Ranking 20 Years of UCLA Defensive Coordinators

Nathan Eberhardt

Nov 2, 2013; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins coach Jim Mora reacts during the game against the Colorado Buffaloes at Rose Bowl. UCLA defeated Colorado 45-23. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Despite some good UCLA Football defensive teams and plenty of legendary defensive players you’ll be telling your kids about, I’d argue that the Bruins are still largely known to the casual fan as perennially bad at defense.

This is both unfair – because it’s inaccurate and ignores the stretches where defense carried the team – and yet understandable – because of some very high profile defensive disasters and a lack of a consistent defensive identity or a tenured defensive coordinator.

UCLA Bruins

This post will evaluate and rank each of UCLA’s defensive coordinators (DCs) since Terry Donahue left after the 1995 season. I choose this cutoff point because Donahue’s tenure was so long and his personality was so stamped on his teams that it would be difficult to single out any of his coordinators for influencing their unit’s culture and performance. Additionally, the 1996 season is far enough back give us a range of DCs and a healthy appreciation of the Bruins’ defensive (d)evolutions.

The list of coordinators we will be ranking:

Rocky Long | 1996-1997
Nick Aliotti | 1998
Bob Field | 1999-2000
Phil Snow | 2001-2002
Larry Kerr | 2003-2005
DeWayne Walker | 2006-2008
Chuck Bullough | 2009-2010
Joe Tresey | 2011
Lou Spanos | 2012-2013
Jeff Ulbrich | 2014

We’re ranking coordinators rather than seasons, so each coordinator will be assessed by the totality of his body of work. Factors that I will consider include statistics – scoring defense (SD), total defense (TD), Defensive Fremeau Efficiency Index (DFEI), Defensive S&P+ (DS&P+) ratings; strength of schedule (SOS); number of NFL-drafted players on defense; and notable defensive performances, both good and bad. That said, there’s no rubric here. In the end, my rankings are entirely subjective and bordering on arbitrary.

These rankings are entirely subjective and bordering on arbitrary.

A note on the statistics: DFEI and Def. S&P+ come from the work of Brian Fremeau and Bill Connelly of FootballOutsiders. DFEI is a measure of possession-by-possession efficiency in preventing opponent scores. Def. S&P+ is a play-by-play combined metric of efficiency and points-per-play. I’m looking at how the defenses ranked in these metrics rather than the specific value, so the details of how they’re calculated aren’t that important for this piece, but I do recommend familiarizing yourself with these statistics as part of the next/current wave of college football analytics.

Additionally, stats are harder to find the further back I go. So I won’t be able to provide all of the stats for all of the DCs. The value of my analysis should be judged accordingly.

We’ll work our way from the bottom up, starting with the worst UCLA defensive coordinator of the past twenty years.

Next: The Worst

Oct 11, 2014; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins helmets during the game against the Oregon Ducks at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

10. Larry Kerr, 2003 – 2005

Karl Dorrell‘s first DC, and the worst that I can remember at UCLA, is inexplicably tied for longest tenured DC in the time under consideration. Kerr came to UCLA after ten years as DC at Colorado State under Sonny Lubick.

Statistical Rankings
Year | SOS | SD | TD | DFEI | DS&P+
2003 | 35 | 49 | 18 | n/a | n/a
2004 | 14 | 66 | 103 | n/a | n/a
2005 | 34 | 110 | 115 | n/a | 77
Avg. | 28 | 75 | 79 | n/a | 77

Kerr was going to bring in a base 4-3 formation, ‘blitz-happy,’ ‘Tampa-style’ defensive scheme that emphasized speed. The only speed we saw was how quickly the Bruins gave up scads of points.

Some of Kerr’s lowlights included a loss at Oklahoma in which the defense gave up 59 points; losses at Cal and Arizona State, giving up 45 and 48 points, respectively; the dream-season-killing 2005 loss at 3-8 Arizona when the defense gave up 52; and two lousy efforts in losses to USC, giving up 47 points in 2003 and the 66-19 embarrassment in 2005.

I know we all remember that 2005 season fondly, but the MO of that team was to spot the opponents a squajillion points before scoring a squajillion+1 before time expired. That worked (wins over Cal, Washington State, and Arizona State, despite giving up 40, 41, and 35 points respectively) until it didn’t (Arizona, USC). That magical run was more due to the tandem of Drew Olson and Maurice Drew than to stellar defensive play.

