Tag: SJSU football

Brent Brennan is leaving SJSU for Arizona. What did legacy did he leave behind?

Brent Brennan is leaving SJSU for Arizona. What did legacy did he leave behind?

Brent Brennan is leaving SJSU for Arizona. What did legacy did he leave behind?

SJSU reporter Matt Weiner weighs in on Brent Brennan leaving SJSU.

Follow @Mattweiner20 & @MWCwire

The news Spartan Nation always braced for, but never wanted to face

After seven years at San Jose State, head coach Brent Brennan is heading to Arizona to takeover for newly minted Washington head coach Jedd Fisch, according ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

 

Few can fault any Spartan fan who finds this news difficult to stomach.

Brennan was arguably the most successful only head coach in program history to lead SJSU.

He was the first head coach to make three bowl games which marked the program’s first time reaching three bowl games in the span of four years.

Each of those bowl appearances, however, forced SJSU fans to face the gutting reality they face today.

In 2020, after SJSU celebrated an undefeated regular season and won the Mountain West Championship, Brennan interviewed with Arizona for the head coaching vacancy before it went to Fisch.

And after SJSU went 7-5 in 2022 and made the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, Brennan interviewed for the vacancy at Stanford.

Then last month, Brennan was a finalist for the vacancy at Oregon State before it went to Beavers’ defensive coordinator Trent Bray.

That last one felt like a particularly close call.

For starters, Brennan was fresh off leading SJSU from the abyss of a 1-5 start to a 7-5 season that included a co-Mountain West Regular Season Title.

Furthermore, Brennan coached wide receivers at OSU from 2011-16. The ties ran so deep he named his dog after OSU’s mascot “Benny” and filled his current staff with former Beavers’ coaches like SJSU offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven, defensive coordinator Derrick Odum and defensive line coach Joe Seumalo.

So now the question is: Who will Brennan take to Tuscon?

Is it McGiven? Odum? Wide receivers coach Eric Scott? Running backs coach Alonzo “Zo” Carter?

After all, Fisch brought his entire offensive staff to Washington.

Better yet, who will take over for Brennan?

And who ever that head coach is will be the latest interwoven in the domino effect of Nick Saban retiring unexpectedly.

Let’s trace how wild this is.

On Jan. 10 Saban retired from Alabama. Then on Jan. 12 Kalen DeBoer leaves Washington to fill in for Saban. Which results in Fisch heading to Washington on Jan. 14. Now, on the lord’s day of Jan. 16, 2024, Brennan is heading to Arizona. A place he was a graduate assistant at under Dick Tomey in 1999.

Some Wildcat fans may see Brennan’s 34-48 overall record at a Group of Five, 0-3 bowl record and feel as is the resurgence is over. So much for winning as many games last year —10 — as it did from 2019-22. And so much for fleeing the formerly known PAC-12 for the BIG-12.

But those people should take a deeper look. Not just at how Brennan went 3-22 in his first two seasons. Rather, the resources he had to work with for what followed.

Brennan went to those three bowl games without an NIL presence, laughably outdated facilities until last August and a meager operating budget.

Those shortcomings are the results of the incompetency of previous administrations who treated deep-pocketed alums like ghostly afterthoughts.

The nadir came in the early to mid-2000s when SJSU academics and brass formed a coalition called ‘Spartans4Sanity’ that —insanely enough — campaigned and petitioned to axe the football team because of the money it was losing the school.

In other words, 34-48 and three bowl appearances, albeit zero wins, is pretty damn good.

U of A fans should at the very least give him a shot. SJSU fans, meanwhile, are left with mixed emotions.

What about SJSU players and recruits? On Sunday, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy’s younger brother, Chubba, announced he was transferring from Nebraska for SJSU. Does this mean he transfers elsewhere and a mockery is made of those great storylines and press?

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Beyond Purdy, who else will transfer or decommit?

Any starters transferring doesn’t bode well for a team that won’t return its starting quarterback, running back, four offensive lineman and safeties.

Though Brennan never said it outright, SJSU was as a stepping stone to a Power Five. If it wasn’t, he would’t have interviewed after his best seasons.

That’s not an indictment of a poor character. During his time at SJSU, Brennan hired a sports psychologist and got each player the meditation app “Headspace” because he knew the stresses that weigh on the minds of student-athletes.

