Arizona didn’t have to look far for its next defensive coordinator. Additionally, the Wildcats hired one of the greatest defensive linemen in program history to lead the UA defensive front.
The Wildcats promoted linebackers coach and former special teams coordinator Danny Gonzales to defensive coordinator and hired Miami defensive line coach and associate head coach Joe Salave’a for a similar role.
Salave’a replaces defensive line coach Joe Seumalo, who is no longer with the program, after one season. Seumalo followed Arizona head coach Brent Brennan from San Jose State to UA last year.
Gonzales is Arizona’s seventh defensive signal caller since the 2019 season, joining Marcel Yates, Chuck Cecil (interim), Paul Rhoads, Don Brown, Johnny Nansen and Duane Akina, who returned to coach the defensive backs UA, a role he held in 2023.
Gonzales is the second coordinator hired by the Wildcats this season, along with new offensive coordinator Seth Doege, who replaced Dino Babers. The Wildcats still need to hire a special teams coordinator.
Before joining Brent Brennan’s staff at Arizona last year as linebackers coach and special teams coordinator, Gonzales served as head coach at his alma mater, New Mexico, for four seasons and posted an 11-32 record. As a player, the Albuquerque native was a punter and safety for the Lobos.
After a stint as a graduate assistant at New Mexico, Gonzales was promoted to safeties and special teams coach for the next three seasons, from 2006 to 2008. Gonzales joined Rocky Long’s staff at State San Diego as the Aztecs’ safeties coach from 2011 to 2016, before becoming SDSU’s defensive coordinator in 2017.
For two seasons in 2018 and 2019, Gonzales served as defensive coordinator and associate head coach at Arizona State under Herm Edwards. Under Gonzales’ leadership, ASU linebacker Merlin Robertson was named Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player and became the first Sun Devils freshman to lead the team in tackles since Jason Shivers in 2001 .
In 2019, ASU ranked 22nd nationally in rushing defense and 19th in yards per carry (3.4). THE Sun Devils were also 18th in college football in takeaways (22) during the ’19 season.
This season, Arizona’s defense has been plagued by injuries and has played without three defensive captains, linebacker Jacob Manu, safety Gunner Maldonado and nickel back Treydan Stukes – all of whom suffered leg injuries ending the season – in the second half of the season. Due to accumulated injuries, the Wildcats relied on several inexperienced players and moved their base 4-2-5 defense to a dime package.
The Wildcats had the third-worst defense in the Big 12 and gave up 31.8 points per game. Arizona also had the second-worst rushing defense in the conference and allowed 175.3 rushing yards per game. The Wildcats have lost eight games for a total of 191 points this season.
Gonzales will now lead an Arizona defense that returns seven starters: defensive backs Stukes, Dalton Johnson and Genesis Smith, linebacker Taye Brown, defensive tackle Chubba Ma’ae and defensive ends Chase Kennedy and Tre Smith.
The Wildcats lost productive starters in Manu (Washington), cornerback Tacario Davis (Washington) and Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei (Washington) and Maldonado (Kansas State).
Between the transfer portal and the 2025 recruiting class, Arizona has 21 scholarship defensive newcomers for the upcoming season.
The great Salave’a from UA returns
Salave’a, a native of American Samoa and Polynesian Football Hall of Fame inductee, was part of Arizona’s Desert Swarm defense as a defensive tackle from 1994 to 1997 and was a team captain his last two seasons at UA. Salave’a was a two-time All-Pac-10 selection under the late UA head coach Dick Tomey.
The Tennessee Titans selected Salave’a in the 1998 NFL Draft. Salave’a played three seasons for the Titans and was part of the Super Bowl 34 team that lost to the Rams in 1999. After 2001 season, Salave’a played for the San Diego Chargers, Baltimore Ravens and Washington Redskins from 2003 to 2003. 06. In eight seasons in the NFL, Salave’a played in 100 games with 28 starts, recording 117 tackles and 7.5 sacks.
After his playing career, Salave’a took his talents to coaching and started at San Jose State as the defensive line coach under Tomey, who was the head coach of the Spartans. Brennan was the Spartans’ tight ends coach and co-offensive coordinator during Salave’a’s time at San Jose State.
Salave’a returned to his alma mater to become Arizona’s defensive line coach in 2010 under former head coach Mike Stoops. Salave’a was hired before the Wildcats’ loss to Oklahoma State in the 2010 Alamo Bowl and coached at Arizona for Stoops’ final season in 2011, before the UA head coach was fired mid-season. Salave’a was not retained by former Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez in 2012.
Salave’a joined the Mike Leach-led Washington State staff and was eventually promoted to assistant head coach. Salave’a mentored former WSU standout defensive end Hercules Mata’afa, who was a consensus All-American in 2017.
In 2017, Salave’a was hired by Oregon as defensive line coach and co-defensive coordinator, then followed head coach Mario Cristobal to Miami for a similar role in 2022. Salave’a and Pro Football Hall of Famer Jason Taylor coached the Hurricanes. ‘ defensive line the last two seasons.
Under Salave’a’s leadership, Oregon finished the 2019 season ranked in the Top 25 in scoring defense, rushing defense, total defense, sacks and tackles for loss.
Salave’a recruited and developed Oregon defensive end and former five-star recruit Kayvon Thibodeaux, who just completed his third season with the New York Giants. Thibodeaux is the first defensive player in Oregon history to become a consensus All-American.
Recruiting Polynesian players has been a feature of the Arizona football program since Tomey’s freshman season in 1987, and Salave’a has been one of the most prominent football ambassadors in American Samoa and Hawaii. In 2001, Salave’a launched the “Joe Salave’a Foundation” to help young Polynesians play football through free clinics. In 2005, Salave’a’s foundation was honored by Congressman Eni Faleomavaega and former U.S. President George W. Bush in a White House ceremony for Asian Pacific Heritage Month.
This article was originally published on Arizona Republic: Arizona promotes former ASU coach Danny Gonzales to defensive coordinator