Kerr started with a wealth of defensive talent – as the statistical rankings bear out – including future draftees Rodney Leisle, Dave Ball, Brandon Chillar, Matt Ware, Ben Emanuel, and Jarrad Page. But Kerr and Dorrell’s inability to recruit defensive talent began to show as Kerr’s 2004 and 2005 squads only added future draftees Chris Horton and Bruce Davis. When Kerr was fired after the 2005 season, he blamed his woes on ‘lack of depth,’ as if he had no responsibility for that.

Where is he now: Kerr is currently the DC for Northern Colorado.

Next: Say it Ain't So, Joe!

Nov 28, 2014; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins defensive back Ishmael Adams (1) is surrounded by the Stanford defense in the second half of the game at the Rose Bowl. Stanford won 31-10. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

9. Joe Tresey, 2011

In Rick Neuheisel‘s last year, he reshuffled his coaching staff, trying to right the ship and save his job. To this end he brought in Joe Tresey from the University of South Florida by way of a stint in the UFL. Tresey, like all but one (Aliotti) of his post-Donahue era predecessors, ran a 4-3 base defense, but he expressed his intent to mix it up with the occasional 3-4 look or nickel or dime package. Tresey emphasized flexibility and a fast, attacking style that sought to force turnovers and make plays in the backfield. This is a high-risk, high-reward strategy, and it did not pan out for Tresey’s defense.

More: UCLA Football: The Best Defense in the Pac-12?

Statistical Rankings
Year | SOS | SD | TD | DFEI | DS&P+
2011 | 14 | 92 | 84 | 111 | 77

To be fair, Tresey was brought into a weird situation with Neuheisel losing control of his team. Futher, he and the head coach got off on a weird start, with Neuheisel publicly stating that Tresey was his fourth choice after deals with (presumably) Vic Fangio and the Rockies (Long and Seto) all fell through.

That said, it’s not as if Tresey didn’t inherit a talented crew. Datone Jones, Jordan Zumwalt, and Cassius Marsh all featured on that defense, and he had access to freshmen Owamagbe Odighizuwa and Eric Kendricks.

I’d be inclined to cut Tresey some slack, given the shambolic state of the program as a whole, but those statistical numbers – particularly scoring defense (giving up 31 points per game!) and the defensive efficiency ranking in the triple digits – are tough to swallow. Dan Guerrero must have thought so too, particularly after the 50-0 shutout at the hands of USC, since he fired Neuheisel and the entire staff.

Where is he now: After being fired as DC of Youngstown State after the 2013 season, the last trace of Tresey I can find online is his unsuccessful bid to become the head coach of the Massillon High School football team in Massillon, Ohio.

Next: Yuck Blah!

Dec 31, 2013; El Paso, TX, USA; UCLA Bruins mascot Joe Bruin during the second quarter against the Virginia Tech Hokies in the 2013 Sun Bowl at Sun Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

8. Chuck Bullough, 2009 – 2010

Chuck Bullough – which almost rhymes with Yuck Blah, an apt descriptor of his defenses – was Tresey’s immediate predecessor, the man brought in by Rick Neuheisel after the weird, one-year forced marriage with DeWayne Walker. Bullough was an internal promotion from linebackers coach to his first DC gig and…it did not go well.

More: Myles Jack and Ishmael Adams named to 2015 Hornung Watch List

Statistical Rankings
Year | SOS | SD | TD | FDEI | DS&P+
2009 | 28 | 27 | 30 | 38 | 54
2010 | 3 | 86 | 91 | 68 | 58
Avg. | 16 | 57 | 61 | 53 | 56

Bullough’s 4-3 defense was inflexible, unimaginative, and horrible at stopping the run. He somehow coached defenses with Alterraun Verner, Brian Price, David Carter, Rahim Moore, Akeem Ayers, Jones, Zumwalt, and Marsh to giving up 45 points to Cal, 55 to Arizona State, and 60 to Oregon. His defense additionally allowed 35 points to Stanford at home in an embarrassing home shutout.

