Arizona tight ends coach and passing game coordinator Matt Adkins is no longer with the UA coaching staff.
Adkins' dismissal was first reported by ESPN's Pete Thamel late Saturday night.
Adkins is out after one season with the Wildcats. Adkins had one year left on his two-year contract and unless he lands a new job, he's owed $375,000 for 2025.
Before his lone season in Tucson, Adkins worked under Arizona head coach Brent Brennan for six years at San Jose State, after he played quarterback at Southern Oregon; he graduated from the NAIA school in 2012. After his final collegiate season, Adkins became an offensive coordinator under his father, Doug, with the Carlstad Crusaders of the Swedish Football League.
In 2013, he was named head coach of Carlstad. When he wasn't coaching overseas, Adkins managed assistant offensive duties at Southern Oregon, which he called “a perfect time in my life,” because he was a play-caller for 30 games in one calendar year.
Under the direction of first-year offensive coordinator Dino Babers and Adkins, Arizona’s offense dropped from 18th nationally in total offense in 2023 to 115th in 2024. After producing 53 touchdowns last season, the Wildcats only scored 29 this season and had the second-worst red zone offense in FBS.
Arizona tight end Keyan Burnett talks with UA tight ends coach Matt Adkins during spring football practice on April 11.
Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita had a 23:5 touchdown-to-interception ratio last season; this year, he finished with 18:12. A season after Fifita became the only Wildcat in school history to have a completion rate (73.6%) higher than 70%, he dropped to 60.5% in the new system. Fifita had the most throwaways (37) in college football this season, according to Pro Football Focus.
Following Arizona’s 24-point loss to Kansas State in Manhattan, Babers relinquished play-calling duties to Adkins.
Arizona won its first game against 10th-ranked Utah with Adkins as offensive play-caller but the Wildcats won only one game for the remainder of the season. Arizona had the second-lowest scoring offense in the Big 12 — averaging 21.8 points per game — and rushing offense. Arizona had five games this season with fewer than 100 net rushing yards.
As a result, Babers wasn't retained following a one-year deal at Arizona.
“This is a result-oriented business,” Brennan said last month. “We didn’t score enough points. In the simplest offensive football terms, we needed to be more productive that way. It was challenging for Noah because we had issues running the football and we had issues protecting him.
“If you can protect him, then he can deliver the ball and we’ve seen how awesome he is at that. If you can run the ball, that also takes a little bit of pressure off the protection in the pass game, so we’ve got a lot to fix.”
Arizona hired Marshall offensive coordinator and former Texas Tech quarterback Seth Doege as the new offensive coordinator.
In addition to hiring Adkins' replacement to coach tight ends, the Wildcats also need to hire a special teams coordinator. Adkins is the second former San Jose State assistant on Arizona's staff to depart from the program, along with defensive line coach Joe Seumalo, who was replaced by new associate head coach Joe Salave'a.
Alcorn State DE transfers to Arizona
Another FCS standout is joining the Arizona football program. The latest addition: Alcorn State defensive end Malachi Bailey, who committed to the Wildcats on Instagram Sunday morning after his official visit.
In three seasons at Alcorn State, the 6-2, 260-pound Bailey, who started his career at Independence Community College (Kansas), recorded 128 tackles, 46.5 tackles for loss and 28 sacks.
Alcorn State defensive end Malachi Bailey is joining the Arizona Wildcats for the 2025 football season.
Bailey was named a First-Team All-SWAC selection following the 2024 and '23 seasons.
Bailey bolsters the depth on Arizona's defensive line, a unit that returns starting defensive ends Tre Smith and Chase Kennedy, along with edge rushers Dominic Lolesio, Sterling Lane II and Eduwa Okundaye.
The Wildcats also return potential starting defensive tackles in senior Chubba Ma'ae, redshirt sophomore Isaiah Johnson, redshirt freshman Julian Savaiinaea (younger brother of former UA star offensive tackle Jonah Savaiinaea) and former Memphis transfer Jarra Anderson, who suffered a season-ending leg injury at the start of the 2024 season.
Bailey is the ninth FCS player — fourth defensive lineman — to transfer to Arizona for the 2025 season. The others are Northwestern State linebacker Blake Gotcher, Northwestern State defensive end Chancellor Owens, Portland State running back Quincy Craig, Portland State center Isaac Perez, Montana edge rusher Riley Wilson, UT Martin defensive tackle Deshawn McKnight, Mercyhurst tight end Cameron Barmore and Chattanooga wide receiver Javin Whatley.
Arizona has 25 total newcomers in the transfer portal. Between the portal and the 2025 recruiting class, the Wildcats currently have nine scholarship newcomers on the defensive line.
Wyoming transfer flips from UA to West Virginia
Former Wyoming Cowboys edge rusher Braden Siders won't play at Arizona. Instead, he'll play for ex-Wildcats head coach Rich Rodriguez at West Virginia.
Siders flipped his commitment to the Mountaineers on Saturday, he announced on social media.
The 6-3, 252-pound edge rusher and Thornton, Colorado native signed with Wyoming during the pandemic-influenced season in 2020, but didn’t appear in any games for the Cowboys until the 2022 season.
In the last three seasons at Wyoming, Siders recorded 92 tackles and 14.5 sacks. As a redshirt freshman in 2022, Siders led the Cowboys with 13.5 tackles for loss.
Wyoming defensive end Braden Siders (86) runs downfield on a punt during the first half of against Connecticut on Sept. 25, 2021, in East Hartford, Conn.
Siders played in two games at Arizona Stadium for the Arizona Bowl, which was previously sponsored by Barstool Sports before Snoop Dogg took over. In a walk-off 16-15 win over Toledo in 2023, Siders had two tackles for Wyoming. In the ’22 Arizona Bowl, an overtime loss to Ohio, Siders had six tackles and two sacks.
