BERKELEY – Cal head coach Justin Wilcox announced Friday that Charlie Ragle has agreed to become the Golden Bears' special teams coordinator/tight ends coach. Ragle has spent the past five seasons on the football staff at Arizona including the past four in the same role after joining the Wildcats staff as the assistant director of operations in 2012. He also has more than a decade of experience as a successful high school coach in Arizona.

 "Charlie Ragle is an enthusiastic and energetic coach who is an excellent addition to our staff both on the field and in recruiting," Wilcox said. "The special teams units he put on the field at Arizona were consistently among the best in the nation, while the tremendous success he has had in recruiting is powered by his ability to understand the recruiting culture from all perspectives. Having more than a decade of experience as a high school coach allowed him to build an excellent network of strong relationships that are greatly beneficial."

"I'm thrilled to have this opportunity at Cal," Ragle said. "What is happening under the leadership of Justin Wilcox is very exciting. He is building the foundation for a program that has tremendous potential and a chance to be one of the best in the country and consistently compete for championships."

Arizona reached bowl games in each of Ragle's first four seasons with the Wildcats and picked up a trio of post-season victories. Ragle was instrumental in the development of both 2014 Sports Illustrated honorable mention All-American and two-time second-team All-Pac-12 punter Drew Riggleman as well as a trio of reliable placekickers in Josh Pollack, Casey Skowron and Jake Smith during his tenure in Tucson.

Ragle's top recruits at Arizona included Keenan Walker and Michael Eletise, who ranked as ESPN's No. 8 offensive tackle and No. 9 offensive guard in the 2015 and 2016 recruiting classes. Walker was also ESPN's No. 91 player overall while Eletise was No. 161. Ragle also recruited Trevor Wood, who ranked as ESPN's No. 13 tight end in the 2014 class, as well as current Denver Broncos' defensive back Will Parks.

In his final season at Arizona in 2016, Ragle's unit ranked in the top 35 nationally in kickoff return defense for the third time in four seasons (34th, 19.17 ypr) and also did not allow a blocked kick or punt for the second straight campaign as one of only 10 teams to accomplish that feat.

Arizona's 45-37 victory over New Mexico at the 2015 New Mexico Bowl was the Wildcats' fourth straight bowl appearance and also capped a fourth consecutive winning campaign. Riggleman was second in the Pac-12 and 11th nationally with a 45.3 yards per punt average, while Arizona was also second in the conference and 12th nationally in net punting (40.56 ypg). Skowron connected on 18-of-22 field goal attempts for an .818 field goal percentage that was the second-best in Arizona history including an impressive 7-of-9 (.778) showing between 40 and 49 yards while scoring a team-high 113 points.

Special teams were crucial to the Wildcats' success in 2014 when Arizona won 10 or more games for the first time since 1998, finishing with a 10-4 overall record, winning the Pac-12 South title and playing in the Fiesta Bowl. Arizona led the Pac-12 and ranked 27th nationally in kickoff return defense (18.95 ypr) while also ranking among the nation's top 30 in net punting (20th, 39.79 ypp) and punt returns (28th, 10.24 ypr). Riggleman was second in the Pac-12 and fourth nationally with a 46.1 yards per punt average that was the second-highest in school history. Skowron made 20 of his 28 field goal attempts and was successful on all 57 of his extra points to set a school record while also adding a rushing touchdown on a fake field goal against Washington for a kicker school-record 123 points while leading the Pac-12 and ranking seventh nationally. In addition, Cayleb Jones (kickoff) and Davonte' Neal (punt) both had touchdowns in the return game.

In his first season as Arizona's special teams coordinator in 2013, the Wildcats ranked tied for 11th nationally in punt return defense (3.33 ypr) and 27th in kickoff return defense (19.54 ypr) with numbers that were second and third in the Pac-12.

Prior to his five-year run in Tucson, Ragle was head coach and shared Director of Athletics duties for five seasons (2007-11) at Chaparral High School in Scottsdale for five seasons from 2007-11, where he coached future NFL players Taylor Lewan and Kyle Williams. Chaparral won state championships during each of his final three campaigns while compiling a remarkable 63-7 record over the span including an unbeaten 14-0 mark in 2010 when the Firebirds finished No. 24 in MaxPreps' final Xcellent 25 rankings.

Ragle was also the defensive coordinator at Chaparral for one season in 2005 before serving for one campaign as a graduate assistant at Arizona State for a team that played in the Hawai'i Bowl in 2006 and also featured Williams. Ragle started his coaching career with a five-year stint (2000-04) as the defensive coordinator at Moon Valley High School in Phoenix highlighted by an unbeaten 14-0 team that won the state 4-A title in his final campaign.

Ragle was a three-year starting running back and kick returner at Eastern New Mexico before graduating from the school in 1998 with a bachelor's degree in physical education and a minor in history. He was a two-time All-State at Animas High as both a running back and safety as well as New Mexico's 100 and 200 meter champion in track and field.

Ragle and his wife, Carrie, have one daughter, Caylee, and one son, Chas.
 
CHARLIE RAGLE FILE
Birthdate: May 30, 1976
Hometown: Playas, NM
High School: Animas HS
College: Eastern New Mexico, 1998, Bachelor's in physical education
Family: Wife, Carrie; Daughter, Caylee; Son, Chas
 
COACHING HISTORY
*Season: Team – Position (Champions, Postseason)
2000: Moon Valley HS – Defensive Coordinator
2001: Moon Valley HS – Defensive Coordinator
2002: Moon Valley HS – Defensive Coordinator (4A State Playoffs)
2003: Moon Valley HS – Defensive Coordinator (4A State Playoffs)
2004: Moon Valley HS – Defensive Coordinator (4A State Champion)
2005: Chaparral HS – Defensive Coordinator (4A Division I State Playoffs)
2006: Arizona State – Graduate Assistant, Offensive Line/Special Teams (Hawai'i Bowl)
2007: Chaparral HS – Head Coach (4A Division I State Playoffs)
2008: Chaparral HS – Head Coach (4A Division I State Playoffs)
2009: Chaparral HS – Head Coach (AIA 5A Division II State Champion)
2010: Chaparral HS – Head Coach (AIA 5A Division II State Champion)
2011: Chaparral HS – Head Coach (AIA Division II State Champion)
2012: Arizona – Assistant Director of Operations (New Mexico Bowl)
2013: Arizona – Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends (Independence Bowl)
2014: Arizona – Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends (Fiesta Bowl)
2015: Arizona – Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends (New Mexico Bowl)
2016: Arizona – Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends
*Season in which postseason games were played