Although two new coaches are in place, two items remain unresolved when it comes to the Arizona Wildcats’ defense.
The first is the identity of the defensive line coach. The second is the type of defense Arizona will run.
I wish I had concrete answers for you on both fronts, but we’re still in the educated-guess stage here. Late Tuesday night, I asked someone close to the situation if they had any idea who the D-line coach would be. That person’s reply: “No clue.”
Marcel Yates knows exactly the style of defense he wants, even if no one has come out and said exactly what it will look like.
In a video interview released by the UA (embedded below), Yates said he wants his defense to be “physical and disciplined.” He added that its No. 1 goal always should be to “get the ball.”
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Yates dropped a Brandon Sanders reference and alluded to the great Arizona “Desert Swarm” defense for the second time in as many days.
“Brandon Sanders was physical, and that defense was physical,” Yates said. “I’m excited to try to bring that back.”
Yates ran what’s been portrayed as a 4-2-5 defense at Boise State, but I’m told the fourth lineman was more of a hybrid player. The position is called “Stud” on the BSU depth chart, and the top three players listed on the season-ending version ranged in height from 6-3 to 6-5 and in weight from 226 to 248.
Also, while the two players listed at the nickel position were defensive backs, I’m told the nickel could be a linebacker depending on the matchup. So expect Yates’ defense to be multiple in addition to physical and disciplined.
“I always want guys that are physical, No. 1,” he says in the video. “That are smart on and off the field. Want to work. Want to compete.”
