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Brennan adopted that philosophy for recruiting skill players, especially at wide receiver.

“I don’t want to be in a position where we’re chasing speed,� Brennan said during his National Signing Day news conference on Wednesday.

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ is losing firepower at wide receiver with projected Top 10 pick Tetairoa McMillan declaring for the NFL Draft, Montana Lemonious-Craig graduating and several receivers entering the transfer portal since the season ended.

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ is returning redshirt sophomore Chris Hunter, who ascended in the second half of the 2024 season and had 35 catches for 323 yards and three touchdowns — two of them against TCU. The New Orleans native is ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s top returning receiver. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ is also returning starting slot receiver Jeremiah Patterson, who had 26 catches for 196 yards and two touchdowns in his first year.

Hunter showed promise as the successor to McMillan WR1 in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s offense, but the Wildcats were in dire need of pass-catchers — and speed.

“There are some other candidates that have done some good stuff, but how do we increase the competition there?� Brennan asked. “How do we add more speed to that group?�

The Wildcats signed four wide receivers in the transfer portal: Luke Wysong (New Mexico), Kris Hutson (Washington State), Tre Spivey (Kansas State) and Javin Whatley (Chattanooga). ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ also added Orlando, Florida native Isaiah Mizell and in-state product Gio Richardson from the high school ranks.

Wysong, Hutson, Spivey and Whatley combined for 193 catches for 2,380 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2024. Wysong, Hutson and Whatley — who all hail from track and field backgrounds — will be among the players competing for snaps at slot receiver. Mizell’s top speed was clocked at 22 miles per hour, the fastest time at the high school level in 2024, .

“If you look at all of those guys, they can all run,� Brennan said.

Speed “was something we felt like we didn’t have quite enough of at that position a year ago,� Brennan said.

“That was something that (wide receivers coach Bobby Wade) and I aggressively attacked this recruiting cycle,� he added.

Recruiting Texas ‘is going to be huge for us’

Between the high school level and the transfer portal, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ signed 15 prospects from Texas in 2025.

The nine high school players from Texas are the most for ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ since 2005 under former head coach Mike Stoops, who hauled in a plethora of notable Wildcats from the Lone Star State, including defensive lineman Earl Mitchell, wide receiver Mike Thomas, cornerback Trevin Wade and quarterback Nick Foles, among others.

Recruiting Texas “is natural because there are multiple teams in our conference that play in Texas,� Brennan said.

“Obviously there are several members on our coaching staff that have deep ties to Texas, which is really, really important,â€� said the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ coach. “There’s also a lot of really good high school football players there. The state of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ is always going to be our priority in recruiting — absolutely No. 1.â€�

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ general manager Gaizka Crowley said Texas “kids expect to winâ€� because of the rich history in Texas high school football.â€� Some programs, especially ones in West Texas, shut down a small town on a Friday night. Several stadiums across Texas can hold well over 10,000 spectators.

The last Texan to sign with ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ was 5-9, 165-pound Dallas-area running back Cornelius Warren III, who led North Crowley High School to a Class 6A state championship at AT&T Stadium.

“Everyone wants to win but they expect to win, so when they get here, they’re really polished and are good in the weight room, have good practice habits and it matters to them,� Crowley said. “There’s a high care factor for the game. When (Texas) kids come here, they’re about business and are about improving and winning. Texas is going to be huge with us.�

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ announces spring practice dates

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ football announced its spring practice schedule on Thursday. The Wildcats will kick off the month-long spring schedule on March 18.

Spring practices conclude with the annual spring showcase on April 19.

The spring transfer portal window begins on April 16. Unlike last year, the Wildcats will end spring practices at the start of the transfer portal window. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ finished last year’s spring practice schedule on April 27, nearly two weeks into the transfer portal period.

Several practices are open to the public: March 22, March 29 and April 12 at 11 a.m. The open practice on April 5 begins at 7 p.m. All open practices will be held at ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Stadium. Details for the spring showcase will be revealed soon.

Extra points

• ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ signed five junior college players in 2025: College of San Mateo (California) defensive lineman Ezra Funa and offensive lineman Siale Uluave, Cerritos College (California) defensive tackle Leroy Palu, El Camino College (California) cornerback Elijah Brown and Garden City Community College (Kansas) transfer Zac Siulepa, a 6-7, 365-pound defensive lineman from New Zealand. Said Brennan: “We are looking for people that best fit us. That was one of the things we talked about so much, is we’re looking for people who are tough, love football and want to be here at the University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥. There are a handful of junior college players who fit that at positions of need, so we were measuring that against what was available in the portal.â€�
• Brennan, on ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s offseason: “The energy, the intensity of our workouts so far have been fantastic. ... We feel great about the young people we brought in here and we’re excited to get to work with them.â€�
• Multiple ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥-area high school football players signed with FBS programs on National Signing Day. Defensive end and tight end Jimmy Leon, who led Mica Mountain to its Class 4A state championship, signed with UTEP. Salpointe Catholic linebacker Dinos Drossos signed with UMass.