After seven and a half seasons serving as an assistant coach of the Arizona defense, Tim Kish will replace former head coach Mike Stoops and will serve as the Wildcats’ interim head coach during the search for a permanent replacement, Arizona athletic director Greg Byrne announced Monday.

“I appreciate (Byrne’s) faith in me to provide leadership to our young men during this difficult time,” Kish said in a statement. “I know this coaching staff will work hard and support our players as we compete for the remainder of the season.”

Kish served as Arizona’s co-defensive coordinator for the 2010 season and took over solo coordinator duties after the 2010 Valero Alamo Bowl.

Byrne said the decision to promote Kish to interim head coach was an easy one based on his near-eight-year tenure at Arizona — the longest of any coach on staff.

“He’d been with (the team) every step of the way, and that made sense from a lot of aspects,” Byrne said. “He’s involved in everything we’re doing from a recruiting standpoint, coaching standpoint, terminology, across the board.”

Kish has played an integral role in Arizona’s recruiting for the past several years — he signed seven members of Arizona’s 2010 staff and was named the staff’s top recruiter in 2008 — and has 19 years of coaching in the Big Ten Conference and what is now the Pac-12.

“I think he’ll do fine,” former defensive end Ricky Elmore said. “If anybody’s prepared, I think it’s coach Kish.”

Elmore said Kish’s player-oriented coaching style will help him succeed as the program’s top man.

“His office door is always open,” Elmore said. “He’s just a good coach, he knows how to get his players prepared.”