Linebackers coach Scott Boone will not be part of Kevin Sumlin’s staff at Arizona.
Boone made it official via Twitter on Monday morning. He thanked Sumlin for “the opportunity to talk about staying on staff” and for “the way he handled a tough discussion with class and compassion.”
Boone also thanked Rich Rodriguez, who hired him in December 2016; Marcel Yates, who’s being retained as defensive coordinator; and the Wildcats’ 2017 linebacking corps.
It was a great ride. Thanks for allowing me to ride along. Bear Down pic.twitter.com/65GEtN9KGx
— Scott Boone (@CoachScottBoone) January 22, 2018
Boone was tasked with coaching a unit that had to be rebuilt on the fly. Tony Fields II and Colin Schooler earned multiple Freshman All-America honors, and Schooler was the Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year.
“You guys came to work every day,” Boone tweeted. “Never complained and worked on you craft. Thanks to Tony and Colin for ballin’ out. Because of you two, I can put on my résumé that I coached two Freshman All-Americans.”
Meanwhile, as expected, former Arizona assistant Calvin Magee has joined the staff at New Mexico, where he will be the offensive coordinator and running backs coach.
A longtime Rodriguez confidante, Magee had been at the UA for the duration of Rodriguez’s tenure. Magee served as the Wildcats’ associate head coach, co-offensive coordinator and RB coach. He also coached tight ends last season.
Magee tutored All-American Ka’Deem Carey, among several others. Rodriguez frequently referred to Magee as “the best running backs coach in the country.”
Sumlin is still in the process of putting together his staff. It’s not clear when those announcements will come, but it would be surprising if at least some of the assistants aren’t in place this week.
Coaches who reportedly are on Sumlin’s radar include Noel Mazzone (offensive coordinator), Clarence McKinney (running backs), Cale Gundy (offense, TBD), Demetrice Martin (secondary) and Jeremy Springer (special teams). Coaches known to be out at Arizona include Jahmile Addae (safeties), Vince Amey (defensive line) and Rod Smith (quarterbacks). Smith joined the staff at Illinois as offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach last week.
Arizona’s strength coaches and recruiting coordinator Chris Singletary remain on staff for the time being. It remains to be seen whether Sumlin will retain Singletary beyond National Signing Day on Feb. 7. He is aiding Sumlin with recruiting in the meantime.
Additional changes to the football support staff are coming. The UA has posted a job seeking an assistant athletic director/football operations. That position had been held by Mike Parrish, who also worked with Rodriguez at Michigan and West Virginia.
Parrish was listed in the second notice of claim filed by Rodriguez’s former administrative assistant against the university, Rodriguez and his wife. Melissa Wilhelmsen alleges she was the victim of sexual harassment and that Rodriguez created and fostered a hostile work environment. She is seeking $16 million in damages.
The claim states that Wilhelmsen complained several times to Parrish about Rodriguez’s behavior. Parrish was “sympathetic to her situation (but) failed to act on her complaints,” according to the document.
Rodriguez was fired Jan. 2. It is not clear whether Parrish will remain at the UA in a different capacity.
