Arizona Football Endures changes, Staff is Finally being reported

Weeks after officially announcing Kevin Sumlin as the Arizona Football coach, the Wildcats appear to have their staff mostly finalized.

It has been over two weeks since Kevin Sumlin was introduced as the new football coach, and with National Signing Day quickly approaching, the Arizona Football staff is being finalized.

Big things are happening in Tucson. From the tumultuous firing of Rich Rodriguez to the surprise hiring of Sumlin, new life has been given to the Arizona Football Program.

More from Zona Zealots

• Arizona Football begins Conference play against Stanford
• Arizona Football starts slow but runs away from UTEP
• How Wildcats Fans Can Claim $200 INSTANT Bonus at BetMGM Betting $10 Right Now
• Costly Mistakes doom Arizona Football in loss to Mississippi State
• Arizona Basketball likely to schedule Florida Atlantic for 2023

A team that went 43-35 under Rodriguez, Arizona had certainly taken a dip the past few seasons after a remarkable 10-4 finish just a few seasons ago. Perhaps a change was just what the doctor had ordered.

While it is never an easy transition period for any football program changing coaches, the Wildcats are seemingly making all the right moves.

Sumlin is a well-liked coach with solid recruiting ties and even better relationships with some quality coaches. So far, he’s getting quite a few of them to come to Arizona.

First, Sumlin announced he was keeping defensive coordinator, Marcel Yates. Already a member of the Wildcats staff the past two seasons, Yates was retained by Sumlin, much to the delight of current Wildcats on the roster.  Coincidentally enough, Yates had already served as an assistant under Sumlin while at Texas A&M just a few years ago.

Since then, here are the assistants being brought in by Sumlin and Arizona:

Offensive Coordinator/ Quarterbacks: Noel Mazzone– A former A&M assistant and long-time college and NFL coach. Mazzone was a former quarterback himself, and graduate of the University of New Mexico. Through his coaching career, he has made himself known as an offensive guru, having coached some potent offenses, especially while at ASU from 2010 to 2011.

So far, he’s making his impact felt on the recruiting trail, already offering four-star quarterback, Grant Gunnell.

Runningbacks: Clarence McKinney– Another former A&M assistant and college coach, is McKinney. A friend to Sumlin, McKinney has been on staff with Sumlin since his days at Houston. Known to be a solid recruiter and coach, he should have a nice stable of running backs to work with at Arizona.

Wide Receivers: Theron Aych– One of the few Arizona staff members being retained, Aych should provide consistency for the receivers who worked with him last season. The hire makes sense, Aych has steadily been climbing the Division One coaching ranks and has deep ties to Texas, an apparent focal point for this Arizona staff.

Outside Receivers: Taylor Mazzone– Son of offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone, the young Mazzone is an understudy to his father, having made stops at ASU, UCLA and A&M over the past few seasons. He served as a quarterback coach for the Bruins, and is learning the spread offense his dad has run. He relates well to young players, and has recruited at a high level, helping to secure commitments from Myles Jack and Josh Rosen. The younger Mazzone should be a nice addition to this Arizona staff!

Offensive Line: Joe Gilbert– A former offensive line coach with the Indianapolis Colts, Gilbert had coached alongside Sumlin in 2008 while at Houston. While it has certainly been some time since Gilbert has last coached in college, he’s bringing a nice, football pedigree to Arizona. He also should provide a continued need for development on the offensive line. Gilbert’s hiring should be perceived as a good one.

Defensive Coordinator/ Linebackers: Marcel Yates– Again, what we already reiterated, Yates is one of the few, former staff members being retained by Sumlin. Well-liked by the current players, Yates actually has had some solid defenses under his guidance. At A&M, he had the 57th overall ranked defense in 2012 and had some good groups while at Boise State.

He’ll be a welcomed face, and one the players already know and like.

Cornerbacks: Demetrice Martin– A fairly young coach climbing the ranks, Martin has spent the past seven seasons at a Pac-12 rival, UCLA. Known to be a talented recruiter, Coach Meat as he’s commonly most known as, should provide another great addition and resource for this staff!

He also has a pretty large presence in Southern California, an area that the Wildcats will need to continue to focus on in recruiting.

His hiring finally became official on Tuesday.

Safeties: John Rushing– A long-time college and NFL coach, Rushing will come to Tucson with a great coaching pedigree. Rushing had coached the safeties at Oregon State this past year, and interestingly enough, he will also rejoin Yates. Rushing had coached Yates from 1998 to 99 while on staff at Boise State, later, the two would coach alongside at Montana State from 2001 to 2002.

Defensive Line: Iona Uiagalelei– A standout from Mt. San Antonio College in Southern California, Uiagalelei (Yoo-gah-lei-lee) will finally make the transition to division one football. He too comes in with an impressive background, after having helped coach NFL players; Bruce Irvin, Bojay Filimoeatu, and Nu’u Tafisi. He will be tasked with trying to improve the defensive line and should have a few solid pieces moving forward.

Special Teams: Jeremy Springer– Another former A&M assistant, Springer will be tasked with coaching Arizona’s special teams. An area of much focus moving forward, it will be interesting to see how Springer fits in. Springer worked under Sumlin for three years, as a Special Teams assistant to Jeff Banks.

Director of Recruiting: Chris Singletary– Singletary joined the Wildcat staff in 2016 under Rodriguez, and is being retained by the now current staff. He served as Michigan’s Director of Recruiting from 2006 to 2011. He has plenty of experience, has handled some high-profile recruits, and should provide some more consistency to this Arizona staff.

Director of Player Personnel: Dennis Polian– Still unconfirmed, but Polian is the believed, soon-to-be hire for this position. A former Director of Player Personnel under Sumlin while at A&M, Polian comes from a football family. His father Bill was a Vice Chairman of the Indianapolis Colts as well as the National Football League from 1998 to 2011. Brothers Chris and Brian have served on staffs at the NFL and college levels respectively too.

He potentially brings a great, coaching pedigree with an NFL mindset. He should be a good resource for Sumlin and this Arizona staff!

Senior Defensive Analyst: Chuck Cecil– The Arizona legend known for his big hits will return to Arizona’s staff. Cecil is still under contract, although his official role for next season has yet to be determined, so this could potentially change. Either way, he is a legendary player with a solid coaching background in the NFL, and should once again be a welcomed face around the program.

Get pumped up!

Must Read: More on Arizona Football

At Zona Zealots, we’re excited for the addition of all the new coaches, and wish them the best of success as they head into the 2018 season! Bear Down, Arizona!