Can he get his secondary to play like this? Ryan Walters causes a fumble from Arizona State tight end Brent Miller in a 2007 game in Tempe.
Photo by Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE.

When Mike Stoops was hired to coach the Arizona Wildcats after the 2003 season, Ryan Walters was a senior quarterback. In high school.

Now, Walters is Stoops’ secondary coach.

It took a strange set of circumstances to make it happen, but Walters, at age 25, was officially announced Monday as Arizona’s new secondary coach after spending one season as a graduate assistant with the Cats.

“To be able to do this at the age I am is a humbling experience and very gratifying,” he said.

“It speaks a lot to Mike’s confidence in me. I don’t want to let him down, the fans down, the players down. I am working tirelessly to be the best defensive backs coach I can be.”

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Mike Tuiasosopo provided Arizona a strong connection to the Polynesian community.
2007 photo by Kirby Lee, Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

Arizona Wildcats coach Mike Stoops will begin interviewing candidates for two open assistant coaching positions this weekend, saying, “It’s never been a problem finding coaches.”

“My phone has absolutely blown up over the last week,” Stoops added. “That’s the crazy part of it all.”

Defensive tackles coach Mike Tuiasosopo and Greg Brown, the co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach, have both accepted jobs at soon-to-be Pac-12 South rival Colorado.

Tuiasosopo has a strong friendship with new Buffs coach Jon Embree, and Brown has strong ties to the area. This is his third stint at Colorado — plus he will be the solo defensive coordinator, a promotion.

With the loss of Tuiasosopo, Stoops figures to need to hire a coach with strong ties to the Polynesian community (Brad Allis of our TucsonCitizen.com sports network partner WildcatSportsReport.com broke down Tui’s value in terms of recruiting.)

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Brown

Colorado, a new member of the Pac-12 starting next season, was hired a new head coach who is interested in bringing back Arizona Wildcats co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach Greg Brown, according to the Denver Post.

The hiring of 45-year old Jon Embree is official, and the former Colorado player is bringing in another former Colorado player as offensive coordinator — Eric Bieniemy.

He is the school’s career leading rusher.

According to the story in the Denver Post:

Embree has shown interest in former Colorado defensive secondary coach Greg Brown, now co-defensive coordinator at the University of Arizona, about returning to Boulder as defensive coordinator.

Embree contacted Brown before landing the job, a source close to Brown said, but hasn’t made an offer. It would be Brown’s third stint at Colorado after serving as secondary coach from 1991-93 and from 2006-09.

The Post speculated that, “It’s expected that Brown would accept the offer. His parents still live in the area and his father, Irv, is a prominent radio talk-show host.”

Trevin Wade's best moment of the season came when he picked off this deflected pass and returned it 85 yards for a TD against Iowa. Photo by Chris Morrison, US-PRESSWIRE

Trevin Wade’s banishment to the bench will last only one game.

Arizona Wildcats coach Mike Stoops said Monday morning that the junior cornerback will be back in the starting lineup for Friday’s game at top-ranked Oregon.

True freshman Shaquille Richardson got the start in the last game, against USC, with Wade playing off the bench. The plan is to use those two, plus starting cornerback Robert Golden.

“We’re just trying to rotate all three of them,” Stoops said.

Wade has struggled this season, suffering a thigh injury against Oregon State and giving up too many big plays.

“He’s a got a great attitude,” said co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach Greg Brown.

“I mean, he’s come out, he’s practicing hard, he’s into it, going 100 miles an hour, very helpful with Shaquille and Jonathan McKnight, the younger guys. He’s done a great job. My hat’s off to him. His back was to the wall, and he’s come out swinging.”

It will be interesting to see if Arizona follows the model Cal used in slowing down the high-scoring Ducks two weeks ago — and we’re not talking about allegedly faking injuries.

The Bears challenged Oregon by bringing down personnel, spying on quarterback Darron Thomas, crowding the line of scrimmage and playing man coverage on the outside. If Arizona dares Thomas to throw, Wade, Golden and Richardson are going to have to be up to the task.

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Erin Andrews won't be there to interview coach Mike Stoops, but ESPN will be on hand for the Arizona-Toledo game/Photo by Kirby Lee, US PRESSWIRE

You’re ready for some football. Of course, you are.

For Arizona, the goal is Pasadena, the time is now.

The season starts tonight with a game at Toledo (5 p.m., ESPN) … so let’s get to it.

Arizona player to watch: RB Nic Grigsby
The senior has feasted on non-conference opponents over the years, including rushing 20 times for 135 yards and three touchdowns against Toledo in 2008.

Throw out Grigsby’s four carries against Nebraska last season, when he shouldn’t even have played because of his injured shoulder, and he has played in eight non-conference games in the past three seasons. His numbers: 135 carries for 919 yards and 10 touchdowns.

That’s an average of 6.8 yards per carry and 114.9 yards per game. Half of his career rushing touchdowns have come in those 10 games.