In a last-ditch effort to save his own job, Neuheisel fired Bullough after the 2010 season.

Where is he now: Bullough is currently in his second DC gig, this time at Syracuse.

Next: Big Name, Big Disaster

Aug 30, 2014; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Virginia Cavaliers offensive players line up against UCLA Bruins defensive players in the third quarter at Scott Stadium. The Bruins won 28-20. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

7. Nick Aliotti, 1998

This whole slide comes with a trigger warning for Bruins fans. You knew we had to go there, so let’s just power through and get on with it.

Aliotti might be the best-known name on this list, primarily for his association with Oregon. He had been with Rich Brooks at Oregon from 1988-1994 before following Brooks to the St. Louis Rams, where he served as the coach of the special teams from 1995-1997. When Brooks left the NFL, Aliotti took the UCLA DC job. The rest is history — dark, sordid, appalling history.

Aliotti’s team was slightly less than mediocre, statistically.

More: Can the 2015 UCLA Football Team Win the National Championship?

Statistical Rankings
Year | SOS | SD | TD | DFEI | DS&P+
1998 | 7 | 73 | n/a | n/a | n/a

The only future NFL draftee with a feature role in Aliotti’s defense was Larry Atkins, but Kenyon Coleman, Marques Anderson, and Robert Thomas played their freshman years in 1998.

6. Bob Field, 1999 – 2000

While Nick Aliotti is probably borderline, the traumatic associations nudge him down into what I’ll call the bottom tier of modern UCLA DCs. Bob Field is a half-step up on my rankings, marking our transition to the middle tier.

More: Kenny Clark and Myles Jack Named to the Bednarik Award Watch List

Field was the defensive coordinator for Terry Donahue from 1982-1995. When Donahue left, Field was up against his counterpart, offensive coordinator Bob Toledo, for the head coaching gig. Toledo got the gig and instead of keeping Field in the DC role, replaced him with Rocky Long and then Nick Aliotti. With Aliotti’s departure, Toledo brought Field back into his old role.

Statistical Rankings
Year | SOS | SD | TD | DFEI | DS&P+
1999 | 30 | 80 | n/a | n/a | n/a
2000 | 1 | 86 | n/a | n/a | n/a
Avg. | 16 | 83 | n/a | n/a | n/a

Field ran the dreaded ‘bend-but-don’t-break’ defense from a 4-3 scheme, designed to sacrifice short and medium yardage in order to limit big plays. Observers took to calling it the ‘bend-and-then-break’ defense. Field’s defenses featured Coleman, Anderson, Thomas, and Ricky Manning, but were plagued by injury and inconsistent play.

The 1999 season saw losses to Ohio State, Stanford, and Oregon State in which the defense gave up 42, 42, and 55 points, respectively. The 2000 season saw losses to Cal, Oregon State, and USC, giving up 46, 44, and 38 points. That 2000 season ended with a Sun Bowl loss to Wisconsin and then Toledo relieving Field of his duties.

Where is he now: Field was promptly given a job in the UCLA athletic department, where he still serves as senior associate athletic director, overseeing men’s and women’s golf and assisting Dan Guerrero in all football matters.

Next: Fredo

Sep 25, 2014; Tempe, AZ, USA; UCLA Bruins defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

5. Jeff Ulbrich, 2014

Jeff Ulbrich was promoted from linebackers coach to DC after his predecessor left to return to the NFL. Ulbrich and Jim Mora go way back, to when Ulbrich played for the defenses that Mora coordinated with the San Fransicso 49ers.

Ulbrich stayed with the 3-4 that has been a constant under Mora, but he mixed it up with some 4-3 formations (really determined by whether a forward OLB put his hand to the ground or not) as well as some 4-2-5. He also tweaked the defense to be more read-heavy and gap-oriented, giving players the autonomy and responsibility to adjust as the play unfolds. This was his brainchild defensive scheme since back in his playing days, and he was excited to give it a try in his first ever gig as DC.

More: Multiple Bruins Make List for Nagurski and Outland Awards

Statistical Rankings
Year | SOS | SD | TD | DFEI | DS&P+
2014 | 1 | 78 | 61 | 47 | 36

Unfortunately, I don’t know that his ideal defense is a good fit for the college game, with the added responsibilities and limited practice time. It did allow Kendricks and Odighizuwa to have impressive seasons, but the unit as a whole did not perform up to expectations.

