Eugene, Ore. -- Oregon head football coach Mario Cristobal announced the addition of Marcel Yates as secondary coach and pass game coordinator on Tuesday. Yates brings defensive coordinator experience and 20 years of expertise as a coach at the NCAA level. He was most recently the defensive backs coach at California and was the defensive coordinator at Arizona before that. Other stops for Yates include Texas A&M and Boise State. 

“Marcel is a tremendous addition to our Oregon football family, as he is a high-character individual who brings a high level of experience and expertise to our program,” said Cristobal. “Marcel has a well-earned reputation as a teacher who accelerates the development of the players he coaches, and he also has a track record as a top recruiter. We appreciate the opportunity to add Marcel to our staff and know he will have a strong impact both on our secondary and our program as a whole.”

Yates began his coaching career at Montana State while coaching in a bowl game 14 out of his 18 seasons at the FBS level, including a pair of Fiesta Bowls.

“I am excited to make the move to Eugene and join a great coaching staff,” Yates said. “Coach Cristobal and I talked during the process about his vision for the program and it fits what I want to do. Winning the national championship is the goal that we both want to reach. My relationship with Coach (Tim) DeRuyter also played a big part in making the decision to become a Duck an easy one.”

Oregon offensive line coach Alex Mirabal was also promoted to associate head coach/offense while linebacker coach Ken Wilson was awarded the title of co-defensive coordinator alongside current defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter.