Top 5 destination predictions for Chuck Cecil if not Arizona Football
WAIT! Where is Arizona Football Legend Chuck Cecil Going in 2018? We will explore five possible destinations if not Arizona.
Twitter lit up with speculation about Coach Rich Rodriquez’s future after the Cats lost to Purdue last night in front of an empty crowd in Levi Stadium. However, what’s trending higher for Arizona football is Chuck Cecil’s future on the football coaching staff.
What provoked speculations was when long time Arizona Daily Star sports columnist Greg Hanson hinted on Tuesday that Chuck Cecil is heading out of Tucson as early as January when his contract expires. Wildcats quickly became a ground swell of disappointment on social media that Cecil’s homecoming may be coming to end just when the community was rallying!
Cecil, the 15-year NFL coaching veteran who constantly tweets out an uplifting Dabo-type postgame shout out to the players, coaches, fans and staff, can’t be blamed for possibly heading out of Tucson.
The man is a ball coach, or even better, he is an elite ball coach that needs to be on the field with players, and he needs a paying gig.
Arizona Wildcats Football
Currently, Cecil serves as a Defensive Analyst and NCAA rules state that as an Analyst he may not engage with the players (among other things). Thus Cecil could not have been utilized the way he had with NFL teams, but has been a coach’s coach, football schematics guru and fan favorite for Arizona football. Not to mention the swagger he brings back to the Cats with his fiery, infectious and positive attitude.
The good news for Arizona fans is that the NCAA Division I Council approved a 10th on-field assistant coach to be hired nationwide opening up a spot for Cecil with the Cats. Thus, if on Coach Rodriquez’ radar, Cecil would easily transition onto the coaching staff when his contract expires in January without having to remove or replace an existing Arizona coaching staff member.
Hanson was quick to point out that Coach Rodriquez would need to make the former NFL Defensive Coordinator a Co-or-Assistant Head Coach or Co-Defensive Coordinator alongside Marcel Yates. And that’s where the speculation begins.
This move would be applauded and supported by key donors, season ticket holders, alumni, faculty, administration, the local community and global Wildcats fans on social media who have already started a campaign to fund Cecil’s hire. When Cecil was hired he stated, “I love it here (in Tucson). It’s hidden gem. When you come here it just grows on you. It’s an amazing place to play ball and go to school.”
It’s obvious to most we talk to that Cecil belongs in Arizona. A young Lute Olsen-type coach who doesn’t have the wanderlust to leave a place where he met his wife and feels the virtual and community hugs on a continual basis.
Here is a little taste of Cecil doing his thing:
So, if not Arizona, where does Cecil land? Here are top-five hot spots for Cecil in January in no particular order…