GAME INFO
Who: No. 11 Arizona (15-5, 6-3 Pac-12) vs Cal (8-12, 4-5)
When: 6:30 p.m. (MST)
Where: McKale Center
TV: Pac-12 Networks
Odds: Arizona (-19.5) O/U 160.5

Hey everyone, I am getting the game thread up with two and a half hours until the 6:30 p.m. tipoff between Arizona and Cal. The Wildcats routed Cal their last meeting at Berkely earlier in the season. UA is undefeated this season at home (10-0)

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Brent Brennan and Bobby Wade are out doing some recruiting today up north. They stopped by Desert Edge, which is the home to fast-rising cornerback Jamar Beal-Goines. It'll be important for Brennan to establish a presence within the state.

Hey guys, Arizona hosted a small group of visitors this weekend as coach Brent Brennan will be trying to fill some holes on the roster and solidify other positions that could use some added depth.

Visitors:

- RB Quali Conley
- DL Soane Toia
- DL Tre Smith

It's important to know that defensive lineman Soane Toia has withdrawn his name from the transfer portal and has decided to re-join the San Jose State program. Toia would've been a solid pickup for Brennan as he tries to add depth to a defensive line that has seen players enter the portal, or run out of eligibility.

Running back Quali Conley had a good season with Brennan and coach Alonzo Carter (RB coach) at San Jose State where he rushed for 809 on 131 carries for 6.4 yards per rushing attempt. Conley totaled nine rushing touchdowns. He was the No. 2 option behind Kairee Robinson, who graduated.

Defensive line Tre Smith had a productive season under Brennan totaling 67 total tackles, 31 solo tackles while snagging 6 1/2 sacks, which 1 1/2 came against USC . Smith is from Mesa and is listed at 6-foot-5. 258 pounds. He would be an ideal replacement for Isaiah Ward, or Russell Davis if those two leave the program.

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Arizona has already lost three-star defensive back Rahim Wright, who flipped to Washington, but the flipping season isn't over as the Huskies snagged another former UA recruit.

The Wildcats have now lost three-star offensive tackle Justin Hylkema, who took a visit to Washington over the weekend and is now flipping to the Huskies.

Hylkema is a 6-foot-8, 318-pound lineman out of Santa Clara, Cali., and was originally committed to Arizona before the coaching change.

When I evaluated Hylkema, the major thing that stood out was his quickness off the snap and the way be blocked with aggression. However, he has work to do in pass blocking and doesn't move great side-to-side.

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Arizona has released its 2024 football schedule with dates and the full Big 12 schedule.

It's the first time since 1977 that the Wildcats are not in the Pac-10/12 and will be facing new conference foes.


Here's the full schedule with dates all marked:




Arizona football schedule:


- (Aug. 31) New Mexico (H)
- (Sept. 7) NAU (H)
- (Sept. 13/14) KSU (A)
- Bye-week
- (Sept. 28) Utah (A)
- (Oct. 5) Texas Tech (H)
- (Oct. 12) BYU (A)
- (Oct. 19) Colorado (H)
- (Oct. 26) West Virginia (H)
- (Nov. 2) UCF (A)
- Bye-week
- (Nov. 14/15/16) Houston (H)
- (Nov. 23) TCU (A)
- (Nov. 30) ASU (H)

A look at all the Power Five hires:

Now that Jedd has left and Noah has declared he is all in at Arizona I am hoping to get some facts and maybe some educated guesses about WTH was wrong with Jedd not playing Noah from the start of the season.

It has always been odd to me after recruiting Noah who, let's face it, without TMac doesn't commit (I am not saying that was all of the decision but was definitely a factor in his decision) was never talked up or discussed as much as Jedd talked about JDL. I don't know what was shown in practice but it was fairly obvious starting at the Stanford game the team knew who the better quarterback was. They had more faith, played with much more confidence and Noah was not just a little better than JDL at running the offense but the difference was startling. Night and day IMO. When the team reacts to a QB change with those results they all know who QB1 is.

Without the injury Noah wouldn't have played much, if at all this year. Even when Noah was playing well Jedd talked about getting JDL back. I don't know how those decisions were going behind the scenes but it just struck me as odd. It isn't like JDL was a 6'4" prototypical NFL QB pocket passer. Hell, even Jedd said he needed to run more. It seemed to me Jedd had "favorites" and they were going to play regardless of performance. As much as it sucks for JDL to go down like he did Jedd got lucky with the injury and got paid for it. Not to say they didn't do a great job the rest of the season but that injury really changed things.

