Arizona is scheduled to begin spring drills in 10 days. By then, the Wildcats could have two new assistant coaches.
Special teams coach Charlie Ragle has accepted a similar position at Cal. Ragle also coached tight ends.
Coaching departures are common after signing day — the UA unveiled its class a week ago — but Arizona’s departures seem to come with added weight.
Tuesday night’s news comes three days after receivers coach Tony Dews left for a job at West Virginia. Cornerbacks coach Donté Williams bolted for Nebraska in December.
UA coach Rich Rodriguez revamped his entire defensive coaching staff a year ago, jettisoning defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel and longtime defensive line coach Bill Kirelawich. In total, seven assistant coaches have either been fired or left for other jobs since the end of the 2015 season.
Rodriguez hired former Nevada assistant Scott Boone to coach linebackers this offseason and switched defensive coordinator Marcel Yates’ focus to the secondary. Yates, a former Boise State assistant, replaced Casteel on Rodriguez’s staff last year.
The 40-year-old Ragle will join the staff of Cal coach Justin Wilcox, who replaced the fired Sonny Dykes last month. The addition of Ragle likely comes with an eye toward recruiting the state of Arizona. The Golden Bears have had some success in the area, bringing in three players from Phoenix since 2014.
Ragle was hired as the UA’s assistant director of operations in 2012 after a stellar tenure as the coach at Scottsdale’s Chaparral High School. He was promoted to special teams and tight ends coach the following season, and was Rodriguez’s lead in-state recruiter.
Ragle spearheaded the UA’s pursuit of defensive ends Jalen Harris of Mesa Desert Ridge and My-King Johnson of Tempe; both chose the Wildcats last week. Ragle’s departure leaves defensive line coach Vince Amey as the only UA assistant with ties to the Phoenix area.
