Sometimes it’s not who you hire, it’s who you don’t hire.
Five years ago, Rich Rodriguez told Arizona defensive line coach Joe Salave’a he would not be retained on RichRod’s first UA staff, 2012.
How’d that turn out?
RichRod hired 65-year-old West Virginia defensive line coach Bill Kirelawich. Salave’a, Arizona’s 1997 All-Pac-10 defensive tackle, began looking for work, ultimately becoming part of Mike Leach’s first staff at Washington State.
Last week, despite being offered a raise and promotion at WSU, Salave’a accepted a $1.65 million, three-year contract to be Oregon’s assistant head coach and defensive line coach. That’s a better contract than any assistant football coach in UA history.
Simultaneously, the Ducks flipped Arizona’s most high-profile recruit, quarterback Braxton Burmeister, and are now working on persuading Eugene (Ore.) Sheldon High offensive lineman Cody Shear to renege on his commitment to play at Arizona and become a Duck. Shear’s ties to the UO are strong; his uncle, Tim Shear, is a former Oregon linebacker who owns an e-commerce business in Eugene.
Kirelawich? He was fired a year ago. His position went not to Salave’a, but to former ASU lineman Vince Amey, who had never coached a down of college football.
Salave’a has become one of college football’s most significant recruiters; his connection to the Polynesian community is such that the Cougars’ rise to Pac-12 contention can be linked to those Salave’a recruited, including Hercules Mata’afa, Daniel Ekuale Logan Tago, Darryl Paulo, Shalom Luani and Destiny Vaeao.
Seven players have now withdrawn their pledges to play football at Arizona, including defensive lineman Austin Faoliu of Anaheim, California, who will play in Friday’s Polynesian Bowl in Honolulu. After Faoliu committed to Arizona, Salave’a offered him a scholarship to WSU; Faoliu will announce his final college choice Friday.
Last week began with promise for RichRod. He was advanced to the presidency of the American Football Coaches Association, where he and his colleagues began to campaign for, among other things, a mid-December signing period.
Such a change might end many late-term recruiting flips.
But if you believe in football karma, here’s a bad trend: Presidents of the AFCA have not fared well recently.
Washington’s Tyrone Willingham, president of the AFCA in 2008, went 0-12 and was fired.
Dick Tomey, president of the AFCA in 2009, went 2-10 at San Jose State and resigned.
Texas’ Mack Brown, president of the AFCA in 2013, went 8-5 and was fired.
Cincinnati’s Tommy Tuberville, president of the AFCA in 2015, went 4-8 last season and resigned.
Whether it’s bad karma or bad luck, whatever momentum Arizona gained from beating Arizona State in November’s Territorial Cup has been lost. This is developing into a crisis to match John Mackovic’s final season at Arizona, 2003.