Matt and Troy - were their some weird dynamics going on or am I just reading it wrong? Would love to hear other takes from the folks here as well. Overall it seemed to me Jedd couldn't pick the best QB out of practice and this was the second time it happened (Jordan McCloud). I could go into the Coleman vs. Wiley conversation but think Wiley did a lot of things better than Coleman but if you were going to flat out rush the ball you should count on Coleman so not really an issue in my opinion.

I am still scratching my head over the last four years and wondering what is happening on our Womens Basketball Team that we keep losing tons of players year after year to the portal and we have a changeover in coaches every year between seasons as well. This year between injuries, one starter stepping away for her academic program, and the latest is the leading scorer is sitting on the bench with a "possible" injury but for whatever reason is now unable to play. We are down to a total of 7 players who can play. What is the deal?

GAME INFO
Who: No. 9 Arizona (14-5, 5-3 Pac-12) at Oregon (14-5, 6-2)
When: 3:30 p.m. (MST)
Where: Matthew Knight Arena
TV: FOX
Odds: Arizona (-3.5) O/U 157.5
Hey everyone, I am getting the game thread up with about five hours until the tip-off between UA and Oregon. The Wildcats and the Ducks will compete for 1st place in the Pac-12 standings Saturday afternoon. Arizona has not beat Oregon in Eugene since 2015. The Wildcats have not lost back-to-back games under Tommy Lloyd.

GAME INFO
Who: No. 9 Arizona (14-4, 5-2 Pac-12) at Oregon State (9-9, 1-6)
When: 9 p.m. (MST)
Where: Gill Coliseum
TV: Pac-12 Networks
Odds: Arizona (-18.5) O/U 148.5
Hey everyone, I am getting the game thread up with about eight hours until the tip-off between UA and OSU.

Here is my five takeaways from Tommy Lloyd and KJ Lewis’ press conference on Wednesday ahead of the Wildcats’ games against the Oregon schools:

I just finished listening/watching KJ Lewis's interview. There is no way this young man is only a Freshman. I say that knowing he is a true freshman, but he is unbelievably mature and is clearly a leader in waiting for this team. What a great player to have to look forward to.

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Talked with Rashawn Clark after the Polynesian Bowl tonight. He says he’s been granted his release from his NLI and is setting up a visit with Washington. However, Arizona sounds like it will very much still be part of the picture.

Jordan Washington says he is going to think about things and will have a final decision in a week or so. As of now he has not heard from Washington but has heard from the new staff at UA.

It sounds like the Wildcats are in position to keep him as it stands now.

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Dave Heeke's time as Arizona's AD is coming to a close Feb. 2. The two sides are going their separate ways, president Robert C. Robbins has announced. He has named Mike Candrea as UA's interim athletic director for the time being pending ABOR approval.

"I want to thank Dave for his outstanding efforts in leading our athletics program through a period of significant change," said Robbins in a statement provided by the school. "He helped get our men's and women's basketball programs and our football program on a strong trajectory, oversaw the success of several of our sports teams and greatly enhanced the student-athlete experience. Dave always displayed the highest integrity, and I am appreciative of his partnership and dedication. On behalf of all Wildcats, I wish Dave and Liz and their family all the best in the years to come."

Heeke came to Arizona after serving in the same role at Central Michigan and guided the Wildcats through several hurdles including multiple coaching changes and NCAA investigations. During his time, Arizona had to replace the football head coach multiple times and the Wildcats added current men's basketball coach Tommy Lloyd under Heeke's watch.

"It has been my honor and privilege to have served the University of Arizona for the last seven years. Tucson and the entire Wildcat Nation are amazing communities that Liz and I have embraced with our hearts," Heeke said in a statement. "I want to thank President Robbins, our talented coaches, devoted staff, and loyal supporters for their partnership on this journey. Most importantly, I want to thank our student-athletes who committed to our standard of excellence by setting all-time academic records and competing for championships. I am very proud of the work we have accomplished together! Bear Down! Go Cats!"

Candrea retired from his role as Arizona's softball coach in 2021 but has remained close to the school as part of the administration since that time.

