SB Nation Arizona - Jeff Casteel Officially Joins Arizona Wildcats After Months Of Speculationhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/46593/arizona-fave.png2012-01-21T10:00:43-07:00http://arizona.sbnation.com/rss/stream/23430522012-01-21T10:00:43-07:002012-01-21T10:00:43-07:00Rich Rodriguez, Greg Byrne Discuss North End Zone Project At Arizona Stadium [VIDEO]
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/arizona-wildcats">Arizona Wildcats</a> desperately needed to improve Arizona Stadium and they are currently in the process of a complete overhaul of the north end zone. With construction is already underway, Friday was the official ground breaking ceremony for the project. Head coach Rich Rodriguez was in Tucson for the event, as was athletic director Greg Byrne.</p>
<p>Both gentlemen spoke at the ceremony. We have videos after the jump...</p>
<p>Here is the video of Rodriguez:</p>
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/NkU5Kg22XzI" frameborder="0"></iframe> <br id="1327119848869"></p>
<p>And of Byrne:</p>
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2imb2Gj-rDg" frameborder="0"></iframe> <br id="1327119906063"></p>
<p>Pretty cool ... and loud. Arizona Stadium may not look very good during the 2012 season, but the facilities the program will receive with this renovation project will be second-to-none in the conference. According to Byrne and the athletic department, the project should be ready for the fans by the beginning of the 2013 season. Until then, all we can do is look forward to the future of Arizona Wildcat football.</p>
<p><i>For more on the team, head on over to <a href="http://azdesertswarm.com" target="_blank">AZ Desert Swarm</a>.</i></p>
https://arizona.sbnation.com/arizona-wildcats/2012/1/21/2722604/rich-rodriguez-greg-byrne-arizona-wildcats-stadium-renovationScott Coleman2012-01-12T07:03:03-07:002012-01-12T07:03:03-07:00Jeff Casteel To Arizona: The Viewpoint Of A West Virginia Mountaineer
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<p>The <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/arizona-wildcats" class="sbn-auto-link">Arizona Wildcats</a> finalized their coaching staff on Wednesday with the hiring of Jeff Casteel, David Lockwood, Bill Kirelawich and Spencer Leftwich. Head coach Rich Rodriguez has worked with Casteel, Lockwood and Kirelawich at West Virginia and his familiarity with the three will pay dividend as practice begins. While everyone in Tucson is excited for the future of Arizona football, I thought it would be interesting to see what those in Morgantown thought of their three coaches heading west.</p>
<p>I recently asked WVUIE97, the lead writer for the excellent WVU blog, <a target="_blank" href="http://thesmokingmusket.com">The Smoking Musket</a>, about the coaches and what the UA should expect from them.</p>
<p><b>Q: </b>Most fans know about Casteel and his background, but what can you tell us about coaches Lockwood and Kirelawich? Did anything about their time at WVU stick out to you after all these years?</p>
<p><b>A: </b>Coach Kirlav is basically a WVU lifer, joining the staff back in 1979 and serving WVU football in some form every year since, mostly as the DL coach. The usually salty coach is always good for a quote and telling it like it is. He's always seemed to get more out of unheralded players than most not knowing his history/prowess would imagine. Kirlav is also a decent recruiter, at least in his usual territory of western PA.</p>
<p>Coach Lockwood is a WVU alum who was a defensive stalwart on the 1988 undefeated team. Lockwood moved around a bit, including a stint as a coordinator before coming home to WVU. He's a good recruiter and an excellent coach of technique. Many credit him for turning <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/6406/keith-tandy" class="sbn-auto-link">Keith Tandy</a> into the player he developed into. The previous CB coach, Gibson, who I believe also is joining the Arizona staff, wasn't big on technique, at least not when he was a WVU. Players have stated that he would tell them, "just get to the spot." Lockwood came in and changed that, and with that change came nice strides of improvement in the cornerbacks.</p>
<p>Losing Casteel is tough, but these two were my favorite defensive coaches because we were usually confident with what their players would do on the field.</p>
<p>--</p>
<p><b>Q:</b> Among the three coaches heading to Tucson, which ones tend to be known as the primary recruiters of the bunch?</p>
<p><b>A: </b>Kirelawich was a decent recruiter, but not really of note. Casteel wasn't known as a recruiter much. Lockwood gets this title on reputation of these three. I have to admit my following of recruiting usually isn't focused on who is the lead recruiter on a target player.</p>
<p>--</p>
<p><b>Q:</b> What are you overall thoughts on the 3-3-5 scheme? Most of us have never seen it in action other than on TV here and there. What are your favorite things about it and what can sometimes go wrong or present problems?</p>
<p><b>A:</b> It's a quirky system that relies heavily on two things. 1. Players who understand the defense and sticking to their assignments (the longer in the system, the better it works). 2. A big nose guard who can clog the middle and chew up blocks, often taking on two offensive lineman at a time. If you have those two things, then Casteel can dial up blitzes from multiple angles and personnel, often confusing the offense. It can also be termed a bend-don't-break defense at times. There have been multiple times when the defense has had a hard time getting off the field, yielding long drives, but usually clamping down in the red zone.</p>
