UCLA Football Coaching Staff Update
by AHMB on Jan 11, 2012 8:08 AM PST
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Once again, more moves have been made by Coach Mora in filling out his staff. The two newest additions are Eric Yarber as WR Coach and Sal Alosi as S&C Coach for Football. In addition, Inoke Breckterfield has been let go and Angus McClure has been named DL Coach, leaving only one vacant spot on Mora's staff.
While there has been some exuberance over most of Coach Mora's hires, there are some valid concerns as well. Namely, other than Coach Mazzone and Coach Yarber, who are technicians and X's and O's guys? We all know that Klemm, Broussard, McClure, and Martin can recruit, but the college is not just about getting the best players in the program. Player development and scheming is just as important as recruiting, and at this point we simply do not know if the assistant coaches are as good at coaching as they are at recruiting.
This fact is nowhere as pronounced as it is on the DL, where Coach McClure was recently assigned despite never having coached on the offensive defensive side of the ball. Of course, one doesn't spend as long in the coaching circles as McClure has without some basic knowledge of all of the positions, and having previously worked as an offensive line coach, McClure likely has more than a basic idea of life in the trenches, but Coach Mora has repeatedly stated that his goal is to hire the "best coaching staff in college football", and I find it hard to believe that such a staff would include McClure as DL Coach.
The obvious solution to all of these questions is the hiring of a great DC with hands on experience teaching and coaching the DL. We know that Coach Mora can assist Coach Martin in the secondary, and a strong hire at DC would alleviate much of the concern over the DL and allow Coach McClure to learn on the job while likely adding "Recruiting Coordinator" to his job title or retreat to an "On Campus Recruiting Coordinator" position after signing day and allow the new DC to bring in his own DL coach.
We'll break down the current staff and options for DC after the jump.
To date, the following names have been announced as Mora's assistant coaches:
Offensive Coordinator: Noel Mazzone
Offensive Line: Adrian Klemm
Running Backs: Steve Broussard
Tight Ends: Marques Tuiasosopo
Wide Receivers: Eric Yarber
Defensive Line: Angus McClure
Defensive Backs: Demetrice Martin
Special Teams/LB: Jeff Ulbrich
The majority of BN'ers were very high on Mazzone. Klemm, Broussard, Yarber, Martin, and Ulbrich all also appear to have a lot of support, and the jury is still out on Tuiasosopo. As noted above, the McClure hire is a bit of a head scratcher, but we take a wait and see approach and let the situation work itself out before we make any judgments.
Some of the names to watch out for at DC are listed below. Coach Mora indicated that he would like to name a DC by the end of the week, but he is conducting his search under a veil of secrecy and there is virtually no inside information at this point.
We've previously discussed a few names, including Jim Leavitt, Greg Manusky, Ed Donatell, Kalani Sitake, Jeff Casteel, Randy Shannon, and, of course, Ken Norton Jr. Of those, only Ken Norton Jr. faced real backlash, but when BN'ers were polled asking whether he should be considered for the job or not, the results were split right down the middle.
A couple other names to look out for are Mike Nolan and Sal Sunseri. Nolan was recently let go as DC of the Dolphins. While he'll likely get NFL offers, he played at Oregon and coached at Stanford, Rice, and LSU in the early ‘80's and is at least familiar with the college coaching world. Sunseri is currently employed as Alabama's Assistant HC/LB Coach, Sunseri's was a finalist for Pitt's HC job last year before Todd Graham was hired. Anyone who watched the BCS game on Monday witnessed amazing LB play, and important championship caliber coaches is always a good thing.
What are your thoughts on these candidates? Please, spare the Norton backlash- it has already been posted and noted. If you have any other candidates in mind, go ahead and share them here.
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DC - an Xs & Os guy is a must.
I’m all for having position coaches that can first and foremost fire up their athletes and recruits. But I think it should be a requirement to have the two coordinators, the ones most responsible for putting the athletes in the best positions to succeed, be reputable tacticians.
McClure at DL
So Mora hires a DC, and says, “If you can live with McClure, fine. Otherwise, bring in your own man with you”. Simple. However, this needs to be done soon, and if he finds a DC this week, then all can be in place by signing day. Somehow, McClure is preferable over IB, and IB got the short straw. Of course, the DL performance (or lack) this year speaks volumes….
Mensgym
Sunseri
Is my first choice. The timing of this hire would be fantastic after everyone watching Alabama’s defense dominate. The pure strength and speed of those linebackers was incredible.
by Waitingfornumber12 on Jan 11, 2012 8:38 AM PST reply actions
Sal...
Is the man I would prefer UCLA go after!! I truly believe that we need a coach from the Southeast with a proven track of developing players. And a rising start like Sal Sunseri would be just that! Plus they added bonus of a coach with ties to the Talented Southeast, Florida recruiting bases!!
by Travis L. Marshall on Jan 11, 2012 8:57 AM PST reply actions
It will be his likely destination
I don’t know why people keep clamoring for the Florida recruiting base. It is not really available to any school on the west coast, and most of those recruits will not qualify academically. It is a waste of resources unless a recruit has disclosed interest. The Texas pipeline makes much more sense.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
Developer
The Pagano almost hire makes me feel as if Mora wants someone who can develop his players and word is that Mora will be a de facto DC. I would anticipate a Pro coach that has a reputation of developing players and not a college coach. I’ll be surprised if a college coach is hired. Sunseri would be awesome, but doesn’t feel likely. I loved Wilcox but U of W hired him last week. We shall see, but I suspect it will be a Pro coach.
Breckterfield...
…what is the story with him being let go? Wasn’t he offered the job right after Mora was hired and then he is let go after the bowl game?Just seems…odd.
