Ezra Amacher
When Rich Rodriguez was announced as Arizona's head coach, one of the first questions that arose was whether or not he would be able to bring his former defensive coordinator at West Virginia, Jeff Casteel, to Tucson. After weeks of speculation, it is now official that Casteel will be joining Rodriguez' staff.
While Rodriguez did not fare well at Michigan, things may have turned out differently for him if Casteel had been willing to come to Ann Arbor. Instead, the Mountaineers promoted Bill Stewart to head coach following a West Virginia victory in the 2008 Fiesta Bowl over Oklahoma. Casteel felt that he was better off staying in Morgantown, where he had been since 2001.
Now that there is a new group of people running the West Virginia football program, perhaps Casteel felt more at ease with leaving the school to go become defensive coordinator under a Rodriguez coached team.
Casteel is in his 26th year of coaching and has become one of the more respected defensive coordinators in the country. Some highlights include being named Rivals' 2007 Defensive Coordinator of the Year and producing four All Americans at West Virginia.
He will provide instant stability to Arizona's defense, which has struggled the past few seasons. Casteel runs a 3-3-5 defense and tends to focus more on speedy secondary players than heavy lineman.
Arizona will likely be paying him more than his salary at West Virginia, which was $400,000 this season but was going to continue to go up $50,000 each year. Fortunately, athletic director Greg Byrne provided Rodriguez with enough money to bring in the coaches he wants.
The biggest immediate impact Casteel will have on Arizona is likely to be on the recruiting trail. While he might have promised the Mountaineers that he won't actively recruit West Virginia signees, it doesn't mean those recruits won't decommit and follow him to Arizona.
Regardless, Casteel's track record should be enough to get recruits from across the country to seriously consider playing for him. And while there is always the possibility that Casteel might look for a head coach coaching job, he has been an assistant his entire career so it seems doubtful that he is looking for a promotion.
Overall, this is a terrific hire for Rodriguez. When John Bacon, the author of Three And Out, the book about Rich Rod's time at Michigan, was asked if things would have been differently if Casteel had followed him there, Bacon answered, "It would have been completely different."
Only time will tell how significant of a hire this is but for now, Casteel brings instant defensive credibility to the Arizona football program.
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