Rather, Brennan using SJSU as a stepping stone is the indictment of a man with ambition, success and the agency to do what he feels is best for him.

Even if it that stone crumbles into debris and irrelevancy.

Matt’s Monday Mailbag: Did SJSU do right by signing Brock Purdy’s younger brother?

Matt’s Monday Mailbag: Did SJSU do right by signing Brock Purdy’s younger brother?

Matt’s Monday Mailbag: Did SJSU do right by signing Brock Purdy’s younger brother?

SJSU reporter Matt Weiner weighs in on Chubba Purdy signing with SJSU, burgers and buzzer-beaters.

Follow @Mattweiner20 & @MWCwire

Bay Area added another Purdy

Hello and welcome to Matt’s Monday Mailbag™ your go-to destination for all pressing SJSU football and men’s basketball matters.

Enough chit-chat. Let’s get into it.

Thomas Christian: @ThomasGoatnba: “What do we think of signing Brock Purdy’s lil bro?”

Optics wise, signing Chubba Purdy was a good move. The connection to Brock will generate buzz this program desperately needs. 

Football wise, I like this move, too. Compared to any other SJSU quarterback available, Purdy has started multiple games at the Power Five level. And sure, he went 0-4 at Nebraska last season, but I’ll take that over SJSU QB Jay Butterfield who has 15 career pass attempts. 

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Furthermore, Purdy’s mobility could be a massive help to SJSU’s offensive line which will feature four new starters. 

Ryan B: @rbizzle16 “Do you think it’s fair to say that we’d have a good chance at being 4-0 in league if we had Rob V [Vaihola] in the lineup?”

Oh, without a doubt. 

Each loss featured an example where SJSU’s frontcourt was outmatched.

In the Wyoming loss, SJSU was outscored in the paint 36-20 which played a pivotal role in the squandered 17-point lead. In its next loss to Boise State, SJSU allowed power forward O’mar Stanley to net 30 points and 11 rebounds. A few days later, No. 19 San Diego State’s power forward Jaedon LeDee finished with 31 points and 10 rebounds. 

Imagine the destruction a frontcourt of Vaihola and seven-footer Adrame Diongue could inflict upon opponents?

Ricky Delgado: @RickyDe70535587 “A sign of a good team is that they can handle adversity (especially on the road) and still find ways to win. So far this season we hadn’t done that but on Saturday we did. I take it as an indication they are starting to gel and improve. We’re on the upswing and I’m excited For the rest of the season.”

Myron “MJ” Amey Jr.’s buzzer-beating three over Air Force should signify SJSU shifting course of its late-game woes. 

But I just don’t know. 

The Spartans let a 46-33 halftime lead over the Cadets wither into a 66-61 deficit. Yes, SJSU rallied back triumphantly. But with 10 seconds left and SJSU up 67-66, what if AFA’s Rytis Petraitis went 2-for-2 not 1-for-2 from the line? More importantly, what if he didn’t step out with 1.5 seconds left after he rebounded SJSU point guard Alvaro Cardenas’ airballed three? Lastly, AFA is the second-worst team in the conference. 

Not saying it can’t happen. Just important to remember the context surrounding Amey Jr.’s dagger. 

Fake Matt Mumme:@FakeCoachMumme “What’s the best burger in Santa Clara County?”

Not sure if it’s the best burger (I’m more of a chicken sandwich guy) but the best I’ve had is the Breakfast Burger at Egghead Sando. 

Paring over-easy eggs with caramelized onions as a burger topping is beyond elite. 

Ricky Delgado @RickyDe70535587 “Incredibly happy for the players, especially MJ to get that win on Saturday. I could see some of them had that “here we go again look” like the football team did early in the season. I keep going back to football season because I can’t help how similar these two teams feel. With that said, a turnaround similar to the one the football team had is improbable. However, this team will compete night in and night out with any team in the conference and I feel like they’re even going to upset a couple of the big programs.”

I think this team will be a gambler’s worst nightmare. 

Last Tuesday, SJSU nearly upset No. 19 San Diego State, 81-78. Then followed that up by needing an improbable buzzer-beating three from Amey Jr. to escape a woeful Air force. 

