The Arizona Wildcats are about to lose one of their assistant coaches.
Receivers coach Tony Dews is set to join the staff at West Virginia, where he previously worked under UA coach Rich Rodriguez.
The Gazette-Mail of Charleston, West Virginia, first reported Dews’ apparent move.
Dews worked as a graduate assistant at West Virginia from 1999-2001 and returned to the school for Rodriguez's final season there in 2007. Rodriguez hired Dews shortly after becoming Arizona’s coach in November 2011. Dews is from Clifton, Virginia, and played at Liberty.
Arizona’s receivers were consistently effective under Dews until last season, when the production of the passing game fell off, largely due to injuries and ineffective play at the quarterback position. Dews also is considered a strong recruiter.
Earlier this week Florida hired West Virginia running backs coach JaJuan Seider, creating an opening on the Mountaineers’ staff.
Last year, safeties coach Matt Caponi left Arizona for a similar job at West Virginia. Mountaineers defensive coordinator Tony Gibson also worked with Dews on Rodriguez’s staffs at West Virginia, Michigan and Arizona.
Dews would be the second assistant coach to leave the UA staff this offseason, joining cornerbacks coach Donté Williams, who took a similar position at Nebraska.
