Chuck Bullough Promoted To Defensive Coordinator; Carnell Lake Joins Staff
Chuck Bullough, who has been an integral component in UCLA's defensive success for the past three seasons and who also owns five years of coaching experience in the National Football League, has been promoted to defensive coordinator, head coach Rick Neuheisel announced today.
"Chuck is an outstanding coach and is certainly deserving of the opportunity to lead our defense," said Neuheisel. "He worked closely with DeWayne (Walker, now head coach at New Mexico State) in the development of schemes and game plans, so I know the defense will continue to flourish under his leadership.
"He has a dynamic, high-energy personality and can really get after it on the recruiting trail. He is very detail oriented when it comes to teaching fundamentals and he has earned the respect of our players for the job he has done while here at UCLA."
There is also word that Carnell Lake is the new linebackers coach, but nothing up on the official site yet. When it becomes official, we'll update.
UPDATE (A): Okay, Brian Dohn has a different version of the release on his blog and it confirms Lake's hiring, noting that Lake will coach DBs, not linebackers.
Carnell Lake, who earned All-America honors at UCLA and All-Pro acclaim in the National Football League, has been hired to coach the Bruin cornerbacks, head football coach Rick Neuheisel announced today.
"We are thrilled to bring Carnell back to UCLA," said Neuheisel. "He had a great playing career, both at UCLA and in the NFL, and was a real student of the game. We believe the qualities that made him a great player will translate to his coaching assignment.
"I also feel he will be a great asset in recruiting. He grew up in Los Angeles, went to school at UCLA, was a great student and played for a long time in the NFL. He is the prototype of the young men we are looking to recruit to UCLA."
Lake, 41, was a three-year (1986-88) starting outside linebacker (he was a key reserve as a true freshman) at UCLA and excelled both on the field and in the classroom.
UPDATE II (N): I most agree with rye who likes the Bullough hire:
While DW wasn’t the world’s greatest DC as some liked to claim, he was very good IMO and Bullough reportedly will do a lot of the same things and has a lot of the same ideas. Bullough also has recruiting ties to the area, something that made him a very good fit for the position since this is still a new staff with CRN getting back into the recruiting scene.
Regarding Lake, I have no idea if he’ll be a good coach. We’ve seen former great players be great coaches and some of them be terrible coaches. I don’t think any of us really know for sure which he’s going to be, but if you’re going to bring in a first time coach, he’s as good a pick as any. Worst case scenario is he’s not a very good coach, but you have a 5 time Pro-Bowler walking around the practice field which has got to look good to recruits.
I think the main advantage of promoting Bullough lies in contiuity of our existing defensive scheme that was put in place by Walker. With Bullough at the helm lot of our young players like Sloan, Ayers, Moore, Dye and others who were coming along towards the end of the this season can continue to develop under (presumably) the same scheme. My main concern with this move though is Bullough's lack of experience as a DC. I guess CRN feels confident in this move. We will see the data points on this hire in next three years. As far as Lake coming aboard I dig the idea of a former Bruin legend coming over as a position coach. I rather have someone like Lake going out recruiting and coaching at UCLA than a turncoat like Petey's poodle.
Once again congrats to Coach Bullough and welcome home Coach Lake. GO BRUINS.
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21 comments
Comments
Lake = DB Coach
Congrats to Coach B. I like the promotion and think it’s well deserved. Also think Lake will be a good coach and very good in due time. He has had tremendous success and I’m sure he’ll teach our talented and young secondary a thing or two.
by BlueReign on Jan 26, 2009 4:31 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
You're right ...
the original thing I heard was linebackers.
Go Bruins
by Achilles on Jan 26, 2009 4:32 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Congrats to Coach Bullough
and welcome back home Coach Lake!
by Nestor on Jan 26, 2009 4:36 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
I like the Bullough hire
While DW wasn’t the world’s greatest DC as some liked to claim, he was very good IMO and Bullough reportedly will do a lot of the same things and has a lot of the same ideas. Bullough also has recruiting ties to the area, something that made him a very good fit for the position since this is still a new staff with CRN getting back into the recruiting scene.
Regarding Lake, I have no idea if he’ll be a good coach. We’ve seen former great players be great coaches and some of them be terrible coaches. I don’t think any of us really know for sure which he’s going to be, but if you’re going to bring in a first time coach, he’s as good a pick as any. Worst case scenario is he’s not a very good coach, but you have a 5 time Pro-Bowler walking around the practice field which has got to look good to recruits.
Welcome back Coach Lake and best of luck to you and Coach Bullough.
by Ryan Rosenblatt on Jan 26, 2009 4:39 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Kenny who???
I like the Carnell Lake hire. He’ll go up against Kenny what’s his name in living room recruiting.
by bruin75 on Jan 26, 2009 7:20 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Still wondering why it took 4 weeks to promote from within
I think there is a story there somewhere…
"when you've seen how big the world is, how can you make due with this?"
by silverlakebruin on Jan 26, 2009 8:35 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
How about
he took his time and made the right decision?
by Give me a B... on Jan 26, 2009 9:26 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I should clarify, I am ok with Bullough
not thrilled, but ok, and I will trust CRNs judgement until facts give me a reason to do otherwise.
