Out: David Lockwood
Position: Cornerbacks coach
Dec. 21, 2015: Arizona announces that cornerbacks coach David Lockwood will not return.
What went down: The Arizona Wildcats' offseason began Monday (Dec. 21) with news that cornerbacks coach David Lockwood will not return in 2016.
Lockwood has been with the Wildcats for the last four years, part of a 27-year career that has included multiple stops at West Virginia and stints at Kentucky, Minnesota, Notre Dame, Memphis, James Madison and Delaware.
The UA's passing defense struggled in 2015, allowing 268.3 yards per game. The numbers rank 10th in the Pac-12 Conference — ahead of just Oregon and Arizona State — and 112th nationally. The Wildcats allowed 3,488 passing yards and 28 passing touchdowns; their defensive pass efficiency rating of 144.3 was 11th in the Pac-12.
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Arizona was double-teamed by inexperience and inconsistency this fall; the team's top pass defender was likely DaVonte' Neal, a converted wide receiver.
Lockwood said last week that evaluating Arizona's cornerbacks was "a tough question to answer right now."
"Obviously, no matter how good or how bad we were, there's room for much improvement," he said. "Some guys got to continue to step up, continue to learn, and have a great offseason."
Lockwood was responsible for one of the UA's most unlikely success stories, place-kicker Casey Skowron. Skowron knew Lockwood's daughter, Autumn, when he was a student manager on the UA women's soccer team. Autumn connected Skowron with her father, who helped him walk on. Skowron completed his UA career in Saturday's (Dec. 19) New Mexico Bowl victory over New Mexico; in two seasons, he accounted for 230 UA points.
Ryan Finley, Dec. 21, 2015
