Arizona hires UTEP’s Theron Aych as wide receivers coach

The University of Arizona’s passing game took a major backseat to its running game last season, as the Wildcats threw for 2,137 yards, 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

However, Arizona is looking to improve upon those numbers this season by adding a wide receivers coach from another run-heavy school in Theron Aych from the University of Texas at El Paso.

Last season was Aych’s only season at UTEP and the team made major improvements to their offense under him.

UTEP wide receivers helped the Miners haul in 21 touchdowns, their most since 2010. The Miners also upped their scoring from a paltry 20.7 points per game in 2015 to a respectable 26.3 last season.

Aych will replace Tony Dews, who departed to West Virginia University this offseason.

He had spent the previous five seasons as the offensive coordinator and assistant head coach of the Angelo State University Rams.

Aych was named a finalist for the Division II American Football Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year award in 2015, as Angelo State led all Division II teams with 560.4 yards per game, while scoring 42.5 points per game. The dominant offense was led by senior quarterback Kyle Washington, who passed for a school-record 3,691 yards, 27 touchdowns and nine interceptions while rushing for 831 yards and 15 touchdowns.

The veteran coach entered the collegiate coaching game in 2000 as the University of Houston offensive graduate assistant, where he worked for three seasons. He then worked two years as the defensive graduate assistant at the University of Washington and four years as the University of Central Missouri’s special teams coordinator and receivers coach.

At Central Missouri, Aych was the position coach for Tennessee Titans Pro Bowl tight end Delanie Walker, who was a wide receiver in college.

He also coached at Fort Scott (Kan.) Community College and Aberdeen (S.D.) Central High School.

Aych played wide receiver for Northern State University before graduating in 1996.