When Brent Brennan first arrived in Tucson, he brought a new mantra to Arizona Football: "Red Line."
You can't even make it through a press conference without hearing it.
At first, it sounded like another locker room slogan. But two seasons in, the results are starting to show.
The Wildcats are 4-1 after beating Oklahoma State Saturday, their best start since 2019, and Brennan's "Red Line" philosophy has become the foundation of the program.
“Everyone just has each other, and we like to play for one another, and I think that’s just a great example of 'Red Line' and what this whole thing’s about," transfer wide receiver Luke Wysong said.
"Red Line" stands for effort, execution and accountability. It means 100% effort, 100% of the time.
It's about how the Wildcats handle adversity as much as how they celebrate success.
“Just sticking to what our coaches set the standard of red line," Transfer linebacker Riley Wilson said. "Just knowing our job, knowing how to do it, all 11 guys to the ball, and just executing what we know and what we can control.”
For Brennan it's less about slogans and more about habits. Every practice, every meeting, every workout is designed to reinforce that mindset.
“They trust us and they believe us because we’re not just talking about it, we’re walking it with them," Wide Receiver coach Bobby Wade said. "And it’s never going to be perfect, but it’s something that you got to make a decision every single day.”
It is this mindset, and way of life, at Arizona Football that pushes them through in big moments.
"It’s nothing magical that happens, but it’s just attacking the work every single day," Arizona Linebacker coach Josh Bringuel said. "Understanding that you’ve put them in these positions all spring ball, all summer, all fall camp. You’ve been in those positions, so on game day, there may be some different things, but you fall back on things that have made us great. The red line, the effort, those types of things…you’re going to be successful.”
As the Wildcats prepare to host Big 12 opponent BYU this Saturday, the test now is whether that Red Line standard can hold under pressure.