It would have been nice for Ulbrich to be able to test this out on a defense at a lower level of competition (G5 or FCS). Instead, he was thrown in over his head as a first-time DC for a top-ten team in the nation’s most offensively sophisticated conference playing the nation’s toughest schedule. The defense took a step back last year as a result, although the difference between scoring and yardage stats and the advanced stats suggest there was an element of bad luck as well.

Where is he now: After the unseemly spectacle with Roquan Smith on signing day, I’m sure none of you need reminding that Ulbrich left this offseason to coach linebackers in the NFL.

Next: The Eye of the Tiger

Nov 21, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego State Aztecs head coach Rocky Long reacts against the Air Force Falcons during the fourth quarter at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

4. Rocky Long, 1996 – 1997

Rocky Long sits atop the middle tier of our rankings, relatively equal to Bob Field and Jeff Ulbrich as DCs. Long had been the DC at Oregon State since 1991 when new head coach Bob Toledo brought him in to coordinate the Bruin defense. While the available information is scarce, Long appears to have run a 4-3 defense which featured future NFL draftees Atkins and Shaun Williams.

More: Ishmael Adams and Fabian Moreau Named to the Jim Thorpe Award Watch List

Statistical Rankings
Year | SOS | SD | TD | DFEI | DS&P+
1996 | 4 | 76 | n/a | n/a | n/a
1997 | 14 | 34 | n/a | n/a | n/a
Avg. | 9 | 55 | n/a | n/a | n/a

Long’s defenses were statistically average (with a mean scoring defense rank of 55 out of 112 Div. I-A teams).

In 1996, Long’s defense gave up scads of points in losses at Tennessee (35), at Michigan (38), to Arizona State (42), at Washington (41), and at Arizona (35). Additionally, the 1996 defense gave up 41 in a victory over USC.

The defense improved in 1997, with only two bad performances (giving up 30+ in losses at Washington State and to Tennessee). Most notable was the multi-faceted pantsing of Texas, forcing eight turnovers and giving up only 3 points in what has become known as Rout 66. (Do yourself a favor and read the linked article. It’s hearbreaking, exhilarating from a UCLA perspective, and informative about Long’s defensive approach to that game.)

After the 1997 season, Long left to become the head coach of his alma mater, New Mexico. Let’s not think too hard about how whether he could have done better than his successor the following year against Miami…

I said don’t think about it!

Where is he now: After resigning the New Mexico head coaching gig in 2008, Long took the DC role at San Diego State, where he now serves as head coach, having replaced Brady Hoke in 2011.

Next: The Top Tier

Nov 2, 2013; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins cheerleaders react during the game against the Colorado Buffaloes at Rose Bowl. UCLA defeated Colorado 45-23. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

3. Phil Snow, 2001 – 2002

Phil Snow will always be remembered fondly by me because his tenure was the first time I realized, ‘Hey, it’s possible for UCLA to be good on defense!’ Defensive coordinator for Arizona State head coach Bruce Snyder from 1995-2000, Snow was brought in to tighten up Bob Field’s defense and implement a simpler, more physical, pass-rush-oriented scheme.

Statistical Rankings
Year | SOS | SD | TD | DFEI | DS&P+
2001 | 14 | 27 | 23 | n/a | n/a
2002 | 8 | 51 | n/a | n/a | n/a
Avg. | 11 | 39 | 23 | n/a | n/a

Snow’s defenses featured ten future NFL draftees: Coleman, Anderson, Thomas, Manning, Leisle, Ball, Chillar, Ware, Emanuel, and Page. The difference was immediately apparent. UCLA went to Alabama in 2001 and held the Tide to 17 points. They faced an Ohio State squad that had hung 42 on them two years prior and beat them in a 13-6 slugfest. They held a Dennis Erickson-led Oregon State team to 7 points.

More: Several Bruins Make the Butkus and Lombardi Award Watch Lists

I really wanted to be able to put Snow at number one or two on this list, just because of the horizon-expanding realization that UCLA could field a tough, consistent defense. But the numbers ultimately don’t support it. His teams also gave up 38 points to Tyrone Willingham‘s Stanford, 42 to Arizona State, 48 to Washington State, and 27 and 52 in back-to-back losses to USC.

