Steve Sarkisian Makes The Right Hire With Justin Wilcox As Defensive Coordinator
SEATTLE — After missing the boat when he hired his friend and former Southern California coaching comrade Nick Holt Steve Sarkisian needed to get this hire right. The one thing Sark couldn’t afford to do was hire another friend that couldn’t get it done. With the hire of University of Tennessee defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox Sarkisian made the perfect hire.
After giving up a bowl record 777 yards against No.12 Baylor in the Alamo Bowl Sarkisian cleaned out the defensive coaching staff. Along with defensive coordinator Nick Holt safeties coach Jeff Mills and linebackers coach Mike Cox were also relieved of their duties.
Now just two days later Sarkisian has found the man he believes can bring Washington back to the top of the college football world. Wilcox, who started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Boise State has rapidly moved up the coaching ranks and now will be handed the task of improving one of the worst defenses in college football.
Before taking the job Wilcox was the linebackers coach at Cal from 2003-2005, Boise State defensive coordinator from 2006-2009 and the Tennessee defensive coordinator from 2010-2012. Following the 2010 season Wilcox was offered the defensive coordination position at Texas to replace Will Muschamp, but he decided and restructured his contract at Tennessee.
Growing up a northwest guy Wilcox was excited about the opportunity to join Steve Sarkisian and lead Washington back to the promise land.
“Washington is a place where you can win big, and I’m excited to work with coach Sarkisian in developing a championship-caliber football program,” Wilcox said.
In addition to Wilcox Sarkisian hired Tennessee linebacker coach Peter Simon to the same position at Washington replacing Mike Cox.
Simon, a Washington native and former Tennessee Titans linebacker from 2000-2006 is a solid veteran hire with a strong ability to recruit. Washington marks only his second notable coaching job in college having been a graduate assistant at Central Washington and Oregon before being hired by Derek Dooley at Tennessee.
While Wilcox isn’t known as a “home-run hitter” in the recruiting department he is a very knowledgeable coach with multiple schemes and has a pure football coach. The hiring of Simon balances out with Wilcox because Simon is known as a “go-getter” when it comes to recruiting even though he only had one year at Tennessee.
Simon is arguably the most important hire giving Washington’s recruiting woes this season having lost out on several top instate recruits and several key California recruits as well. With Demetrius Martin gone to UCLA Sarkisian needed to hire at least one or two strong defensive recruiters and he’s got one with Simon.
Anyway you look at it Sarkisian made the perfect hire with Justin Wilcox as defensive coordinator and Peter Simon as the linebacker coach. The key for Wilcox is he and Sark have never worked on the same staff and after the Nick Holt debacle Sarkisian couldn’t afford to hire another friend.
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