Arizona football has made 10 transfers so far this offseason, and there is room for more.some of them followed brent brennan Former San Jose State players stayed despite the coaching change because of the deeper connection they felt here.
defense end tre smith and offensive linemen ryan stewart He spent the past few seasons with Brennan in San Jose, experiencing the transition in his new home of soccer.
“Honestly, it's pretty much the same thing, just in a different location,” Stewart said. “That made it very easy to come here. We love our staff, of course, but it's all the same.”
For Smith, this brought him closer to home.
“It's actually not far from my house,” Smith said. “I mean, I'm originally from Phoenix, and the biggest reason was the coaching staff. I've been around them. This is my fourth year, and they make you a great football player. It not only nurtures them, but it also develops them into great people. I think that's something that's often overlooked, but it's really important.”
Stewart and Smith were two of three players brought in from San Jose State, along with running back quali conley And Brennan said he wants to add those players to the roster.
“They're great kids,” Brennan said. “And we feel really fortunate to have them here. I think that's kind of the difficult part of college football right now, it's just complicated.” But at the same time, we always , we're looking for players who we think are good people and good players to add to our program. you know what i mean? And that's like the easiest way to say it. And they're great kids and we've had a really good battle with them over the years, and we're excited to continue to do that with them. ”
offensive lineman alexander dost and nose tackle Chuba Mae Both were hired by the previous staff, but given the culture the players had built, they decided to stick it out with the new coaching staff.
“For me, I think the main reason I stayed here was the players,” Mahe said. “I mean, coach (Jason) Kaufusi and coach (Johnny) Nansen scouted me, but the main reason I came here was to visit. We hung out at some players' houses and But honestly, it felt like I was spending another Saturday at my cousin's house and I felt the love from the other players. That's the main reason I stayed.”
Like Smith, Doost is from the Phoenix area, and the move allowed him to be closer to his family and make them a part of his soccer life.
“In my case, I was hired by brennan carroll And when the coaching change happened, it was a stressful week deciding what to do,” Doost said. “I was talking to my brother and my dad, but in the end I decided to stay. I wanted to be closer to them. I was in Illinois and I didn't get to see my family much. We wanted them to be a part of our activities.”
Doost is getting reps on the inside right side of the offensive line and getting some help from the team. Jonah Sabinaealearn new playbooks.
“His ability helped me go through this process,” Doost said. “He had to learn a whole new playbook, so I failed a few times, but luckily he was really patient and helped me figure everything out.
