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Unlike a majority of ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ football’s supportive staff members, Brandon Sanders is a well-known figure in Tucson.

Before Sanders was ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥â€™s football alumni and high school relations coordinator, he was part of the famed “Desert Swarmâ€� defense under head coach Dick Tomey.

Desert Swarm’s historic defense also featured College Football Hall of Fame defensive linemen Tedy Bruschi and Rob Waldrop, All-American safety Tony Bouie and All-Pac-10 linebacker Sean Harris, among others. Sanders was a two-time All-Pac-10 selection at safety in 1994 and ’95.

Sanders, Bruschi, Harris, Bouie and defensive lineman Jim Hoffman were on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s season preview edition in 1994. Following Sanders’ illustrious career at ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥, he played for the NFL’s New York Giants and the XFL’s Las Vegas Outlaws.

Sanders, a San Diego native and Helix High School alumnus, returned to Tucson to coach and was a defensive backs coach at Pima Community College.

From 2014-19, Sanders was the head football coach and athletic director of Pueblo High School, where he led the Warriors to a 41-22 (.650) record and three state playoff appearances.

Sanders stepped down following the 2019 season to coach defensive backs on Dixie Wooten’s staff with the Tucson Sugar Skulls of the IFL. The league shut down for the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Two months before the 2021 season, Sanders left the Sugar Skulls to become the football alumni and high school relations coordinator for the UA.

Entering his fifth season as ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥â€™s football alumni and high school relations coordinator, Sanders is a liaison between the UA football program and former ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ players and staffers, in addition to high school programs and coaches.

Since taking over his role, the first of its kind at ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥, the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ have emphasized connecting with local high school football teams and returning former players to campus for football-related events.

Sanders is in charge of orchestrating the honorary captain for each home game during the season. Honorary captains in the past have been Rob Gronkowski, Lance Briggs, Nick Foles, Brooks Reed, Chris McAlister, Antoine Cason, Robert Golden and Khalil Tate, among other UA football legends. Former UA basketball star and NBA coach Steve Kerr was an honorary captain in 2022.

Sanders is also responsible for organizing the summer camp schedule at ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥, which includes two 7-on-7 tournaments and “big man campsâ€� with high school teams from ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ and California. For the final 7-on-7 tournament and big man camp last week, ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ hosted nearly 30 high schools, including Sanders’ alma mater in Helix.

“It’s been great,� Sanders said of the Brent Brennan Football Camps. “We’ve had some out-of-state schools and the competition has been fantastic. ... Seeing a lot of guys and getting a lot of evaluations, it’s been great.�

Getting potential recruits on campus without them taking an official visit, especially the top players in ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥, “is super beneficial for our staff,â€� Sanders said. Chandler Basha, which reportedly has 19 players with Division I offers, participated in ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥â€™s 7-on-7 event last week.

“Parents can also come and see how our staff interacts with each other and how they interact with their respective student-athlete,� Sanders said. “It’s an all-around great avenue for us to see recruits and us to talk to respective student-athletes. They may not have been a (recruiting) target, but you get that relationship.�

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ recently hosted a high school girls 7-on-7 tournament, which had 21 teams and around 400-500 players. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ is the only Power 4 school nationally to host a high school football camp for girls.

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ is one of 13 states in the U.S. to offer girls flag football at the high school level. Over 100 schools, including six from Tucson, participated in the AIA-sanctioned sport. Marana, led by senior star wide receiver and linebacker Malaysia Roebuck, won the girls flag football tournament.

The rise in flag football across the country “is big,� said Sanders. Sanders and the UA are attempting to be at the forefront of girls flag football growing in the state.

“If you stand on business of growing the game and wanting to grow the game, there’s nothing better than flag football, especially women’s flag football,� Sanders said. “It’s an Olympic sport in 2028, and our state has sanctioned it. Other states have sanctioned it as well. It’s continuing to grow and we’re on the front end of it.

“If you’re behind the game of football, help it give it a push. Five years from now, we can say that we were the first to help get it over the hump for camps at the collegiate level.�

Sanders’ job as the bridge between the past and the future of ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ football “is continuing to evolve,â€� he said.

“We bridge some of the gaps, but there’s still some gaps to bridge with our football alumni,â€� Sanders said. “Now we’re trying to venture into things we can outside of Tucson at away games. What can we do in the offseason? How can we connect football alumni with ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ alumni groups? That’s where I’m branching out to now.

“And then it all comes back to high school relations. There’s a lot of coaches that turnover, so we’re making sure our staff is on point, but what’s going on in our own state? We want to make sure we’re recruiting ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥, along with the other places that we want to go to. But we gotta take care of home first.â€�

Since Sanders is a part of the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ football fraternity, he takes pride in also serving as a leader and mentor for the current rendition of ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ football. Despite a rocky season last year, “the vibes are good,â€� Sanders said.

“The energy is great, not just the staff but the players,� he added. “There’s a new energy with the people who come into the building. Our group has a chip on their shoulder. ... I think they’re more together.

“The vibe is more close and the energy is up. They know the work needs to be done in a way of doing it as a unit, as a family, as a team.