Arizona football: Defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel will not return to the Wildcats coaching staff next season

Is this the end of the 3-3-5 defense?

The Arizona Wildcats' defense did not live up to expectations this season. Sure, Scooby Wright III's injury played a big part in that, but as a whole, the team's depth and schemes were exposed all season. After finishing 80th in scoring defense in 2014, the Wildcats dropped to 106th this season.

Changes were needed, and the program announced on Monday that defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel and defensive line coach Bill Kirelawich will not be returning to the coaching staff next season.

Kirelawich, who has coached for 46 years, was expected to retire anyway, so his departure isn't a surprise. Casteel not returning is shocking though. Casteel has been on Rich Rodriguez' coaching staff nearly every year since the latter has been a head coach and many view them as being "tied to the hip."

But Rodriguez said that he would evaluate at every area of the team this offseason, and apparently he felt the team's defense needed a shakeup, and it's hard to disagree with that.

Will this be the end of the 3-3-5 defense in Arizona? Time will tell.

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