Toledo player to watch: WR Eric Page
The sophomore is the Rockets’ top weapon — fast, shifty and versatile.

“He’s a nightmare. The guy can play,” said Arizona co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach Greg Brown. “He’s not a particularly big guy, but he knows how to play. They are going to get the ball in his hands and see what kind of damage he can do.” Brown knows. When he was on the staff at Colorado last season, Page caught three passes for 138 yards and a touchdown in his second career game.

He’s great in open space (as you can see in the video below) and can impact the game as a returner. The Wildcats’ secondary will especially have to tackle well.

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This is Arizona coach Mike Stoops’ seventh season with the Wildcats, but the first without younger brother Mark by his side.

Mark Stoops, who had been the defensive coordinator at UA, left after last season to take the same job with first-year Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher.

Early in fall camp, when Arizona’s practices were open, it was clear that Mike was active and fully engaged in his young defense, which is replacing seven starters. Asked what it has been like without Mark this preseason, Mike laughed and said, “I’m more hoarse than I usually am.”

Mark is putting his vocal chords and energy to use with the Seminoles, while Mike created co-defensive coordinator positions at Arizona. Stoops promoted linebackers Tim Kish and brought in Colorado assistant Greg Brown, who also will coach the secondary.

When I asked Brown earlier this month if he would be inclined to use more man-to-man schemes than Arizona was accustomed to under Mark Stoops, he said:

“This has nothing to do with me. This is Mike Stoops’ defense … Make no mistake, this is Mike Stoops’ defense. Mike has had the highest level of success. We’re not going to be changing much, I’ll tell you that.”

We’ll see about that last part, starting Friday at Toledo.

Matt Scott has 'complete understanding of everything that is going on,' according to one UA assistant coach/Photo by Brad Allis, WildcatSportsReport.com

It’s desperate times around the Arizona football program. And we’re not even talking about the state of the defense.

When Saturday’s scrimmage was cut short by lightning, the Meet the Team part of the evening was canceled, which meant a usually generous time for media interviews was reduced to about 10 minutes.

There was no media availability Sunday, none Monday, and, as it turns out, none Tuesday because practice was canceled after storms rolled through Tucson.

What I’m trying to say is that we’re running low on stories.

Sure, most of us plan ahead, but only brief access to the team in the past four days has whittled the inventory of features, themes and ways to say that the defense is still a work in progress.

It’s not just me. Ryan Finley’s story in Wednesday’s Arizona Daily Star about quarterbacks coach Frank Scelfo was from an interview that took place, I believe, last Thursday. I used part of that interview for a story at FoxSportsArizona.com last Friday.

Desperate times.

Anyway, with any luck, the team will practice Wednesday and we’ll all get fresh sound bites and story ideas afterward. In the meantime, let me shake out the notebooks and see what falls out:

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This is one of the photos new secondary coach Greg Brown is using for his collection of great UA defensive backs. That's Chuck Cecil being mobbed by fans after Arizona's victory over Arizona State in 1986, when he returned an interception 106 yards for a touchdown.
Tucson Citizen photo

Arizona has two new football assistant coaches. They inherited vastly different traditions.

Quarterbacks coach Frank Scelfo takes over a position that hasn’t produced a player who has thrown an NFL pass since Bill Demory in 1973. Scelfo said when he took the job he figured Arizona had a couple of quarterbacks in the NFL.

“There’s none,” Scelfo said. “When someone told me, I was surprised. I really was.”

Meanwhile, secondary coach Greg Brown takes over a position that has produced two Jim Thorpe Award winners (Darryll Lewis, Antoine Cason) and two others who were certainly good enough to win it (Chuck Cecil, Chris McAlister).

In all, Arizona has had five consensus All-American defensive backs — the four mentioned, plus Tony Bouie — through the Pac-10 years. USC also has five in that span; no Pac-10 team has more.

Greg Brown

“I know I would probably be slighting some other schools, but when I think of defensive backs, I have always thought of the University of Arizona,” Brown said.

“When you think of linebacker schools, you think of Penn State. U of A comes to mind to me when you think of defensive backs.”

Brown knows about good defensive back play. When he was at Colorado from 1991 to 1993, he tutored two Thorpe winners — Deon Figures (1992) and Chris Hudson (1994).

Brown, 52, is completely embracing the Wildcats history. He has been acquiring archival photos of the great UA defensive backs to display in his office, perhaps serving as inspiration for his new charges.

He has been showing old game tape of Cecil and Lewis to his secondary, which includes potential all-conference cornerback Trevin Wade and returning starting safety Robert Golden.

“He brings out the film and shows us how they used to play and everything like that,” Golden said. “He is teaching us a lot of technique stuff, so it’s pretty good. It’s really good, actually. We’re applying that to our game.”

