Rich Rodriguez realized something had to change. The Arizona Wildcatsβ defense was headed in the wrong direction.
So after the 2015 season ended β a season marred by injuries and deemed βaverageβ by the head coach β Rodriguez put a plan in place to reinvigorate his team on that side of the ball.
In essence, he hit the restart button.
Less than a month later, the defensive coaching staff has a fresh, new look. Jahmile Addae, formerly an analyst on staff, will coach safeties. DontΓ© Williams, an ace recruiter and talent evaluator from San Jose State, will coach cornerbacks. And Marcel Yates, who had been the defensive coordinator at Boise State, will assume the same role at Arizona.
Yates on Monday agreed in principle to join the UA program, Rodriguez announced. The move is expected to be finalized by Tuesday after all the necessary HR steps are taken. Yates will coach linebackers in addition to his coordinator duties.
Collectively, the changes make Arizonaβs staff younger. The new coaches all have reputations as strong, aggressive recruiters. And newcomers Williams and Yates have deep connections in the fertile ground of Southern California.
“They’re serious moves,” said Blair Angulo, the West Region recruiting analyst for Rivals.com. “RichRod recognizes this might be the time – the time to make the push that might allow them to take that next step.”
Arizona finished above .500 in each of Rodriguezβs first four seasons. But 2015 marked the first time the Wildcatsβ record (7-6) was worse than the previous year (10-4). The defense also regressed for a second straight season.
Known for being loyal to his staff, Rodriguez made the difficult decision to part ways with cornerbacks coach David Lockwood, defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Jeff Casteel and defensive line coach Bill Kirelawich.
All three had been at the UA for the duration of Rodriguezβs tenure. Casteel and Kirelawich were members of Rodriguezβs staff at West Virginia.
Last week, safeties coach Matt Caponi left Arizona to take a job at WVU, making for a clean sweep of the defensive staff.
Rodriguez still needs to hire a defensive line coach. If the pattern continues, he will hire someone young. All three of the new coaches are in their 30s.
βThey can talk to kids about certain things that maybe an older coach canβt,β Angulo said.
In a video released by the UA, Williams described himself as a big kid who regularly goes to the movies and plays online video games. He and Yates have shown the ability to connect with recruits β and to develop them.
Just 33, Williams has coached six players who have played in the NFL. Yates coached multiple NFL draft picks while at Boise State. Both stand a better chance of landing talented prospects at Arizona.
βTheyβre going to be able to get some of these kids they wouldnβt be able to get at their former positions,β Angulo said.
Both Williams and Yates are from Los Angeles. Williams coached for three seasons at L.A.-area junior colleges. Yates considers himself a βWest Coastβ guy. Itβs part of the reason he left Texas A&M after two years to return to Boise, and part of the reason heβs coming to Arizona.
βIβm a Southern Cal boy,β Yates said Monday in an interview with KTIK radio in Boise. βThatβs why the Arizona thing, it makes sense for me. Itβs in a region I recruit. Itβs in a conference where I can get kids and I can win.β
In the radio interview, Yates stressed that his work is just beginning.
βItβs great to get the job, but to keep the job is the tough part,β he said. βThatβs the thing that Iβm excited about. I get to go down there and work with a defense that needs to improve with a new staff and kind of (be) the leader in building that.β
Yates understands that Arizonaβs defense needs to be overhauled. Just as critically, so did Rodriguez.
βDefense was RichRodβs downfall at Michigan,β said Pete Fiutak, college football analyst for Campus Insiders. βNow heβs finally realizing that he canβt survive if his teams donβt stop someone at some point.β
