Though former San Jose State coach Brent Brennan is two weeks removed from being hired as head coach at the University of Arizona, he took time to thank SJSU players and supporters in a social media post Tuesday.
“I am overwhelmed with the love and appreciation and appreciation I’ve felt from the Spartan family,” Brennan said in a post on X.
“The truth is, that all parts of this community contributed to the fun we had, and what an incredible journey it was! We fought our way out of the deepest valley and we climbed to the top of the Mountain. People make the place, and the people in and around San Jose State University are special.”
Over the course of seven seasons as SJSU’s head coach, Brennan led the Spartans to three bowl game appearances and a Mountain West Championship in 2020. He left SJSU with an overall record of 34-48, but was 26-19 in his last four seasons.
SJSU hired former Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo to replace Brennan on Jan. 21.
Brennan praised Niumatalolo in his post, saying, “Fans, alumni, donors and faculty, coach Ken Niumatalolo is a great man and an outstanding coach. I’m excited to see the great things he will do with the Spartan football family.”
During his introductory press conference, Niumatalolo praised Brennan’s work at SJSU and said he hopes to continue building off what Brennan has done.
“I want to do whatever I can to continue to build this culture,” Niumatalolo said. “Coach (Brent Brennan) did a great job of building this and I just want to continue to build and enhance.”
In July, SJSU completed construction on a $70 million new athletic center. Brennan was staunch supporter of the project and pushed hard for the new facility throughout his time as head coach. He thanked those who helped build the athletic center in his social media post.
“We had great collaboration from our campus leadership and our athletic department stepped up and worked tirelessly to provide our players with the best resources possible,” Brennan said. “Alumni and donors, thank you. Your contribution to the facilities and to our student-athlete experience was critical in the development of our program.”
Brennan took with him many of his coaches and staff from SJSU including running backs coach Alonzo Carter, offensive line coach Josh Oglesby, tight ends coach Matt Adkins, defensive line coach Joe Seumalo, defensive backs coach Chip Viney and quarterbacks coach Lyle Moevao.
