LOS ANGELES — Arizona athletic director Dave Heeke made clear Wednesday that while he welcomes and seriously considers the input of student-athletes, he makes the ultimate call when it comes to hiring coaches.
That subject became a hot topic this week when a published report implied that Wildcats quarterback Khalil Tate’s tweet during the search for a new football coach had a significant influence on the process.
When it was reported that Navy’s Ken Niumatalolo was the leading candidate for the job, Tate tweeted his disdain for the triple-option offense Navy runs. (Tate subsequently deleted the tweet.)
Tate told Bleacher Report that he wanted to make sure his voice was heard and described himself as the spokesman for the team during the coaching search. Two days after Tate’s tweet, Arizona hired Kevin Sumlin as coach.
Asked about Tate’s influence, Heeke told the Star the following at Pac-12 Media Day:
“I’m really proud of the process we go through when we hire coaches. Part of that is engaging our student-athletes. …
“Throughout the entire process, whether it was Khalil or other leaders in our football program, we were in conversations with them – about where we were going, keeping them informed, trying to understand what the best things are for the program.”
Heeke described the input of student-athletes such as Tate as one factor “among a lot of factors” that play into hiring decisions. But the ultimate decision is his, Heeke said.
“At the end of the day, it’s my responsibility, my duty and role as the athletic director to select the head coaches in a program,” Heeke said. “I value the input and the comments from our student-athletes. It’s their experience. It’s very impactful to them. But again, while very important, that’s only one factor that goes into making sure we have the right kind of leadership.”
Some interpreted the sequence of events as described by Bleacher Report – Tate’s tweet and Arizona’s apparent pivot from Niumatalolo to Sumlin – as undermining Heeke’s authority. He refuted that notion.
“Khalil and I have a great relationship,” Heeke said. “Speculating and hypothesizing about the decision-making process, without any knowledge of it is, in my opinion, inappropriate and unfounded.
“Khalil and our other student-athletes, they can talk to me at any time. It’s important for me to get their perspective. That’s a very valuable tool.
“I want our student-athletes to have the best experience in the country. I want their experience to be transformational and powerful. So their input is critical.
“I’m also very confident in the process I use internally to get to the ultimate selection of a head coach.”
