Arizona is a little over two weeks away from beginning spring practice, and just in the nick of time it has someone to coach its special teams.
Longtime college football assistant Craig Naivar is set to become the Wildcats’ special teams coordinator, according to Pete Thamel of ESPN. He replaces Danny Gonzales, who has been elevated to defensive coordinator.
Naivar has more than 30 years of coaching experience in college, nearly all at the Division I level, and mostly with special teams. His most recent gig was at Coastal Carolina, where he was defensive coordinator and safeties coach in 2023-24 and was nominated in 2023 for the Broyles Award given to the top assistant coach in the sport.
His other stops have included SMU (2022), USC (2020-21), Texas (2017-19), Houston (2015-16) and Kentucky (2014).
Naivar will be in charge of a unit that must replace kicker Tyler Loop and find some reliable return options. Last season Arizona averaged 5.59 yards on punt returns, ranking 103rd nationally.
Arizona is set to open spring practice on March 18 with a roster that includes more than 50 newcomers. The Wildcats also have to hire another defensive assistant with Duane Akina leaving to coach at Texas.
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