Former Washington State cornerbacks coach John Richardson is set to take the same position at Arizona, sources told FootballScoop on Monday.
Richardson spent two seasons at Wazzu under Nick Rolovich, two of them as assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator in addition to coaching corners.
Prior to Washington State, Richardson spent six seasons coaching cornerbacks at Wyoming and two at North Dakota State, his alma mater. He was part of Bison staffs that kicked off the program's string of FCS dominance, winning three straight national titles from 2011-13.
Richardson has coached multiple all-conference selections and future NFL players, highlighted by FCS First Team All-American and NFL player Marcus Williams.
Richardson will look to improve a Wildcat defense that rated 121st nationally in pass efficiency defense in 2022. Even despite ranking near the bottom against the pass -- Arizona intercepted four passes tied for next-to-last in FBS -- the Wildcats jumped from 1-11 to 5-7 in Year 2 under head coach Jedd Fisch.
Even a marginal improvement in pass defense in 2023 should send the Wildcats bowling for the first time since 2017.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.