<p>--</p>
<p>A big thanks to WVUIE97 for answering these questions. You can find him covering WVU over at <a target="_blank" href="http://www.smokingmusket.com/">The Smoking Musket</a>.</p>
<p>There will be an introductory press conference on Friday morning introducing the new members of the UA coaching staff. Once that wraps up, three huge weeks of recruiting begin before National Signing Day takes place February 1.</p>
<p><i>For more on the Wildcats, head on over to <a target="_blank" href="http://azdesertswarm.com">AZ Desert Swarm</a>.</i></p>
https://arizona.sbnation.com/arizona-wildcats/2012/1/12/2701566/jeff-casteel-arizona-wildcats-wvu-bill-kirelawich-david-lockwoodScott Coleman2012-01-11T15:58:37-07:002012-01-11T15:58:37-07:00Jeff Casteel Officially Hired By Arizona Wildcats, Completing Stellar Coaching Staff In Tucson
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<p>It's official: Jeff Casteel is the new defensive coordinator for the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/arizona-wildcats" class="sbn-auto-link">Arizona Wildcats</a>. 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.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet tw-align-center">
<p>We are excited to welcome new wildcat coaches Jeff Casteel, Bill Kirelawich,David Lockwood, and Spencer Leftwich to our staff!! Bear Down!</p>
— Rich Rodriguez (@CoachRodAZ) <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachRodAZ/status/157231378986041345" data-datetime="2012-01-11T22:44:16+00:00">January 11, 2012</a>
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<p>Here is a snippet of the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.arizonawildcats.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/011112aaa.html">official release</a> that was sent out moments ago:</p>
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<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>"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.</p>
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<p>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.</p>
<p>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 <a href="http://www.arizonawildcats.com/allaccess/?media=292074" target="_blank">live stream here</a>.</p>
<p><i>For more on the Wildcats, head on over to <a href="http://azdesertswarm.com" target="_blank">Arizona Desert Swarm</a>. Be sure to follow us on Twitter <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/#!/sbnarizona">@SBNArizona</a> and myself <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/#!/ScottColeman_UA">@ScottColeman_UA</a>. You can also <a target="_blank" href="http://www.facebook.com/sbnarizona?sk=wall">LIKE</a> us on Facebook for continued coverage.</i></p>
https://arizona.sbnation.com/arizona-wildcats/2012/1/11/2700628/jeff-casteel-arizona-wildcats-rich-rodriguezScott Coleman2012-01-11T06:05:03-07:002012-01-11T06:05:03-07:00Arizona Wildcats Expect To Hire Jeff Casteel, Three Assistants On Wednesday
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<p>The majority of this news began to break late on Tuesday, but incase you missed it: the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/arizona-wildcats" class="sbn-auto-link">Arizona Wildcats</a> are expect to hire current West Virginia defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel on Wednesday, along with three other assistant coaches. The hirings will likely be made official by the UA on Wednesday afternoon and each of the four coaches will be introduced to the media at that time.</p>
<p>Along with Casteel, who will also serve as the linebackers coach, Arizona is expected to hire David Lockwood, Bill Kirelawich and Spencer Leftwich.</p>
<p>David Lockwood, a cornerbacks coach, has spent 21 years coaching, including the last three at West Virginia. He has spent time at Kentucky, Minnesota, Notre Dame, Memphis, among other various places, and is known to be a solid recruiter.</p>
<p>Bill Kirelawich has spent the last 31 years coaching at WVU and will handle the defensive linemen at Arizona. One of the longest tenured coaches in America, Kirelawich has drawn rave reviews from those around him. He and coach Casteel are very close and the relationship between their families extends beyond the football field.</p>
<p>Spencer Leftwich, who spent last season coaching under Todd Graham at Pittsburgh, has spent a majority of his coaching career serving as the offensive line coach. He will coach the tight ends at Arizona and will also do some work with the special teams crew. A native of Texas, his recruiting efforts will be huge for the Wildcats.</p>
<p>The hiring of these four coaches will also signify the dismissal of former defensive coordinator and head coach Tim Kish. Coach Kish had joined Mike Stoops when he originally took the job in Tucson and will always be remembered in the community for his efforts that led to an upset victory over Arizona State.</p>
<p>This is a very big day for the University of Arizona and their football program. We will have continuing coverage throughout the entire offseason.</p>
