Dec. 7, 2016
Brent Brennan, a recent San José State University assistant football coach, is returning to the university as the Spartans' new head football coach. San José State University director of athletics Gene Bleymaier made the announcement.
The 43-year old Brennan was an assistant coach with the Spartans during the 2005 through 2010 seasons under head coaches Dick Tomey and Mike MacIntyre. For the last six seasons (2011-16) he coached wide receivers at Oregon State. The Beavers played Texas in the 2012 Alamo Bowl and won the 2013 Hawaii Bowl over Boise State.
"We want to recruit high-character young men that are tough and love to play football and also take their academics seriously. We're going to help them grow from young men into men and put a product on the field that anybody who has a connection with Spartan football can be proud of," says Brennan.
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At Oregon State, he coached All-American wide receivers Brandin Cooks and Markus Wheaton and former school career pass receiving leader James Rodgers. Cooks was the 2013 Biletnikoff Award winner signifying the nation's top wide receiver and would go on to be a first-round draft choice of the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League.
"We are thrilled to have Brent back at San José State. He is an exceptional football coach and one of the most respected recruiters in the country. His coaching background and ties to San José State make Brent a perfect fit," says Bleymaier.
Brennan had a variety of duties at San José State. He coached wide receivers, tight ends and offensive tackles, was a special teams coordinator and recruiting coordinator. As a wide receivers coach, he was directly responsible for the development of NFL and Canadian Football League wide receivers James Jones, John Broussard, Rufus Skillern, Kevin Jurovich and Chandler Jones.
His imprint on the San José State record book still remains. Brennan coached Chandler Jones, Noel Grigsby and Jurovich, who rank one, two and four on the Spartans' pass receiving list for number of career receptions.
When he was the special teams coordinator, the 2008 Spartans were 20th nationally in kickoff returns and the 2007 team was ninth in punt returns.
"I had a great experience being here (at San Jose State) before with Coach Tomey and Coach MacIntyre. It's an awesome time to be here. I'm going to an incredible university that has great leadership with President (Dr. Mary) Papazian and Gene Bleymaier. They are totally committed to making Spartan football great and so am I. That's what we want to do," says Brennan.
Brennan's track record of attracting and nurturing high-caliber players extends beyond San José State and Oregon State. In four seasons as the wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator at Cal Poly (2001-04), he coached former NFL tight end Jerramy Stevens and wide receivers Ramses Barden, Kassim Osgood and Adam Herzing.
The San Jose, Calif., native, who was raised in nearby Redwood City, began his coaching career at Woodside (Calif.) High in 1996. He served as a graduate assistant at Hawaii in 1998, Washington in 1999 and Arizona in 2000.
The 1996 UCLA graduate was a wide receiver for the 1991 through 1995 Bruin teams and lettered on the school's 1993 Rose Bowl squad.
Brennan is a second generation Spartan. His dad, the late Steve Brennan, was an end on the 1967 and 1968 Spartan football teams.
Brent and his wife, Courtney, have two daughters, Blake and Casey, and a son, Scott.
MEDIA ADVISORY
What: A news conference to introduce Brent Brennan as San José State University's new head football coach.
When: Thursday, December 8, 2016, 3:30 p.m. (PT)
Where: The San José State University's Diaz Compean Student Union, 2nd floor, Rooms 3A & 3B. Courtesy parking will be available in the 7th and 10th Street campus garages.
Additional information: The news conference will be streamed live on www.sjsuspartans.com, www.sjsu.edu, and the Mountain West Network.