Chuck Cecil is one of those names that every Arizona fan knows. He's a legend of the program. Arizona's players know his name, too. For them, however, not only is he known as one of the faces of the program but also as someone they can talk to and learn from.

Cecil has served as a defensive analyst for his alma mater the last few years. While his job description limited what he could do from an Xs and Os standpoint, he still managed to make an impact on many of the team's players.

Whether it has been advice about the game and how to be a better player the former All-American has had plenty of conversations with some of the team's most important defensive playmakers.

His energy and guidance has been a help to the group. So, now that he is taking over the defensive coordinator position for the remainder of the season there is only excitement not reservations about what Cecil will bring to the field for the Wildcats over the next several weeks.

"In good hands," senior defensive back Jace Whittaker said about Arizona's defense under Cecil. "I ask coach Cecil questions all the time. His door is always open. He's always giving me tips on how to watch film and how to get better. So, the transition process isn't too difficult when you've had somebody here who you trust.

"Now he's in the position to lead the defense. It's kind of nice."

Energy is something head coach Kevin Sumlin mentioned this week when discussing why Cecil, who has not coached on the field since 2016, will be given the keys to his team's defense the to finish out the year. That energy is something the UA players have not only just seen on hype videos but in person as well.

"He's very passionate," veteran safety Scottie Young Jr. said of Cecil. "Coach Cecil, you can see it. Whenever he walks in the building he just brings a certain type of fire. He's just a real passionate guy once he gets going."

Passion and energy only take you so far, however, and Arizona's defense needs things to improve. It will start with energy and a fire, but when it comes to his football mind the players certainly have a lot of trust in what Cecil can do based on what he has done in the past.

"When he first got the job and I was able to find out who he was, I watched his highlight tape and he was a good football player," safety Jarrius Wallace said of his new coach. "Everyone knows that he went to the league, so it's good to have that person come on staff. Someone from the league with that experience plus he played here."

Sumlin stressed that schematically not much will change with Cecil at the helm. With a just a month to go in the regular season there simply ins't enough time for the interim defensive coordinator to put his own system in place. He will get an opportunity to add his own wrinkles, however, and knowing that there won't be a ton of change but only things that could improve the performance has put the UA players at ease.

"He just told us that he really didn't plan on changing anything," Young said of Cecil's first message to the defense upon taking over the job. "Obviously with only four games left you can't really change nothing. Just keep everything simple, keep on playing hard and let's just get ready for these next few games."

Cecil takes over with the Wildcats going through a tough stretch. Arizona has given up 133 points in the last three weeks and Sumlin said Monday that was the key reason he decided to make a move with his coaching staff that led to firing two of his assistants. Turning that around will not be easy, but there is certainly a confidence that Cecil has all the tools to create the "spark" that Sumlin said the group needs right now.

The Wildcats host Oregon State (3-4) this weekend with kickoff set for 1:30 p.m. MST at Arizona Stadium.