"when you've seen how big the world is, how can you make due with this?"
by silverlakebruin on Jan 27, 2009 8:28 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I'm perfectly content with Coach Bullough
If the guy who hired Coach Chow thinks that Coach Bullough is the guy to move our defense forward, then that’s good enough for me.
by Fox 71 on Jan 26, 2009 8:45 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Not saying I don't feel good about the hire
but does it really take a genius to hire Norm Chow? Hell, Dorrell could have made such an obvious hire, though I’m sure Chow wouldn’t have even thought about it if that dude was coaching.
I’m more intrigued by the Lake hire. OC and DC positions turn over rather quickly – if Coach Chuck has success here, I’m sure someone will snag him for an NFL spot or a HC gig, since we’ll be in the national spotlight/BCS picture by then. I’d be interested to see where this goes…
by MrGray on Jan 26, 2009 10:29 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
pure speculation on my part
on why this hire took so long given we’d heard the name for the past month or so. i think he was interested in joining spagnuolo’s staff and crn gave him the leeway o figure that out first. woulda looked bad if crn woulda gave him the gig only to see him bolt a few weeks later. that’s cool by me, and if acurate, speaks volumes of crn.
i’m sure lake will be a great addition and turn into a great coach. although as mentioned above, players to coaches doesn’t always work, he has the brains and attitude along with a knowledge and love of the game and the program to make it a success
Across The Face
by rb bruin on Jan 26, 2009 11:18 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
I'm less than thrilled.
I’m with SilverLake. Why did it take so long to make the announcement if we were just going to promote from within. I’m sure Coach Bullough is a great guy and a great X’s and O’s guy. But, it’s not a name that is going to make headlines. And, headlines bring in recruits.
I wanted a sexy big name coach with reputation to match to go with Norm Chow. I’ve already seen what Dorrell can do when learning on the job. I guess I wanted more of the same from our our DC. Somebody’s who’s done it before. And, somebody’s who’s proven himself in that position.
Whether deserved or not, our enemies are going to have a field day with this.
A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment. John Wooden
by MexiBruin on Jan 26, 2009 11:23 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Results bring recruits. Recruits/fans/writers just associate sexy names with results.
The other thing about sexy candidates is that they usually climb the ladder faster. I’m not opposed to bringing in big names per se, but when Walker came back it was clear that he was going to leave for the first available position, and I don’t fault him for that. It is good to know that if Bullough succeeds, he will still be here for 2-3 years.
by AllHailMightyBruins on Jan 27, 2009 11:38 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
"Sexy" name?
OK, quick, name the top five defensive coordinators in the country. Name the top 3 in the Pac-10.
I don’t mind as much if a new coordinator does not have experience, I think it is far more important for the head coach.
Oh, and by the way: Dewayne Walker didn’t have any DC experience when he took the job. Chew on that for a bit.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
by tasser10 on Jan 27, 2009 1:17 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Good point
Not to many names come to mind. But many current head coaches (Bo Pellini, for example) we’re big name DC’s recently. I don’t know who Florida or Oklahoma’s DC’s are, but hiring guys away from them would have made the splash I would have liked. Hiring a DC out of the SEC, just for coming out of the SEC would have made a big splash.
My point is (AllHail) it’s going to take time with very little margin for error for Bullough to prove himself. While a big hire would have at least bought himself a larger margin of error.
A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment. John Wooden
by MexiBruin on Jan 27, 2009 3:52 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I know what you mean
but it just doesn’t happen. I don’t think any team in the Pac-10 has ever hired a coach or a coordinator from the SEC…there are too many issues, from recruiting, to moving a whole family, to cost of living, etc…
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
by tasser10 on Jan 28, 2009 8:06 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Nick Aliotto!
is one. Wait, don’t I remember him from somewhere?
by Give me a B... on Jan 27, 2009 9:07 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
NFL coaching scene is a mess
I believe CRN wanted to explore the candidate pool from the NFL. Since lots of teams in the NFL are firing coaches and hiring new ones it is tough to figure out who’s available and really wants to take a college DC job. As many as 8 teams in the NFL had HC changes..with 5 of them former DC’s or defensive positions coaches. That’s why it took so long for him to screen and gauge the interest of NFl coaches.
by drebruin on Jan 27, 2009 12:12 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
LB coach, then?
So the job of Linebacker coach is now up in the air, right? Lake sounds like a really good addition because he has a bit of a linebacker mentality in the secondary. I like seeing hard hitting DBs with aggressive/blitzing abilities. He also is just a great football figure to have on the practice and recruiting field. So who will be bring in for the LInebacker coach, now?
by sponkey21 on Jan 27, 2009 4:31 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

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