With the 2019 season slipping away and external pressure mounting, Arizona Wildcats coach Kevin Sumlin isn’t waiting to make significant changes.
After parting ways with two defensive assistants late last month, Sumlin fired a third aide Thursday: defensive line coach Iona Uiagalelei.
Reports surfaced of Uiagalelei’s dismissal late Thursday morning, and the UA confirmed the move in a statement about five hours later. It said that Uiagalelei’s contract would not be renewed and that he wouldn’t coach the rest of this season.
The Wildcats host No. 7 Utah on Saturday.
“I thank Iona for his service to UA and wish him well moving forward,” Sumlin said in the statement. “This change is in the best interest of our football program at this time.”
The fact that Uiagalelei was let go was not a huge surprise; the defensive line had underperformed for most of the season, and Uiagalelei did not have the anticipated impact in recruiting.
The timing of the move, however, was eyebrow-raising.
The reeling Wildcats (4-6, 2-5 Pac-12) have lost five in a row and need to win out to avoid missing a bowl game for the second year in a row under Sumlin. Utah has won six straight and is favored by 23 points.
Staff analyst Greg Patrick will take over the defensive line for the remainder of the season, which could conclude a week from Saturday at Arizona State.
He becomes the third analyst to be promoted this year. Chuck Cecil became the defensive coordinator and Hank Hobson the linebackers coach after Marcel Yates and John Rushing were fired Oct. 27.
The defense as a whole has struggled for most of 2019, ranking last in the Pac-12 and in the bottom 10 nationally in points allowed, total defense and passing defense. The unit performed better at No. 6 Oregon last week but still surrendered 34 points and 471 yards.
Arizona did have three sacks for the second straight week, almost doubling their total from the first eight games. But the Wildcats’ 13 sacks rank last in the Pac-12. Only two Power 5 conference schools, Rutgers and Boston College, have fewer. Arizona’s 43 total tackles for losses rank 11th in the conference.
Third-year defensive ends JB Brown and Jalen Harris were viewed as potential breakout players after promising finishes in 2018. But neither took off this year under Uiagalelei, combining for just 5.5 sacks. Another third-year end, Kylan Wilborn, has no sacks this year and just two over the past two seasons after recording seven as a freshman under the previous coaching staff.
Sumlin hired Uiagalelei in 2018 from Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, California. Uiagalelei had been Mt. SAC’s defensive coordinator and associate head coach. Although he didn’t have Division I college experience, Uiagalelei coached several players who went on to play in the NFL.
Uiagalelei was involved in a sideline altercation with another coach during the UA-Oregon game. At the 13-minute mark of the third quarter, Uiagalelei appeared to make contact with linebacker Tony Fields II, who turned around and walked away with Uiagalelei trailing him.
Tempers commonly flare on the sideline during games. It’s unclear whether that incident had anything to do with Uiagalelei’s dismissal.
Asked Tuesday about the sideline episode, the tail end of which was captured by ESPN, Fields said: “Me and Iona are cool. I have to communicate with the D-line coach as a linebacker; he has to communicate with me. So that’s all it was.
“It was a big game. Emotions got riled up. That’s why there was a little yelling. But it was nothing big.”
Earlier in the game, Sumlin was furious at the defensive coaches when, after an injury timeout, Arizona incurred a penalty for having too many players on the field. On the next snap, the Wildcats had only 10 defenders.
Discord among the defensive coaches has been an ongoing problem and might have contributed to Sumlin’s decision to purge the staff.
While stressing the importance of trying to win this season, Sumlin also is being mindful of the recruiting calendar. The early signing period begins Dec. 18 and Arizona is expected to host several recruits this weekend.
