look for a way out. But the 40-year-old’s overall record brings some concern, and the Cougars lost seven of their last eight games last year to finish 5-7 after a 4-0 start and top-15 ranking.
Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun just continues to win. The 57-year-old Oregon native is 29-10 over the last three seasons and has won at least nine games in each of the past four full seasons. Calhoun, who has experience as an NFL offensive coordinator and wouldn’t be tied to the triple-option, is 130-82 in the job since 2007 with 13 bowl appearances. Despite college football’s new rules governing transfers and name, image and likeness, which only hurt service academies, Calhoun’s program hasn’t missed a beat.
Toledo head coach Jason Candle has continued to win at Toledo, with a 65-35 record, two MAC championships and a 20-8 record over the last two seasons. He was in the mix at Syracuse, and seeing star quarterback Dequan Finn transfer to Baylor and star running back Peny Boone to Louisville could be another reason to move if he can.
Arizona offensive coordinator Brennan Carroll could be an internal option. He’s done a good job as offensive coordinator/offensive line coach and has a strong recruiting background. Before Arizona, he spent six seasons on his father Pete’s Seattle Seahawks staff; he also spent 2004-14 coaching tight ends at USC and Miami.
Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein has also had a quick rise. The 34-year-old Kentucky native was coaching Texas high school ball as recently as 2019, but he got onto Jeff Traylor’s UTSA staff and was elevated to co-offensive coordinator two years later. He was hired by Oregon to run the offense, and the Ducks had another big season. His OC predecessor at Oregon? Current Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham.
Former Auburn and Boise State head coach By Bryan Hars spent the past year out of coaching, but he’s familiar with the West Coast. He went 69-19 as Boise State head coach after replacing Chris Petersen. His disastrous Auburn tenure ended in less than two seasons with a 9-12 record, but the Boise native never fit in that culture. Harsin also spent a stint as Texas’ offensive coordinator and one year as Arkansas State’s head coach.
Former Nebraska and UCF head coach Scott Frost also spent the last year outside of coaching, but he’s interviewed for jobs. His high-octane offense took UCF from winless to undefeated in two years, but it never got off the ground at Nebraska. He was 16-31 as head coach there with no winning seasons and a stunning 5-22 record in one-score games.
(Photo: Zac BonDurant / USA Today)
2024-01-15 02:05:17
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