Is the Arizona football coaching staff already in the hot seat after the slow start?

Could significant changes already be on the horizon for the Arizona Wildcats football team?

After a tumultuous offseason for Arizona last year, many fans on social media have been looking for a quick change lately after the disappointing start to the season. After last Saturday’s 34-7 loss to the Colorado Buffaloes, the Wildcats were 3-4 this season (1-3 in Big 12 play).

After being ranked fifth in the Big 12 Preseason Media Football Rankings in its first conference season, the team is currently tied for tenth with six other programs. Given the likelihood that the College Football Playoff is out of the question and with the rest of the schedule looming, the next concern may be whether the team can find a way to finish the season with a winning record and a bowl appearance. game to reach.

Last season, the Wildcats landed in the Alamo Bowl after surpassing six wins for the first time since 2017; Now under first-year Brent Brennan, things aren’t going as planned. Even with the return of quarterback Noah Fifita and star wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona is in danger of being eliminated from the bowl game for the seventh time in the last nine years.

Some fans have expressed their displeasure with the team’s recent performance and even called for Brennan to be fired just seven games into his tenure.

Would that be the right step?

Many may argue that Brennan may not be the best candidate for the Wildcats program, but he has yet to truly prove it. With the departure of coach Jedd Fisch to the Washington Huskies last season, many players entered the NCAA transfer portal. Although key players remained on offense, it wasn’t an easier transition for the program.

Is patience the right answer?

That may well be the case, but it’s worth addressing the way Brennan has run the Wildcats program thus far may need to be adjusted in the future. The former San Jose State coach has transitioned his game management responsibilities to his coaching staff in his first year at the helm at Tuscon. Something that obviously doesn’t work.

McMillan is being mocked as a consensus first-round pick in next season’s NFL Draft, with many pegging him as the top wide receiver off the board. Over the last two weeks, the offense failed to target him at least 10 times, both of which resulted in him failing to reach 100 receiving yards in the game. This came when he broke the school record earlier in the year with 304 receiving yards and four touchdowns in the season opener against New Mexico.

He was also spotted at a meeting with university supporters just 45 minutes before kickoff last week, which could easily be seen as a lack of focus on the football team’s ultimate mission, winning.

While there are clearly issues that need to be addressed, such an early departure from Brennan would impact the immediate future of the program in many ways, including financially. The 51-year-old received a five-year, $17.5 million contract this offseason. He would receive 100 percent of his contractual obligations if he were fired without cause during the first two years of his contract.

Arizona will look to return to .500 and pick up its second Big 12 Conference win this Saturday when it takes on the West Virginia Mountaineers at Arizona Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET on FS1.