Brown has a lot of game film on Lewis, who won the Thorpe Award — given to the nation’s top defensive back — in 1990. Brown was the secondary coach with Tennessee in the NFL in 1997 and 1998, when Lewis was there.

“Terrific person, terrific player,” Brown said.

Brown said he recently spoke with Lewis, who had legal problems after his playing career. Brown said he hopes to have Lewis, who is in Los Angeles, informally visit with the team in the fall.

“I hadn’t talked to him for three or four years,” Brown said.

“I got a hold of him this spring, and he knew I was here. He was excited to hear that I was here. He’s excited to come out this fall and hang out and meet the secondary.”

That would further bring the past to life for the current players, some of whom weren’t yet born in 1990, when Lewis was beating UCLA with a 70-yard interception return and crumpling Oregon quarterback Bill Musgrave at the goal line.

“We’ve been watching him a lot and learning his technique,” Golden said. “And that has been a good thing.”

The tradition lives.

Stoops

Arizona coach Mike Stoops said Wednesday he could have a new offensive coordinator by the end of the week.

Stoops said he has brought in three coaches for interviews.

“We’re close,” Stoops said. “I’d say by Friday we’ll make some kind of decision.”

Stoops must replace Sonny Dykes, who left to become the head coach of Louisiana Tech on Jan. 20 – two weeks before signing day. The Wildcats lost quarterback recruit Matt Brown because of it; Brown signed with TCU.

“I’ve liked everyone I’ve had in,” Stoops said. “There are a lot of unbelievable coaches out there who have great experience and great ideas. We’re trying to find someone who will fit in with our staff the best.”

Even with a new coordinator, there likely won’t be a major shift in scheme as the Wildcats figure to remain a spread team, using plenty of four-receiver sets and the shotgun formation.

“The decision is going to be very difficult,” Stoops said. “I have interviewed three tremendous guys I have taken a liking to. That really is the hardest part of our job sometimes, hiring people and telling other people no.”

The new hire could possibly have a co-coordinator title with Bill Bedenbaugh, the offensive line coach and running game coordinator. Arizona will have co-defensive coordinators next season, with linebackers coach Tim Kish and newcomer Greg Brown, who will be coaching the secondary.

RELATED: Free press conference video from ArizonaWildcats.com

The official Arizona release on its 20-player signing class

SWITCHING POSITIONS
Richard Morrison, who redshirted as a freshman quarterback last season, has moved to a slot receiver position. Morrison, who is listed at 6-0, 180, was a dual-threat quarterback at Royce City (Texas) High School.

DeWayne Peace, who redshirted at receiver last season, will now try cornerback. Peace is 5-11, 180.

“They’re both tremendous athletes that we need to get on the field,” Stoops said. “I have been really impressed with both players.”

UPDATING MATT SCOTT
Junior quarterback Matt Scott, who was a transfer possibility after losing the starting job to classmate Nick Foles after the third game of last season, is back to compete at the position. Arizona also has junior Bryson Beirne.

“There is always the possibility of redshirting,” Stoops said of Scott.

Scott also is athletic enough to play another position.

“We’ll look at all our options, see what Matt feels comfortable doing, where he’s at, how he’s playing,” Stoops said. “All those things we’ll research and prepare for by the season if he’s not the starter.”

OPENER ON ESPN
Arizona announced Wednesday that the team’s season-opener at Toledo has been moved from Saturday, Sept. 4, to Friday, Sept. 3, to accommodate ESPN television.

“It’s going to be great,” Stoops said. “The Friday night before the first football (weekend), playing that game on ESPN, it just continues to give us national exposure … you know, if we play well.

“I think it’s certainly going to get our players’ attention.”

Toledo was 5-7 last season under first-year coach Tim Beckman, and Stoops noted that the Rockets defeated visiting Colorado last season, 54-38.

“I keep reminding Coach Brown about that,” Stoops said of his new co-defensive coordinator. “I think we will be well prepared.”

NEW UNIS
Stoops said Arizona is tweaking its uniforms for next season, and that he wouldn’t rule out using the white helmets, which the Wildcats wore for the first team in his tenure during the Holiday Bowl loss at Nebraska.

“We’re going to have a bunch of different looks that we will be able to accessorize our players with,” Stoops said. “That is kind of the fad we’re in right now with kids and players. We’re trying to keep up with it.

“If it makes them happy, then I’m happy. I really don’t care what we wear.”

Stoops said the uniforms would be “more toward our old look and a little more traditional but still modern” … whatever that means.

At least the colors will stay the same.

NOTABLE
Redshirt freshman defensive end Jackson Powell has left the program, Stoops said. … Stoops on safety recruit Josh Robbins from Canyon del Oro High School: “I think Josh Robbins is kind of a diamond in the rough. He has a huge upside.” … UA officially announced the hiring of Dave Emerick as the assistant director of operations/director of on-campus recruiting. He has spent the past six seasons with Texas Tech, the last two in a “chief of staff” position.