Gary A. Vasquez – USA TODAY Sports
The UCLA Bruins were a hot-pick to make a run at the Pac-12 title in 2014 and challenge for a spot in the College Football Playoff. Despite coming up short last season and losing their star quarterback to the NFL, the Bruins look like a trendy pick again for 2015. But with the recent shakeup to the defensive coaching staff, UCLA could be looking at another disappointing run next fall.
For all intents and purposes, the Bruins had a very solid defense in 2014. They ranked No. 3 in total defense for the Pac-12 as one of just three teams in the conference to give up less than 400 yards per game, though they finished No. 7 in the conference in scoring defense. They enjoyed strong senior leadership in linebacker Eric Kendricks, who finished second in the Pac-12 with 145 tackles on the season, and defensive lineman Owamagbe Odighizuwa, who finished second on the team with six sacks in 2014.
And the unit looks like it should be even more talented in 2015. The team’s leading pass-rusher, Deon Hollins, who finished his sophomore season with nine sacks, returns along with two-way star Myles Jack at linebacker, Eddie Vanderdoes on the defensive line, and defensive backs like Marcus Rios, Ishmael Adams, and Tahaan Goodman. Add in the strong haul from UCLA’s National Signing Day, and it’s easy to see why optimism runs rampant in Westwood.
But immediately following National Signing Day, UCLA defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich announced that he was leaving the program to take a job as the linebackers coach with Dan Quinn and the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL. Ulbrich had been on the staff since head coach Jim Mora had come to UCLA in 2011 and was promoted to defensive coordinator last season after Lou Spanos left to join the Tennessee Titans.
This was followed up days later by the news that the Bruins had let go of outside linebackers and special teams coach Mike Tuiasosopo, leaving a pretty massive hole in the defensive coaching staff. Ulbrich, in addition to calling the defense, coached the interior linebackers last season. By giving Tuiasasopo the boot, Mora found himself with no linebackers coaches and no special teams coach.
That is a pretty big deal for a team whose major strength on defense has been the play of their linebackers. UCLA boasts back-to-back Lott IMPACT Trophy winners from their linebacker corps (Anthony Barr 2013, Kendricks 2014) in addition to Kendricks bringing home the Dick Butkus Award last season as the nation’s top linebacker. So much of their defensive success in recent years has stemmed from the play of their linebackers, so losing their leadership in that position group figures to be a big deal.
It’s already had an impact on their talent level for next fall.
While UCLA had a fantastic finish to the recruiting period on National Signing Day, their 2015 class took a serious hit following the sudden coaching changes once the dust had settled. Four-star linebacker Roquan Smith has become a national sensation since signing day after announcing in a press conference that he would be headed to UCLA. But Smith held off sending in his National Letter of Intent after rumors of Ulbrich’s departure persisted. Once Ulbrich (who was Smith’s primary recruiter) bolted for Atlanta, Smith backed off his commitment to the Bruins and re-opened his recruitment.
While his ordeal has sparked a larger conversation on the ethics of recruiting and the power of elite prep athletes in the recruiting process, the impact to the Bruins is much more focused: They won’t have the services of a talent like Smith in 2015 and beyond.
Continuing to replenish the talent at their key defensive position is just part of the equation for UCLA. With a change in the defensive coaching staff, there is the possibility of stunted development for the players already on campus. Guys like Jack and Vanderdoes are still rounding into form to be the type of players they can be. How will they be impacted by having to learn from a new defensive leader? Will a new DC come with a new scheme that may not utilize their abilities quite as effectively?
There are rumors circulating that Mora himself will take over the defensive playcalling duties. While he has the experience to make that work, the rigors of being a head coach often make effective playcalling difficult. If he’s focused on calling the defense, other areas of the team will likely suffer from his divided attention.
These are issues that a championship team shouldn’t be worrying about as they prepare to open up spring practice. Mora has continued to put together a very talented squad at UCLA but the shuffling of his coaching staff this season is a detriment to the overall progress of the program. By having to figure out their defensive gameplan with someone new, they will need to be very wary of getting off to a sluggish start as they can ill afford anything but their best effort with their schedule next season.
As we saw in 2014, the Pac-12 South is a gauntlet to get through. Five of the six programs in the division finished ranked in the Top 25 last season and all are programs that appear to be getting better. The Arizona Wildcats have a young star at quarterback and an ever-improving defense that will make them difficult to beat as defending division champs. The cross-town USC Trojans are finally off probation and looking to make a serious push to reclaim their former dominance and they have the talent on the roster to do so. That doesn’t even take into account the very talented teams of the Arizona State Sun Devils and Utah Utes, who will play the Bruins extremely tough in jockeying for that birth into the Pac-12 Championship game.
Then there are the juggernauts of the Pac-12 North in the Stanford Cardinal and Oregon Ducks who have run the conference since before it expanded to 12 teams. As far as UCLA has come, they have not been able to get past those roadblocks and navigate their Pac-12 schedule to bring home a conference title. If their defense lags, they won’t change that in 2015.
The mark of truly elite programs is to continually build on their success and keep positive momentum rolling from season to season even as the roster turns over. The Bruins are still a program that is trying to build a winning tradition and needs the luxury of consistency to help them get over the hump. Unfortunately for them, the coaching staff changes are doing them no favors.
Provided that the Bruins find a quarterback for next fall, UCLA has the talent to be a contender in the Pac-12. But with the shakeup of the defensive coaching staff, the Bruins face a challenge to maintain momentum on the defensive side of the ball. If their defense takes a step back in 2015 while they adjust to the new coaches, the Bruins will get buried in the conference title race before they even get started.
You can follow Tyler Brett on Twitter @ATylerBrett, on Facebook and on Google.
