Marcel Yates has been the Arizona Wildcats’ defensive coordinator for about two weeks. He estimates that he’s spent 70 percent of that time on the road recruiting.
“You jump right in, which I don’t think is a bad thing,” said Yates, who spent the past two seasons as the coordinator at Boise State. “I went and saw the kids I needed to go see.”
Time is of the essence. National Signing Day is Wednesday. Spring practice starts next week. The coaching staff needs to put the finishing touches on the 2016 class, and Yates has a new defensive system to install.
So while it’s difficult to be separated from his family — wife Melanie, son Eric and daughter Kaybrie will remain in Boise through the end of the school year — Yates will have a chance to get acclimated.
“I’m going to have some late nights where I’m going to be here grinding,” he said. “It gives me an opportunity to get all my I’s dotted and my T’s crossed. Get everything in line a little bit.”
Yates discussed a variety of topics with the Star on Monday. Here’s a portion of that conversation:
Regarding how this whole job came about, did Rich Rodriguez reach out to you? How did it all go down?
A: “He reached out. It was unexpected. I wasn’t looking to leave Boise. He kind of knew some people, some common people that I knew in the business. He reached out to me. And I was interested.”
What was appealing about this opportunity for you?
A: “The chance to be a defensive coordinator in the Pac-12. Anytime it comes to taking a job or being interested in a job, the three things I look at are: one, the city. Can I see myself living in the city? Two, can I recruit? Can I get kids to come to the school? And three, do I like the coaching staff I’m working with every day? All of those were good.”
The No. 1 question we’ve gotten since you were hired is: What kind of scheme will Arizona run? Are you bringing the 4-2-5 here? Are you running the 3-3-5?
A: “The only thing I can tell you is … we’re going to be multiple. I’ve been raised right.”
Regardless of scheme, when we watch Arizona’s defense play in 2016, what are some of the characteristics we’ll see on the field?
A: “Our goal is to be physical and disciplined. We want to fit our gaps. We want to do our job. We don’t want to give up anything cheap. And we want to be physical. We want to be the most physical team and the most physical defense on the football field.”
We’ve heard a lot of good things about new cornerbacks coach Donté Williams, who has a reputation as a great talent evaluator and recruiter. What’s been your initial impression of him?
A: “He’s a go-getter. And the thing about the guy that I think a lot of people don’t realize is, he’s a hell of a defensive back coach. When it comes to techniques, he understands exactly what he’s teaching. He understands the movements he wants his guys to have. He knows how to teach.”
To what extent have you been able to dive into the current Arizona defensive personnel?
A: “I’ve been able to meet the guys. I’ve been able to watch film. I’ve been able to watch them move around a little bit. But I haven’t seen them play football live. So I’m excited for spring ball.”
What has stood out to you from talking to the guys and watching them on film, either positive or negative?
A: “I just think they’re excited. … The last defensive coordinator, (Jeff) Casteel, I have a lot of respect for (him). He’s a good coach. What I told the guys is, I’m not coming in here bashing your last coaching staff.
“My main focus is 2016 and what the 2016 Arizona defense is going to do. I don’t have anything bad to say about last year or the last staff, because I wasn’t here. That didn’t have anything to do with me. It’s more about the future and how we’re going to move on from this point, get better every day and get ready for BYU.”
RichRod has said spring will be all about individual work and fundamentals. What’s your game plan as far as implementing your schemes and terminology while working within those parameters?
A: “No matter what scheme you run, it comes down to technique; it comes down to fundamentals. That helps them make the plays. Scheme is great. I can have the best scheme in the country. But if I don’t have the players, and they don’t have the right fundamentals and the right techniques, it doesn’t matter what scheme I’m running.
“I came from a place where we worked a lot of fundamentals and ... built off of that because we didn’t always have the biggest players.
“We didn’t always have the best players. We didn’t always have the fastest players. But they were disciplined, and we worked techniques and we taught them the game. I’m excited to bring that here.”
Extra points
The UA announced that spring practice will begin on Friday, Feb. 12. It originally had been scheduled to start this Friday before tentatively being moved back to Feb. 10. The open-to-the-public spring game is slated for Friday, March 4, but that’s subject to change. Spring workouts will conclude March 25, which is also a Friday.
