Ken Niumatalolo, who had become the top candidate for the Arizona job, will remain at Navy, the Star has confirmed.
It was not immediately clear what caused Niumatalolo to withdraw his name from consideration. Arizona had offered him the job last week.
Bruce Feldman of Sports Illustrated and Fox Sports first reported the news.
Niumatalolo released a statement to the Capital Gazette of Annapolis, Maryland: "After much prayer and pondering, it has become crystal clear that USNA is a special place with special people, and I love it here. Plus, I have unfinished business!"
Arizona now must turn its attention elsewhere in a coaching search thatβs approaching two weeks after the Jan. 2 firing of Rich Rodriguez.
Niumatalolo had been recommended by former Arizona coach Dick Tomey, who recruited Niumatalolo at Hawaii and became a mentor of his.
This isn't the first time Niumatalolo has been deep into discussions with another school and didn't take the job. A similar scenario unfolded in December 2015 with BYU.
Possible reasons the deal with Arizona fell apart include Niumatalolo's desire to remain at Navy, where he has been on staff for 20 years; and differences of opinion about Niumatalolo's offensive philosophy. The Midshipmen run a version of the triple-option, which is standard at service academies but rare at Power Five programs.
Weβll have more on this developing story as it unfolds.