The defense took a step back in 2002, largely as a reflection of the entire team being in disarray during the waning days of the Toledo regime. Toledo was fired, along with Snow and the rest of his staff, after the 2002 season. Making it doubly bitter was that Snow was then replaced by the feckless Larry Kerr. The next slide will address why keeping a DC from a previous head coach might not be the best idea, but I still sometimes wonder what if…

Where is he now: Phil Snow is currently the DC at Temple.

Next: 13-9

October 12, 2013; Pasadena, CA, USA; California Golden Bears wide receiver Chris Harper (6) runs the ball against the defense of UCLA Bruins cornerback Ishmael Adams (24) during the first half at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

2. DeWayne Walker, 2006 – 2008

DeWayne Walker was brought in by Karl Dorrell from the NFL, where he coached the secondary for Washington. His main job was to clean up Larry Kerr’s ridiculous mess of a defense and provide a reliable unit that could take over once Dorrell’s ‘west coast offense’ ran Chris Markey into the line three times in a row for no gain.

More: Paul Perkins and Myles Jack Make the Walter Camp Award Watch List

Statistical Rankings
Year | SOS | SD | TD | DFEI | DS&P+
2006 | 7 | 40 | 32 | n/a | 28
2007 | 1 | 30 | 26 | 3 | 10
Avg. A* | 4 | 35 | 29 | 3 | 19
2008 | 23 | 86 | 39 | 55 | 58
Avg. B* | 10 | 52 | 32 | 29 | 32

* I’ve averaged Walker’s stats twice. Average A is for the Dorrell years. Average B is total, including his one year on Neuheisel’s staff. There’s a marked difference there, and I don’t know how to explain it.

Was Walker bored/disaffected from being passed over for the head coaching gig?
Was the forced relationship between him and Neuheisel (due to Guerrero telling Neuheisel that retaining Walker was a precondition for getting the job) that toxic?
Were the recruiting failures during Dorrell’s tenure coming home to roost?
Was Walker’s well-known aversion to recruiting to blame?

Yes to all, I’m sure, but in what distribution? I don’t know.

Walker’s defense was a 4-3 base formation with high-volume blitzes. It featured future NFL draftees Horton, Davis, Verner, Price, Carter, Moore, and Ayers. Besides the signature achievement of his UCLA years, the 2006 upset of #2 USC in a smothering, suffocating defensive showcase, Walker’s defense also had some high-profile implosions:

The gut-punch defensive breakdown that let Jeff Samardzija run free for the game-winning touchdown at Notre Dame.
Giving up 44 points in the Emerald Bowl to a toothless Florida State team led by QB Drew Weatherford.
Giving up 44 points at Utah in the game that got Dorrell fired (and that made me the angriest I’ve ever been about a UCLA game).
Giving up 59 points at BYU in an (admittedly turnover-filled) game so humiliating, EDSBS has asked it to be erased from the recordbooks.

Walker’s defenses tended to perform well against pro-style offenses and look completely baffled by spread offenses and mobile quarterbacks. He’s this high on the list because of those stats in his first two years (UCLA had the third most efficient defense against the toughest schedule† in the nation in 2007! – UCLA!), but when he left to take the head coaching job at New Mexico State, it was probably time for both parties to move on. He had bigger ambitions; UCLA had a date with Chuck Bullough, Joe Tresey, self-immolation, the bottom of the barrell, and then, ultimately, rebirth. That said, we’ll always have 13-9.

Where is he now: Walker has been coaching defensive backs for the Jacksonville Jaguars since 2013, when he resigned from New Mexico State, having amassed a 10-40 record and angered his administration, alumni, and fans.

†I just want to note here that three times in the period under consideration, UCLA had the toughest schedule in the nation – ’00, ’07, ’14. That’s crazy. Additionally, the Bruins five other times have had one of the top ten hardest schedules – ’96, ’98, ’02, ’06, ’10. So for eight of the 19 years we’re looking at, UCLA played one of the ten toughest schedules in the country.

