Arizona Football: Defensive Coaches, Check!

The Arizona football team has a new defensive coaching staff; it’s almost fully official.

Who did you think Rich Rodriguez was going to hire? Facebook chat room chatter had Rodriguez talking to Alabama Crimson Tide Outside Linebackers Coach Tosh Lupoi, but speculation was that Byrnes delved into his background and chose to keep looking.

Some Wildcats fans were pushing for Arizona Wildcats legends Chuck Cecil or Ricky Hunley and are still hoping there is a spot for one of them. Others thought that wasn’t the way to go, wanted some new blood.

Well, those fans got what they wanted. We guess that Rich Rod was tired of trying figuring out the Boise State defensive strategy during pre-season play because he hired their Defensive coach Marcel Yates.

Yates will need to get used to practicing in a warmer climate on a green field instead of a blue field. Graham Watson of Yahoo Sports breaks down the accomplishments of Yates while at Boise.

"Under Yates, the Broncos ranked 12th nationally in total defense (318.3 yards per game) and 18th in scoring defense (20.2 points per game) during the 2015 season. In 2014, the Broncos ranked 48th in total defense and 63rd in coring defense. The Broncos are the only team in the country to rank in the top 10 in turnovers forced each of the past two years"

Yates defense was also ranked No. 19 in tackles for lost yardage, No. 11 in red-zone defense and No. 31 in sacks according to Javier Morales. Morales makes an important observation with the hires of Yates, Donte’ Williams, and promotion of Jahmile Addae.

"Yates will become Arizona’s first African-American defensive coordinator. He will be the 12th defensive coordinator for Arizona in the Wildcats’ Pac-10/12 existence. One of Rodriguez’s co-offensive coordinators,Calvin Magee, is also African-American."

Rich Rod was a big fan of Yates for awhile.

Looks like Yates got a big raise, but about $140K short of Casteel’s annual contract.

Before the Broncos, Yates was the co-defensive coordinator at Texas A&M for two years. In 2014, he joined his alma mater Boise State as the Defensive Coordinator. Yates meet his wife at Boise State, so has some serious emotional ties to the school.

Rodriguez has not yet officially announced the hire, but Yates has officially said goodbye to Boise State. It must have been difficult emotionally to leave Idaho; he didn’t want the news to get out until he talked to his team.

Yates first interview on the Arizona job can be heard HERE. He says people are saying he was chasing the money, but he also said he was offered more money than for the Arizona job. Folks are also questioning his loyalty, but he has a chance to move to the Pac-12 and recruit from the same pool of athletes in the West.

If you want a visual, here is a taste of Marcel Yates’s defensive philosophy:

Rodriguez also hired Donte Williams as his Defensive Backs Coach; he told Williams he was ‘Our Kinda Guy’ which was well received. Williams was not a known name among Wildcats fans who continuously have been asking ‘who is Donte Williams?’ Well, we will tell you.

Williams was yanked from the San Jose State University Spartans. He is known for his exceptional recruiting skills; he has found talent other coaches hadn’t been able to and convinced them to come to SJSU. Sounds like can recruit OKG’s, doesn’t it?

It wasn’t easy for him to leave his job, and he explained in a statement he tweeted out last night.

Williams started his coaching career in 2007 and worked for various junior colleges in California, and then he landed a job at the University of Nevada as an assistant linebacker coach in 2010. The next year, he got a job as a graduate assistant under Steve Sarkisian at the University of Washington. Then he spent the last three years with at SJSU in California.

Last season, the 5-7 Spartans were invited to the Cure Bowl and beat Georgia State 27-16.

From the Pacific Northwest to the coast of California to the Arizona desert, this coach has mastered adapting to climate.

Williams changed his Twitter account from @CoachD_SJSU to

@CoachD_AZ

, and he is proudly wearing his Arizona gear. BEARDOWN COACH!

ZonaZealots staff writers are all very excited about the defensive coaching hires; we are all feeling very positive about the future and look forward to great recruiting and a solid defense in the future. One felt these coaches will be able to relate better to the players because they have been there and done that; they are younger too so they can motivate the players.

More wildcats: Arizona Football Adds a Commitment to 2017 Class, his name is Rodriguez

BearDown Coaches Marcel, Donte’ and Jahmile!