It's official: Jeff Casteel is the new defensive coordinator for the Arizona Wildcats. The news was finally confirmed by the UA this afternoon, including a tweet from head coach Rich Rodriguez. Fans may recalled athletic director Greg Byrne announced the hiring of coach Rodriguez on Twitter and it is clear Arizona continues to lead the way in social media in college athletics.
We are excited to welcome new wildcat coaches Jeff Casteel, Bill Kirelawich,David Lockwood, and Spencer Leftwich to our staff!! Bear Down!
— Rich Rodriguez (@CoachRodAZ) January 11, 2012
Here is a snippet of the official release that was sent out moments ago:
TUCSON, Ariz.--Arizona's Rich Rodriguez completed his football coaching staff today with the appointment of Jeff Casteel to defensive coordinator, David Lockwood as a defensive backs coach, Bill Kirelawich as defensive line coach and Spencer Leftwich as tight ends coach.
Casteel, Lockwood and Kirelawich come from similar posts at West Virginia University and Leftwich joins Rodriguez's staff from the offensive line position at Pittsburgh. Casteel and Kirelawich worked under Rodriguez during his tenure as head coach at WVU.
"We are very excited to have Jeff, David, Bill and Spencer, and their families, join our family here at the University of Arizona. They are not only great coaches, but great people who bring a lot of quality experience and knowledge to our staff," Rodriguez said.
This is a huge day for Rich Rodriguez, the entire coaching staff and the Arizona Wildcats football program. Coach Casteel is widely regarded as both a first-class person and coach and fans should rest assured all the pieces are in place for a very successful tenure in Tucson.
A press conference will be held in Tucson on Friday at 11 a.m. to introduce the newest members of the coaching staff. Fans can find a live stream here.
For more on the Wildcats, head on over to Arizona Desert Swarm. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @SBNArizona and myself @ScottColeman_UA. You can also LIKE us on Facebook for continued coverage.