TUCSON, Ariz. — Arizona Football head coach Brent Brennan today announced the promotion of Danny Gonzales to Defensive Coordinator and the hiring of Wildcat letterwinner Joe Salave’a to serve as the program’s Associate Head Coach and Defensive Line Coach.
Gonzales steps into the Defensive Coordinator position after serving as the program’s linebackers coach and special teams coordinator last season. Salave’a returns to Tucson, where he was a two-time All Pac-10 player from 1994-97, to guide the Wildcats defensive line after three seasons at the University of Miami as the Hurricanes Associate Head Coach, Defensive Line Coach, and Defensive Run Game Coordinator.
“We are excited to have Danny Gonzales move into the defensive coordinator spot on our staff and it’s an honor to welcome an Arizona great, Joe Salave’a, back to his alma mater,” Brennan said. “Coach Gonzales has years of experience as a proven defensive play-caller with the ability to lead and develop defenses that rank among the best in the nation. And Coach Salave’a is a Wildcat at heart who has a winning pedigree and who has demonstrated the ability to identify and develop elite players along the defensive line. The experience that both bring to the table will be an asset for our student-athletes and our program.”
Gonzales, a Broyles Award Nominee, boasts nearly three decades of coaching experience, including two seasons as a defensive coordinator and four as a head coach. While at New Mexico prior to his arrival in Tucson, Gonzales led the defensive unit to back-to-back top 50 seasons for the first time since 2007-08 and produced an All-American at defensive back, the first Lobo All-American since 2014.
While serving as the defensive coordinator in Tempe, Gonzales coached a Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year and picked up a nomination for the Broyles Award in 2018, awarded annually to the nation’s top assistant coach. His impact was immediate upon arriving in Tempe, as the defense allowed its fewest points (332) in seven seasons and held nine opponents under 30 points, a feat only accomplished five times prior during the program’s Pac-10/12 era.
Gonzales’ first opportunity to call a defense came at San Diego State, where he steered the…
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