"Every Wildcat knows the history of Mike Candrea and what he means to our university and community, and I am grateful for Mike's willingness to step into the interim role," said Robbins. "I am confident Mike and Dave will ensure a smooth transition as we immediately begin a national search for a new Director of Athletics. With our transition to the Big XII, success in our high-profile programs, a passionate fan base, and institutional alignment, I am confident that we will be able to attract a tremendous new leader of our athletics program."

GAME INFO
Who: No. 12 Arizona (13-4, 4-2 Pac-12) at UCLA (8-10, 3-4)
When: 2 p.m. (MST)
Where: McKale Center
TV: ESPN
Odds: Arizona (-17.5) O/U 143.5
Hey everyone, I am getting the game thread up with about four hours until the tip-off between UA and UCLA. This will be the final Pac-12 matchup at McKale Center between the Wildcats and the Bruins, one of the biggest rivalries in college basketball history.

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Junior college DL signee Bryce Butler has presumably been given a release from his NLI and will no longer be joining Arizona's roster.

Hey guys, we'll have multiple stories from our interview with coach Brent Brennan coming over the next couple of days. However, we have a five takeaways from the interview that Aidan Wohl wrote up, which includes the full one-on-one with Brennan.


Aidan's story:

Here is my recap with added quotes from the Wildcats' 82-67 win over the Trojans.

Arizona has officially hired Brent Brennan as its 31st head coach in program history giving him a 5-year deal with the numbers still unclear to this point.

Brennan had a very successful stint at San Jose State in what maybe one of the most difficult jobs in college football and got the Spartans to three bowl games over the last four seasons.

Here's a quick article on the hire:



We'll have an updated version as more details are released.

GAME INFO
Who: No. 12 Arizona (12-4, 3-2 Pac-12) at USC (8-9, 2-4)
When: 8 p.m. (MST)
Where: McKale Center
TV: ESPN
Odds: Arizona (-19.5) O/U 159.5
Hey everyone, I am getting the game thread up with about five hours until the tip-off between UA and USC. The Wildcats are undefeated at home this season.

Has anyone seen or heard of a Facebook post about Demond Williams decommitting from us?

Hey guys, I wanted to start this thread keeping you updated on Arizona coach Jedd Fisch as his name has popped up for the Washington job opening now that former Huskies head coach Kalen DeBoer has taken the Alabama coaching job.

Fisch has turned Arizona around in a few short three season and that has made him one a coach that other programs will try to get their hands on and the one program that seems to be up to the plate is Washington.

However, the situation at Washington isn't great right now with most of it elite-level talent going to the NFL, players transferring out the moment DeBoer was gone and the fact that the University isn't getting a complete share of the Big Ten money right off the bat.

As you look more into the sitiation (outside of salary) the idea of Jedd Fisch leaving to Washington at this moment just doesn't make a lot of sense.

Still, we will keep you updated on coach Jedd Fisch in this thread.

Hey guys, it's been clearly a very hectic, crazy and busy day with former head coach Jedd Fisch leaving for Washington.

I've put together a list of coaching candidates that could be the next Wildcats head coach and names that you guys should keep an eye on.


Some names that didn't make this first list are Brennan Carroll, Ken Niumatalolo, Pete Carroll and Matt Campbell. That's not to say that they wouldn't have interest in the job but to me the candidates listed below are a higher likelihood to be the next coach.


My list of candidates for the job:

How much is our NIL collective receiving in annual donations? Where do we stand vs other middle of the road big 10 schools and UW?

With the ABOR issue it seems the only way we could compete with top coaching and player talent is through the NIL.

Looking forward to see who really dropped the ball and some of the reasons a contract couldn’t get put though to Fish the slimy journeyman.

I hope we don’t continue to face the same hurdles when it comes to athletic contracts and decisions can get pushed through sooner or the admin finds a workaround faster…

Troy is assembling recruit reaction from today's news that Jedd Fisch will be leaving Arizona for Washington.
I'm currently in Hawaii and caught up with Wildcats signees Rahshawn Clark and Michael Salgado-Medina to discuss the news. The cornerback and kicker/punter learned of the news after landing in Honolulu and were shocked to say the least. Salgado-Medina sounds to be locked in with Arizona sitll but Clark says the staff was a big part of why he committed and signed, so he is unsure of what his next move will be.

He's also a Seattle-area native who grew up wanting to play at Washington, so there could be another flip coming should Fisch pursue him.

My interviews with both players are below:

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