A person familiar with the decision says Arizona will hire former Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on Sunday on condition of anonymity because details of a five-year contract to replace Rich Rodriguez as coach of the Wildcats were still being finalized. Rodriguez was fired Jan. 2 amid sexual harassment allegations.
Sumlin was fired after six seasons at Texas A&M in November and had reportedly been in the mix for numerous jobs, including Arizona rival Arizona State. The Sun Devils hired former NFL coach and ESPN analyst Herm Edwards.
The Aggies went 51-26 and went to a bowl game every season under Sumlin, but were 25-23 in SEC play and never matched his first season in College Station, when they were 11-2 with Heisman Trophy quarterback Johnny Manziel.
Texas A&M hired former Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher to replace Sumlin.
Sumlin also spent four years at Houston, going 35-17, including 12-1 his final season in 2011.
The 53-year-old Sumlin is known as an adept recruiter and inherits a talented roster, led by quarterback Khalil Tate, who became a breakout star after replacing injured starter Brandon Dawkins the fifth game of the season.
Arizona finished 7-6 in Rodriguez’s sixth season in Tucson, losing five of its final six seasons. The Wildcats lost 38-35 to Purdue in the Holiday Bowl.
Arizona fired Rodriguez after a notice of claim was filed with the state attorney general’s office alleging he ran a hostile workplace. The claim filed by Rodriguez’s former assistant alleged the coach fondled himself in front of her and he forced her to cover up an extramarital affair with another woman. Rodriguez acknowledged the affair, but denied the allegations.
