Arizona Football: Stars on the team want a say in their next Head Coach

The Arizona Football program and everyone related to it was in shock as the news filtered through social media on Tuesday; Head Coach Rich Rodriguez was let go.

As the details come out after the Arizona Football firing of head coach Rich Rodriguez, it is clear the claims his former assistant is making are ugly, and it is painfully clear why a brand new AD and President would go the distance and look for a new coach. The allegations and coaches personal conduct are just too hard to defend at this point with all the alleged details coming out, true or not.

According to NBC’s Evan Rosenfeld, the assistant is blaming Rodriguez for Zach Hemmila’s death. Personally, I think is a stretch as it was an accidental overdose, and mental health issues cannot be solved overnight. We honestly don’t know what happened and I cannot for the life of me think Rodriguez didn’t have Hemmila’s best interests in mind.

Arizona Wildcats Football

Anyway, the news shocked me, the players, the coaches, the parents of the players and the fans. But who stands to be affected the most by these turn of events? Everyone on the inside of the program, but mostly the players, commits, and coaches. Next would be the decision makers, but it is their job to make the best situation to get wins and keep their team and coaches happy.

Key leaders on the Arizona Football team took to Twitter to tell Heeke their choice for head coach, or just support for the defensive coaching staff.

When you think of Arizona Football and their 2017 season, some names come to mind. Khalil Tate is first, followed by Tony Fields II, Kylan Wilborn, Demetrius Flannagan-Fowles and Scottie Young.

The young players have proven they are the present and future of Arizona Football. They also want to be heard, can you blame them? They feel that Defensive Coach Marcel Yates should be retained or promoted to Head Coach as well as retaining others on the Defensive staff. They must feel they are better players because of these coaches and the coaches must be doing something right.

Here is a video profile of coach Yates:

Some advocated for the players to have a say in the decision. If you want to keep your players and reduce havoc, I think the decision makers should listen to their players, hear them out at the very least. USC did this when they promoted Helton, and now he is the Pac-12 Champion head coach. Oregon just recently promoted Mario Cristobal.

The more recent Arizona Football Alumni, like Jared Tevas, Will Parks, Matt Scott and BJ Denker spoke out in support of their former Head coach.

The legendary Alumni we spoke to were relieved; they have felt shunned for years.

Greg Hansen, Arizona Daily Star, caught up with Arizona Football legend Ricky Hunley, who sat down to lunch today to talk. The sentiment from Hunley matches what I have discussed with him on several occasions, he and his teammates always felt they were treated unfairly by Rich Rodriguez. This was the one pet peeve I had with Rodriguez; he relegated the legends whose names grace the Lowell Stadium to sky boxes off the field with very little or no access to the players. The first time I saw Hunley on the field close to the bench was at the Foster Farms Bowl just last month.

Hansen suggests Heeke and Robbins hire Cecil and Hunley, which I have recommended before as well. But there is a win, win, win situation here. Arizona could hire both of them and retain the current coaching staff to maintain consistency and keep the players, commits, and recruits happy. The NCAA is allowing a 10th coach, so no one would have to be fired. So maybe Cecil makes Hunley a new position which includes coaching coaches along with mentoring players and maybe coaching the linebackers.

The current players have so much to learn from these two former NFL Players and NFL Coaches as they have ties to the NFL. Isn’t that something Arizona players have been missing? Not many have been drafted in recent years. The players can also learn more about Arizona Football history and get a better understanding of what it means to bear down and be a Wildcat.

There are many fans in this camp. Many fans for the last year after Cecil was hired, pushed for Cecil to be the next head coach. To be extended at the very least. Maybe these are the older fans who remember why Ricky Hunley and Chuck Cecil‘s names line the top row of the stadium they became legends in.

Maybe it’s time for the younger fans and the decision makers need to listen to the players and the legends who want nothing more than putting Arizona Football on the map. Their love for the school is unmatched in this country.

Maybe former Arizona Football coach Dick Tomey has the cool head now:

The other names that fans have pushed are Kevin Sumlin (Former Texas A&M Head Coach) and Les Miles (Former LSU Head Coach). Sumlin has ties to Yates, so that would work out well, he also has a buyout so that may help Arizona with the price tag. Miles is seasoned, but is he a quarterback coach? With Khalil Tate coming back, he is a junior, so technically he can declare, you would want a coach who could support Tate in his run for a Heisman next season.

If you are just joining the program in process, here is what has been going on: 

Arizona’s head coach Rich Rodriguez was relieved of his duties in the early evening last night via email. Arizona’s President Robbins and Athletic Direct Dave Heeke also wrote an email which was published online, that explained the decision and the reason behind their thinking. They advised that they will honor the separation terms of Rich Rod’s contract (a little over $6 million) mainly because the claims of his former assistant who filed a lawsuit asking for $7.5 mil, “Could not be substantiated.”

AD Heeke published an additional statement as to the reason for the firing:

"“After conducting a thorough evaluation of our football program and its leadership, both on and off the field, President Robbins and I feel it is in the best interest of the University of Arizona and our athletics department to go in a new direction.”"

The timing sucks. Most new Head Coaches are already planning their final push for recruiting for the February signing deadline, or in the Pac-12 who they can steal from other programs (e.g., UCLA HC Chip Kelly). But it is what it is and Marcel Yates has been named the interim head coach heading into the spring semester.

Must Read: Les Miles name is been thrown around, would it be a good choice>

Players who feel strongly about wanting to affect the coaching decision should get organized by meeting and deciding their top three or four requests as far as coaching staff and have a sit down with Heeke and Robbins to be heard. Or find out what the players did at USC to be heard to keep Clay Helton. They should have a voice. I am just not sure they will get their way. But whatever happens, I feel that Heeke will make the right decision and he has embraced the Alumni.