Don’t be surprised if SJSU struggles at home against Fresno State (No. 254 NET ranking) on Feb. 6 and then has Colorado State (No. 20 NET ranking) on the ropes in its next game. 

Which is why I believe SJSU can win eight of its next 14 games to clinch eligibility for the CBI. But at the same time I wouldn’t put any money on it. 

SJSU’s Brent Brennan linked to Arizona head coach vacancy

Could Brent Brennan leave SJSU for Arizona? A look inside.

Will head coach Jedd Fisch’s departure from Arizona to Washington result in San Jose State football head coach Brent Brennan heading to Tuscon?

That’s the question that’s on the mind of Spartan Nation.

According to Wildcat Authority ($) Brennan and Arizona officials have had “preliminary contact” about him becoming the next Wildcats head coach.

This makes a lot of sense that these two are talking. This is not the first time that Brennan and Arizona have flirted in a similar situation. It was just a few years ago, after SJSU won the 2020 Mountain West Championship when Brennan was a finalist for the Arizona job before Fisch was named the head coach.

Then it was less than two months ago when Brennan was a finalist for the Oregon State job before the Beavers went with defensive coordinator Trent Bray to replace then-head coach Jonathan Smith who left for Michigan State.

Wedged between those two instances was 2022 when Brennan interviewed for Stanford’s head coaching vacancy before it went to Troy Taylor.

Brennan’s made it clear SJSU isn’t a long-term plan. So is this when he succeeds in taking that step up to the Power Five?

After all, the seventh-year SJSU head coach has the impressive track record of being the only skipper to lead the Spartans to three bowl games. He did so with a meager operating budget and laughably outdated facilities until last summer.

Although it may not be a deciding factor, it’s worth noting he was a graduate assistant under Dick Tomey at U of A in 1999. But Brennan’s ties ran even deeper with OSU — he coached receivers there from 2011-16 — and still lost out.

The reason why Brennan lost out then, could be why he loses out now.

OSU went with Bray, who had zero head coaching experience, for the sake of continuity and ambition to prevent a mass transfer portal exodus. This time around, U of A could do the same with its offensive coordinator Brennan Carroll who has no head coaching experience.

So what will be the difference? As opposed to the OSU scenario, the Wildcats don’t have the pressure of an upcoming bowl game and may feel it’s worth risking continuity and an exodus for a coach with a proven track record.

If it’s not Carroll, perhaps U of A goes with Brennan over UNLV head coach Barry Odom (one year of head coaching experience) and Texas State head coach GJ Kinne (one year of head coaching experience). Or Air Force’s Troy Calhoun, Liberty’s Jamey Chadwell and Washington State’s Jake Dickert.

Considering what Brennan accomplished at SJSU, he could be fit to continue the Wildcats’ rebuild as they head from the formerly known Pac-12 to the Big 12. After going 10-31 from 2019-22, Arizona went 10-3 in 2023 and capped the season with a 38-24 win over Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl.

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This article was updated at 11:49 am PST

Matt’s Monday Mailbag: New Year’s Resolutions For SJSU Football, Basketball

Matt Weiner weighs in on Spartan Nation’s New Year’s resolutions for SJSU football and MBB.

Matt’s Monday Mailbag: New Year’s resolutions for SJSU football and MBB

SJSU reporter Matt Weiner weighs in on fans New Year’s resolutions.

Follow @Mattweiner20 & @MWCwire

A look into the future

Hello and welcome to Matt’s Monday Mailbag™ your go-to destination for all pressing SJSU football and men’s basketball matters.

Enough chit-chat. Let’s get into it.

Jason: @VANDT33 “7-9 wins, a bowl game and compete for a league title again.”

Nicolas Sarabia @sjrugby “Football- bowl eligible and WIN THE BOWL GAME”

New year’s resolution comparison: Someone who runs for an hour nearly every day saying they’re going to complete a half marathon.

This is achievable because it’s not a massive jump. SJSU has gone to three bowl games in the past four years and won seven games each of those seasons. But now it’s the time to take that next leap and win a bowl game.

That said, it’s no guarantee. SJSU’s offense will dole out a new starting quarterback, running back and four offensive lineman. In our hypothetical runner’s case, he’s been hampered by shin splints from time-to-time.

