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Boise State's Marcel Yates accepts Arizona's DC job
Boise State defensive coordinator Marcel Yates told FOX Sports that he accepted the Arizona DC job late Sunday night. Yates said he told Wildcats head coach Rich Rodriguez at about 9 p.m. local time Sunday night and wanted to tell his players when he met with them Monday.
Yates, a Los Angeles native, led the Broncos to No. 20 in the country in yards-per-play allowed (4.86) while their opponents’ third-down rate was at 30.9 percent -- 10th in the nation. This season Boise State also ranked No. 5 in both forced turnovers (31) and rushing defense.
The former Bronco came back to Boise in 2014 to take over the BSU defense after working as a co-DC at Texas A&M.
Boise State ranked No. 12 in the country in total defense, No. 19 in tackles for loss, No. 11 in red-zone defense and No. 31 in sacks.
In 2014, Boise led the Mountain West with the lowest opponents' third-down conversion rate (34.67 percent) and in turnovers forced (31), and they ranked No. 39 in the country in yards per play.
The Broncos are the only team in the country to rank in the top 10 in turnovers forced in each of the past two seasons.
Yates replaces Jeff Casteel, who has been the Wildcats' DC since Rich Rodriguez took over in Tucson.
Bruce Feldman is a senior college football reporter and columnist for FOXSports.com and FS1. He is also a New York Times best-selling author. His new book, “The QB: The Making of Modern Quarterbacks,” came out in October 2014. Follow him on Twitter @BruceFeldmanCFB and Facebook.
