ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ is hiring former Coastal Carolina defensive coordinator and safeties coach Craig Naivar as its special teams coordinator, a source told the Star.
Naivar’s hiring was first reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Sunday.
Naivar, who was nominated for the Broyles Award as the top assistant coach in college football in 2023, replaces former special teams coordinator Danny Gonzales, who is entering his first season as the Wildcats’ defensive coordinator.
Naivar was nominated for the Broyles Award as the top assistant coach in college football in 2023.
First-year offensive coordinator Seth Doege, Gonzales and Naivar round out ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s coordinators for the 2025 season.
Before his two seasons at Coastal Carolina, Naivar was a special teams coordinator and safeties coach at SMU. Naivar coached against ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ in 2020 and ‘21 as a safeties coach at USC.
The 53-year-old Taylor, Texas native also held assistant coaching titles at Texas, Houston, Kentucky, Sam Houston State, Texas State, Rice and Southern Illinois. Naivar started his career as the special teams coordinator at his alma mater Hardin-Simmons in 1994, before graduate assistant stints at New Mexico and TCU.
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Naivar takes over an ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ special teams group that lost multi-year starter and NFL-bound kicker Tyler Loop. The Wildcats return sophomore kicker and punter Michael Salgado-Medina, redshirt senior kicker and punter Cash Peterman and redshirt junior long snapper Trey Naughton. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ recently signed San Diego-area kicker Tyler Prasuhn, the son of ex-Wildcat kicker John Prasuhn.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ begins its spring practice schedule on March 18. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s annual spring showcase is on April 19.
Contact Justin Spears, the Star’s ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ football beat reporter, at
On X(Twitter): @JustinESports
Justin Spears
Sports Reporter