Jason: @VANDT33 “Football: Finish strong in recruiting. Find QB1 and establish the OL in Spring Ball.”

New Year’s resolution comparison: Being more patient with people.

It’s well-meaning and somewhat tangible, but it’s a case of not knowing until a moment arises.

SJSU may feel like its recruiting class is robust, projected starting quarterback senior Jay Butterfield can overcome his inexperience – he has 15 total pass attempts – and four of the new offensive line cogs will mesh. But there’s no real way of knowing until it’s time to line up.

In other words, one can consider themself more patient, but how will they react when someone rear ends them when they are hangry on a miserably cold day?

Jason: @VANDT33 “Basketball: Get [Robert] Vaihola healthy. Get experience for [Adrame] Diongue, [Latrell] Davis, [Diogo] Seixas and [Ricky] Mitchell. 20 wins in 2025.”

New Year’s comparison: A Silicon Valley tech startup doubling its profits in two years.

From the outset, this looks plausible, although it does hinge upon each player improving which is no guarantee.

But consider a scenario where freshman Latrell Davis plays well – like really well.

Does that mean he’ll be poached by a Power Five school like former Spartan center Ibrahima Diallo? This offseason, according to the SF Chronicle, Diallo “transferred to Central Florida this past June for $160,000 in NIL money.”

Similar to the tech startup, an employee’s individual economic desires can hinder the company’s long term vision.

Mar 4, 2023; Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA; San Jose State Spartans guard Omari Moore (10) gestures in the second half against the Air Force Falcons at Clune Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Ricky Delgado @RickyDe70535587 “Basketball: get people in the stands. Biggest issue I can personally think of for the basketball program. The team itself is on the upswing and needs the support of the community/students and fans behind them. While we’re at it fix the sound system.”

New Year’s resolution comparison: Saying you’re going to “spend less time on your phone.” Admirable ambition, but lacks specificity. Could be changed to not vacuuming an hours-worth of YouTube Shorts before going to bed every night (not that I’ve ever done this).

As a way to specify this New Year’s resolution maybe it can be edited to “turning the student lounge into a frenzied student section.” For some background, SJSU’s freshly debuted student lounge features a Pop-A-Shot, cornhole, small standing section and an SJSU-themed standup backdrop for selfies and TikTok.

It’s well-intentioned and a better visual than deserted bleachers, but it doesn’t capture the essence of a student section: A hotspot for frenzied college kids to terrorize opponents. No better example than Arizona State’s “Curtain of Distraction” that has featured a speedo-clad Michael Phelps among countless other distracting acts.

Nicolas Sarabia @sjrugby “Basketball- hit that 3k fan average.”

New Year’s resolution comparison: The person who says they’ll finish one book a month. This, of course, is the same person who hasn’t read a book cover-to-cover since high school and considers reading the closed captioning for “Parasite” to be relatively close to finishing a novel.

This is just way too big of a jump. SJSU has averaged 1,702 people a game and its high was 2,135, but that number is slightly misleading because it occurred against crosstown rival Santa Clara.

The goal for this season should be to eclipse the 2,000 mark and hopefully hover around 2,500 heading into 2024.

Nicolas Sarabia @sjrugby “Make the postseason again.”

New Year’s resolution comparison: Someone continuing their New Year’s resolution from 2023 of eating three home-made meals a day five times a week. This person rarely cooked until January of 2023 but now enters 2024 with a new job that requires more time in the office.

When SJSU made the CBI in 2023 – program’s sixth postseason appearance of all time – it had the luxury of being guided by Omari Moore. But now that Moore’s in the pros, SJSU (7-6, 0-0) must finish .500 in an 18-game conference slate where 12 games come against teams with a higher NET ranking. This leaves little time for SJSU’s inexperienced front court to find its footing and an added pressure on Trey Anderson, a team–leader in three-point percentage (45.5%), to recover from a knee sprain.

So it’s a case of difficult but not impossible. There’s such a thing called ‘meal prep’ and SJSU’s upset over Santa Clara – No. 120 NET ranking – was another example of how point guard MJ Amey (team-leading 17 points and nine rebounds) is capable of becoming the game-changer SJSU needs.

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