When Kevin Sumlin was hired by the Arizona Wildcats last year he brought with him an almost entirely new coaching staff. The most notable exception was defensive coordinator Marcel Yates, who despite two subpar years on the job was retained.
Also kept on from the Rich Rodriguez era was Chuck Cecil, a former UA star who served as a senior defensive analyst.
Now Cecil is Arizona’s interim defensive coordinator following Sumlin’s decision Sunday to fire Yates and linebackers coach John Rushing. In addition to Cecil’s promotion, analyst Hank Hobson, another former UA player, was elevated to a full-time position to handle the linebackers.