UNLV DL coach Joe Seumalo accepts same position at Arizona State
UNLV defensive line coach Joe Seumalo is leaving the Rebels after one season to take the same position at Arizona State, according to multiple reports.
Seumalo, the only coach to leave second-year UNLV coach Tony Sanchez's staff from last season, was the defensive line coach at Oregon State from 2006 to 2014 and also coached at San Jose State (2005), Cal Poly (2001-04) and Hawaii (1999-00).
The Sun Devils position opened Feb. 1, when Arizona State defensive line coach Jackie Shipp left head coach Todd Graham's staff to take the same job at Missouri.
While at Oregon State, Seumalo tutored Stephen Paea, who was a second-round draft pick of the Chicago Bears, and was considered one of the top recruiters in the Pac-12.
At UNLV last season, Seumalo helped the Rebels to the second-biggest improvement in the nation in run defense, according to PhilSteele.com. The Rebels allowed an average of 216.7 rushing yards per game in 2015, an improvement of 77.1 ypg over 2014, when UNLV allowed 293.8 rushing ypg.
On the flip side, UNLV was last among the nation's 128 FBS schools in sacks, with nine.
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354. Follow him on Twitter: @tdewey33