<p><i>For more on the team, head on over to <a target="_blank" href="http://azdesertswarm.com">AZ Desert Swarm</a>. </i></p>
<p><i>Be sure to follow us on Twitter <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/#!/sbnarizona">@SBNArizona</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/#!/ScottColeman_UA">@ScottColeman_UA</a> </i></p>
https://arizona.sbnation.com/arizona-wildcats/2012/1/11/2699007/jeff-casteel-arizona-wildcats-west-virginia-david-lockwood-bill-kirelawich-spencer-leftwichScott Coleman2012-01-10T15:07:15-07:002012-01-10T15:07:15-07:00Jeff Casteel As Arizona Wildcats Defensive Coordinator To Reportedly Be Announced Wednesday
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<p>It's taken a long time for Jeff Casteel to make his way from Morgantown, West Virginia all the way to Tucson, Arizona. <a target="_blank" href="http://tucsoncitizen.com/wildcatreport/2012/01/10/source-arizona-set-to-annouce-jeff-casteel-as-defensive-coordinator-on-wednesday/">What's one more day?</a></p>
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<p>Rodriguez will announce West Virginia’s <b>Jeff Casteel</b> as his defensive coordinator on Wednesday afternoon, when the other three staff vacancies could also be filled, a source told TucsonCitizen.com on Tuesday afternoon.</p>
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<p>Casteel to Arizona has been rumored all the way since the beginning of this process that made <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="#">Rich Rodriguez</a> the head coach of the Wildcats. The two worked together on offense and defense in West Virginia, but Casteel decided to stay with the Mountaineers when Rodriguez went over to Michigan. Rodriguez was able to charge up the Wolverines offense by his third season, but the defense remained a calamity throughout his tenure and Michigan got worse and worse on that side of the ball. Unbelievably, with nearly the same personnel, Brady Hoke's defensive coordinator Greg Mattison made Michigan's defense good in under a year.</p>
<p>Casteel with the Wildcats should improve a team that wasn't very good on the defensive side of the ball, since his 3-3-5 scheme generally favors a strong secondary, where the Wildcats are probably at their deepest next season. How big the improvements will be remain to be seen.</p>
<p><i><b>To discuss Casteel as defensive coordinator of the Wildcats,<a target="_blank" href="http://www.azdesertswarm.com"> go to Arizona Desert Swarm</a>.</b></i></p>
https://arizona.sbnation.com/arizona-wildcats/2012/1/10/2697668/jeff-casteel-arizona-wildcats-coaching-staff-rich-rodriguezAvinash Kunnath2012-01-09T16:57:52-07:002012-01-09T16:57:52-07:00Arizona Wildcats Start Demolishing Their Stadium (And It's A Good Thing!)
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<p>Arizona Stadium already received a ginormous video board this past season as part of the renovations the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/arizona-wildcats">Arizona Wildcats</a> will be doing over the next few years. The next (and biggest) step is to start demolishing the north end zone bleachers and old jumbotron in order to make way for the renovations that will provide the UA with new seating and a brand new locker room.</p>
<p>This project officially began last week and there is no going back after today. On Monday afternoon, Arizona Stadium saw their bleachers get demolished. The video board will be knocked down in the very near future as well. Fortunately for Wildcat fans everywhere, you do not have to be in Tucson to view the renovation project. We have a webcam link that monitors the construction progress 24/7.</p>
<p>Here is the <a href="http://www.pdc.arizona.edu/webcam/NorthEndZone.aspx" target="_blank">link to the live stream</a>.</p>
<p>And <a href="http://www.pdc.arizona.edu/files/projects/09-8902/CPAC_7-15-11_Schematic.pdf" target="_blank">here is what Arizona Stadium will look like</a> once the renovations are complete.</p>
<p>The North End Zone Project will not be completed until the beginning of the 2013 season (at the earliest), but it will be fun to follow the progress of the construction as the UA makes huge improvements to their football facilities.</p>
https://arizona.sbnation.com/arizona-wildcats/2012/1/9/2695184/arizona-wildcats-north-end-zone-project-renovationsScott Coleman2012-01-09T12:04:34-07:002012-01-09T12:04:34-07:00Jeff Casteel Reportedly Agrees To Become Defensive Coordinator For Arizona Wildcats, Rich Rodriguez
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<p>There were <a target="_blank" href="http://arizona.sbnation.com/arizona-wildcats/2012/1/5/2685885/jeff-casteel-arizona-wildcats-west-virginia-rich-rodriguez/in/2343052">plenty of rumors last week</a> suggesting Jeff Casteel had a deal in place to leave West Virginia, a place he had spent most of his entire life, to join Rich Rodriguez and the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/arizona-wildcats" class="sbn-auto-link">Arizona Wildcats</a>. Most felt it was a done deal, but there were whispers that Casteel may be having second thoughts when no official announcement was made by the UA.</p>
<p>After a busy weekend of speculation, there are <a target="_blank" href="http://www.eerinsider.com/2012-articles/january/goodbye-jeff-casteel.html">even more rumors confirming</a> that Casteel will be headed to Tucson, with some <a target="_blank" href="http://www.goazwildcats.com/content/casteel-hired-defensive-coordinator-159/">saying it is a done deal</a>.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet tw-align-center">
