Bear Down Brotherhood: Jake Griffin, Jaxon Griffin being teammates ‘a dream come true’

Six football players at Arizona are literally living the brotherly lifestyle this season: quarterback Noah Fifita and linebacker Dash Fifita, wide receiver Tre Spivey and cornerback Kingston Spivey, and offensive linemen Jake Griffin and Jaxon Griffin.

“I think it’s special when you take the field every day or a workout or a run or a practice and you get to do it with your brother,” said Arizona head coach Brent Brennan. “I think that’s pretty special. I don’t know how many people get the opportunity to do that. That’s magical.”

Brennan wasn’t teammates with his younger brother, Brad Brennan, but they were often together in 2000, when Brent Brennan was an assistant coach under former Arizona head coach Dick Tomey and Brad Brennan was a senior wide receiver for the Wildcats. The Brennan bros also coached together at Oregon State.

“It was awesome, and I was a little bit older, so I never got to play with him, but I got to coach him for one year and it was so much fun going on the field every day and being out there with him,” Brent Brennan said. “When we were at Oregon State, we coached the receivers together and it was awesome. Sometimes we’d fight like brothers and we got into these crazy disagreements. But at the same time, it’s fun because you know you trust him and you’re sharing this unique experience very few people get to have.”

Several brothers have been teammates at Arizona over the years. Most recently, offensive lineman Jonah Savaiinaea and defensive tackle Julian Savaiinaea were teammates for the 2024 season. Defensive ends Jalen Harris and Jason Harris were teammates under former head coach Jedd Fisch.

Arguably the most well-known set of brothers to play at Arizona were tight end Rob Gronkowski and fullback Chris Gronkowski — before Rob Gronkowski went by “Gronk.”

But three sets of brothers on one team? That’s a rarity for the Wildcats — and maybe a first. The Star is doing a three-part series on Arizona’s trio of brothers. Next up: the Griffins.

‘It’s a home away from home’

The Griffin brothers’ path to being teammates at Arizona is slightly different than the Fifitas and the Spiveys.

Dash Fifita and Kingston Spivey followed their older brothers to Arizona. With the Griffins, Jaxon Griffin — the younger brother — was at Arizona, and his older brother transferred to the Wildcats after starting his career at BYU.

The Griffin brothers are also Arizona’s only set of brothers to not only play on the same side of the ball, but play the same position on the offensive line. In the spring, both Griffins worked with Arizona’s second-team offensive line — with the 6-5, 309-pound Jake Griffin at left guard and the 6-6, 282-pound Jaxon Griffin at left tackle — after the first-team tandem of redshirt sophomore left tackle Matthew Lado and redshirt junior left guard Rhino Tapa’atoutai.

“It’s cool,” said Jake Griffin. “It’s an opportunity not a lot of people get. To be able to mesh those two worlds together, family and football, it’s something that’s super special to us and our family. It’s very rare for people to have the experience of playing with a sibling, but it’s even more rare when it’s on the offensive line. We already have the connection, so we understand each other’s calls and techniques.”

For Jaxon Griffin, being teammates with his older brother is “a dream come true.”

“Being able to play with my big brother, it’s awesome,” said Griffin. “When he was in high school, he was my hero. He was all-state, playing football and I was in the eighth grade. It doesn’t feel real that we’re playing on the same team right now. As a kid, your older is someone you idolize. It’s a cool experience to be on the same team.”

The Griffin brothers are a little over four years apart, and they have two older siblings.

“We meshed pretty well as kids,” Jake Griffin said. “It was fun. Jaxon was always a rowdy kid. My older brother, Logan, and I would always try to get him upset, because it was always funny to see him freak out. He was super energetic. It was fun.”

Their father, Doug Griffin, was an offensive lineman at Utah State and “ever since we were little kids, he was always the idol and we wanted to be like him,” Jake Griffin said. So, they followed pops’ path and played football.

Jake Griffin was a defensive lineman when he started playing football, but moved to offensive line at Red Mountain High School in Mesa. Griffin’s growth as a football player inspired Jaxon Griffin, who also played basketball growing up, to dedicate his work ethic to football.

“Jake is definitely one of the biggest football influences in my life,” the younger Griffin said. “I’ve always wanted to be like big bro. I would be shocked if I was sitting in the same place that I’m in if it weren’t for Jake.”

When the Griffins weren’t training for football, they bonded over wake surfing and often visited Saguaro Lake near Mesa.

Red Mountain went 12-2 and lost to Peoria Liberty at Sun Devil Stadium in 2019 — Griffin’s last high school football season. As one of the top in-state offensive linemen in the 2020 recruiting cycle, Jake Griffin signed with BYU over Arizona, Oregon State, Washington State, UCLA, Utah, Indiana, Utah State and San Diego State.

Griffin served a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Durban, South Africa, which he called a “a unique experience.”

“The biggest thing as a missionary, we’re called to serve,” he added. “Not only are we sharing about Jesus Christ, but we’re also trying to help people and make their lives easier, whether it’s doing yard work or making meals for them. We do all of those things to lift the burden off of people.”

When Griffin got to BYU, he played 27 offensive snaps for the Cougars last season, mostly at right tackle. Griffin played three seasons for the Cougars and “learned a lot from BYU,” he said.

“I grew a lot while being at BYU,” Griffin said. “I hope with this opportunity at the U of A, I can hit the ground running and be able to perform those skills that I’ve been developing.”

Arizona was looking to add experienced offensive linemen in the transfer portal, so when they offered Jake Griffin to play for the Wildcats, “it’s a super unique experience and it’s something I couldn’t pass up when I went into the portal.”

Jaxon Griffin signed with Arizona’s 2025 recruiting class after prepping at Red Mountain High School. Now a second-year offensive tackle for the Wildcats, “the transition was very smooth,” he said.

“The family and culture is unlike anything I felt in high school,” Griffin said. “There’s not a lot of egos. (Quarterback) Noah Fifita came up to me on my first day and gave me a fist bump and talked to me. I’m really grateful for the family I built at the U of A.”

When spring practices started in 2025, the Griffin brothers were paired up on the left side of the line. It’s easier to communicate and pick up blitzes when the neighboring offensive lineman grew up down the hall under the same roof.

“I’ve played with most of the guards on the team — and maybe it’s because it’s my brother — but it’s the most comfortable I’ve felt on the field,” Jaxon Griffin said. “We see the same things and it’s been a lot of fun. … That’s why our connection is unique. We’re in the same film room, we have the same coach and we play the position next to each other. That’s been uniquely cool.”

Added Jake Griffin: “It’ll be cool to see how we grow together, playing on the same side of the line. We work pretty well together, so we’ll continue to be in the film room, continue to be in practices and see how that progresses.”

Another component to the Griffins relationship that’s different than the Fifita and Spivey brothers: they don’t live with each other. Jaxon Griffin is a frequent visitor of the married Jake Griffin’s house.

“I think that’s the coolest part about being down here, he’s at my house every day,” said Jake Griffin, who has two years of eligibility remaining.

While Jaxon Griffin is “excited to play next to him, but I’m just excited to have him down here,” said the second-year tackle.

“It’s been great to have him down here,” Jaxon Griffin said. “My own family is down in Tucson. It’s a home away from home. It has really helped me.”