Next: Rebirth

Nov 15, 2013; Pasadena, CA, USA; General view of an alternative black UCLA Bruins helmet on the sidelines during the game against the Washington Huskies at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

1. Lou Spanos, 2012 – 2013

Evaluating Spanos (and in the same vein, Ulbrich) is difficult because Jim Mora was the first UCLA head coach in 40 years to come in with prior experience on the defensive side of the ball. As such, Mora has much more of his fingerprints on the UCLA defense than Toledo, Dorrell, or Neuheisel ever did. That said, what Lou Spanos did in turning around Chuck Bullough and Joe Tresey’s mess is remarkable.

Statistical Rankings
Year | SOS | SD | TD | DFEI | DS&P+
2012 | 26 | 59 | 69 | 29 | 40
2013 | 12 | 35 | 49 | 18 | 27
Avg. | 19 | 47 | 59 | 24 | 34

Spanos converted the defense to a 3-4 front, emphasized speed and containment, showed vision in moving players into different positions as needed, and made halftime adjustments.

Those stats may not jump out at you, but keep in mind that the 2011 defense ranked 92nd, 84th, 111th, and 77th in our four categories. Additionally, improvement continued into Spanos’ second year. The worst category is total defense (yards-per-game), a statistic that Jim Mora has explicitly said he doesn’t care about. In everything else, he brought the defense into the top quartile in the country.

Spanos did this with exceptional defensive talent at his disposal: Jones, Zumwalt, Marsh, Odighizuwa, Kendricks, and Anthony Barr (Spanos and Mora worked to transition Barr from a FB into the 9th overall draft pick at OLB). That doesn’t even include the talent brought in under Spanos that has yet to become draft eligible, including Myles Jack, Deon Hollins, Kenny Clark, Tahaan Goodman, et al.

More: UCLA Football: What will Define a Successful Season

Game-wise, Spanos had some stinkers, mainly in his first year, with losses to Cal (43) and Baylor (49). But by the end of 2013, UCLA was putting on defensive clinics in shutting down USC (14) and Virginia Tech (12).

The one game that speaks volumes is at Nebraska in 2013. Down 21-3 in the second quarter, the defense altered its approach and mindset and held Taylor Martinez, Ameer Abdullah, Kenny Bell, and the rest of Nebraska’s offense scoreless for the remaining 37+ minutes of gametime. Total domination, made possible by a coaching staff willing and able to make adjustments on the fly in game situations to a degree previously unseen at UCLA.

Where is he now: Spanos left after the 2013 season to return to the NFL and is currently the linebackers coach for the Tennessee Titans.

Next: A New Hope?

Nov 8, 2014; Austin, TX, USA; (Editors note: Caption correction) West Virginia Mountaineers senior associate head coach Tom Bradley prior to kickoff against the Texas Longhorns at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports

?. Tom Bradley, 2015 – ?

We’ve discussed Tom Bradley‘s hire at length. He was with Joe Paterno at Penn State from 1979-2011, since 2000 as the defensive coordinator. He comes to UCLA via West Virginia, where he coached the defensive line. It looks like he will shift UCLA’s defense back to a 4-3, but one that aligns very similar to Spanos’ 3-4, again blending the distinction between DE and OLB.

Bradley heavily favors a zone coverage, as opposed to Spanos’ preferred man-to-man. From this, Bradley likes to order up a zone blitz, rushing four and dropping seven, but mixing up who rushes and who drops into coverage. This keeps the offensive blockers off-balance because they don’t know who to expect.

Beyond schematics and strategy, Bradley brings a hard-nosed, traditional approach to coaching, one that will jive well with the professional, disciplined culture that Mora has successfully created since he took the job.

Expectations are high for Bradley as the new DC, and his hiring caught national media attention. If he lives up to his promise, he could easily find himself creating a lasting legacy among UCLA’s modern defensive coordinators.

Next: UCLA Football 2015 Schedule Preview: Washington State Cougars

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Nathan Eberhardt

UCLA fan by the grace and wisdom of my dad, who taught me to love sports while sitting in Section 17 Row 71 of the Rose Bowl on fall Saturdays from the time I was four. San Francisco Giants fan by marriage since 2005 (which means I've put in my dues with some awful teams).Fulham FC fan by choice - an increasingly baffling choice, but one I stand by.