<p>Being told to expect an announcement of some sort on Jeff Casteel very soon. Could be as early as today.</p>
— Jon Martin (@JonathanKMartin) <a data-datetime="2012-01-09T16:34:58+00:00" href="https://twitter.com/JonathanKMartin/status/156413663782252545">January 9, 2012</a>
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<p>We are still awaiting news from the athletic department, although one could be made at any moment. The BCS National Championship Game likely means nothing is made official until at least Tuesday, but there is still a small chance something gets done today.</p>
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<p>Again, it appears everything is very close to being finalized with Jeff Casteel. The only issue that remains is which of his WVU assistant coaches he brings along with him to Tucson. Safeties coach Steve Dunlap, cornerbacks coach Dave Lockwood and defensive line coach Bill Kirelawich could all be headed to Arizona, although many affiliated with the Mountaineers would like to see these three retained if Casteel does indeed head west.</p>
<p>As for now, though, Arizona Wildcats fans should be absolutely thrilled to hear of these developments. There are few in the nation better than coach Casteel and he has a reputation for being a first-class citizen, as well. This is an exciting day for the UA football program.</p>
<p><b>Update: </b>A few have you have contacted me asking for my sources and how I can confirm this news. You'll notice the word "reportedly" in the title, which means nothing is confirmed at this time. Yes, I have my people that I talk with that are close to the UA and I also read around on the Internet as much as you do to gather my information. All signs point to Casteel heading to Arizona, but this is <b>not</b> confirmed at all. We're not trying to scoop the story; just to report what is being said at WVU and UA.</p>
<p><i>For more on these two teams, head on over to <a target="_blank" href="http://azdesertswarm.com">Arizona Desert Swarm</a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://smokingmusket.com">The Smoking Musket</a>.</i></p>
https://arizona.sbnation.com/arizona-wildcats/2012/1/9/2694283/jeff-casteel-arizona-wildcats-west-virginia-rich-rodriguezScott Coleman2012-01-08T14:38:30-07:002012-01-08T14:38:30-07:00Arizona Wildcats Welcome Brian Wagner, Akron LB Transfer
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<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/13409/brian-wagner">Brian Wagner</a> was a huge producer for the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/akron-zips">Akron Zips</a>. He was clearly one of their most talented players, racking up the second most tackles in FBS football behind likely lottery pick <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/75419/luke-kuechly">Luke Kuechly</a> of Boston College. Wagner decided that he wanted to use his last year of eligibility at a big-time program.</p>
<p>He's practically what the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/arizona-wildcats">Arizona Wildcats</a> need on defense.<a target="_blank" href="http://tucsoncitizen.com/wildcatreport/2012/01/08/akron-tackling-machine-transferring-to-arizona-filling-a-major-need/"> Anthony Gimino of the Tucson Citizen reports</a>.</p>
<p> </p>
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<p>Akron’s <b>Brian Wagner</b>, who has one season to play and is immediately eligible as a graduate student, told the UA coaches Sunday morning that he is coming to Tucson, hoping to start classes Wednesday for the spring semester.</p>
<p>...</p>
<p>He played middle linebacker in a 4-3 scheme at Akron. Exactly where he fits into Arizona’s scheme is to be determined, Wagner said, with the Cats presumably running a 3-3-5, no matter who coach <b><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="#">Rich Rodriguez</a></b> eventually brings in as defensive coordinator.</p>
<p>Wagner said secondary coach <b>Tony Gibson</b> — the only defensive assistant on staff right now — explained that Wagner could fit into any of the three linebacker positions. Elsewhere at linebacker, Arizona has <b><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/77398/jake-fischer">Jake Fischer</a></b> coming back from an ACL injury, plus sophomores-to-be <b><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/135345/rob-hankins">Rob Hankins</a></b> and <b><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/135339/hank-hobson">Hank Hobson</a></b>.</p>
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<p>Arizona had a strong offense in 2011, but their defense was a broken toaster. The Wildcats got gashed again, and again, and again, particularly in a linebacking corps that was no match for the offensive firepower in the Pac-12 week in and week out. Wagner can become one of the main contributors almost instantly and give Arizona at least some talent at the linebacking position, and hopefully limit the big plays the Wildcats were so good at giving up last season.</p>
<p><i><b>To discuss Arizona football, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.azdesertswarm.com">go to Arizona Desert Swarm</a>. </b></i></p>
https://arizona.sbnation.com/arizona-wildcats/2012/1/8/2692146/brian-wagner-arizona-wildcats-transferAvinash Kunnath