I thought the same thing.
Why the charade? If you knew you were going to let him go, why lead us to believe he would stick around?
My guess is Mora did initially like him; then either needed to open up a coaching slot or as DoubleTrouble mentions below; he learned of his underperforming unit.
Overall, I don’t like the games being played with people. (if in fact games were played at all)
Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing. ~ Vince Lombardi
I don't think games were played.
Breckterfield’s contract only went to June, and my guess is that the idea was to keep Breckterfield around to recruit until the coaching staff filled out. There weren’t any promises made to Breckterfield about being retained to my knowledge.
Formerly AllHailMightyBruins
The other factor is that Mora had his choice DC all locked up
That is, until the Chargers shockingly kept Norv Turner and promoted Mora’s choice to be their own DC.
Getting rid of Breckterfield may have something to do with Mora’s Plan B or C for hiring a defensive coordinator.
Inoke Breckterfield could certainly recruit
but the performance of his unit this past season was abysmal. They were particularly bad relative to the lofty expectations (see: Jones, Datone). I was shocked when I read that he was one of the few guys from Neu’s staff to be retained. That being said, I don’t understand at all how McClure can be his replacement given the money we apparently have to spend on more experienced (marquee) guys… unless this is simply a placeholder situation again. I, for one, hope so.
by DoubleTroubleBruin on Jan 11, 2012 9:15 AM PST reply actions
DC
This really is an important hire. Defense for the past several years has underperformed. Hopefully Mora will make the right choice in this hire, Sunseri would be, IMO, the best choice at this point if he would be interested in coming to the Bruins Second choice would be Randy Shannon.
“This fact is nowhere as pronounced as it is on the DL, where Coach McClure was recently assigned despite never having coached on the offensive side of the ball.”
should say defensive.
Ideas for DC
I’ve already outlined my case for Chuck Heater (DC – Temple) for our next DC here. Here are a couple of other candidates that are worth noting based on experience, ability and availability.
Tyrone Nix (former DC – Ole Miss) – Nix served as DC of the Rebels as part of Houston Nutt’s staff from 2008-2011. Before that, he served as DC of South Carolina from 2005-2007. He’s faced SEC-level talent and systems for years, and has done a pretty good job given the talent he had to work with. His knowledge of SEC territory would also be very helpful for recruiting. Most of our staff has experience recruiting Pac-12 only. Nix was released along with Nutt this year, and is currently available as far as the internets say.
Todd Orlando (DC – FIU) – Orlando served his first year as DC of Florida International where his defense ranked #30 in Total Defense nationally. Prior to FIU, he served as DC of UConn between 2005-2010. During that time, he generated defenses that natinally ranked #6 in Total Defense twice (2005, 2008). His defenses helped UConn capture the Big East title twice (2007, 2010). A return to a BCS conference could be huge draw for him. Orlando also has a proven track record of developing LB’s.
Steve Spagnuolo (former HC – St Louis Rams) – This is my obligatory NFL-experience guy. He sucked as the Rams HC for the last few years, but his two years as DC for the Giants from 2007-2008 were very solid. What caught my eye was this description of his philosophy from Wikipedia:
Spagnuolo learned under Philadelphia coach Jim Johnson, and shares the same aggressive, blitz-heavy approach as his mentor. Spagnuolo uses a 4–3 base defense with a heavy emphasis on multiple blitz packages, including corner and safety blitzes. While defensive coordinator of the New York Giants, he often used a smaller defensive line, with three or even four defensive ends to further pressure the quarterback. This philosophy proved successful, with the Giants leading the NFL in sacks in 2007. During Super Bowl XLII, Spagnuolo’s defense sacked Tom Brady five times, the most times he had been sacked in any game that season.
I think blitz packages have been an anomaly with our defense the last few years. I would love to see that kind of pressure against opposing QBs. Like Nix, he’s available now, with no word on any offers from other programs. He brings NFL and some college experience with him, and his resume could only help with recruiting defensive talent.
You have my vote!
Chuck Heater for DC ! !
Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing. ~ Vince Lombardi
Good suggestions again
I think Heater would still be best, though I am intrigued by Orlando. I don’t know about Nix enough, other than to say that SEC offenses don’t seem that good (save for Arkansas, and Florida under Meyer), so it is hard to tell for me
Spagnuolo will get recycled in the NFL. I see him going to the Dolphins or Raiders as the DC.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
I'm pretty sure Mcclure is a just a placeholder right now at Dline coach.
His position will likely be filled by a DC whose expertise is defensive line.
you guys see Jon Gold's video interview with XSF from yesterday?
he said the first thing he did was give “coach angus” a hug. not trying to insinuate anything but worth mentioning as it pertains to this discussion…
by DoubleTroubleBruin on Jan 11, 2012 11:26 AM PST up reply actions
Given that every staff
has tried to find a way to keep the guy on, no matter what position, I think it is definitely worth mentioning. Just call him xyz coach and give him a whistle and send him out to get recruits!
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
Yes
I wasn’t saying he’d be fired, but I tend to think his responsibilities will shift away from D-line fairly soon.
Agreed
McClure is in ‘placeholder’ status, it’s clear Mora wants him on his staff, the ‘where’ is dependent on who he finally hires to round out his choices.
"Players with fight never lose a game, they just run out of time"
~ John Wooden
I think the same will be true
…of Tuiasosopo. I would not be surprised if that position get’s rotated a bit.
"Players with fight never lose a game, they just run out of time"
~ John Wooden
I have a gut feeling that Tui’s #1 task will be learning from Mazzone. Mazzone was rumored to be a head coaching candidate before the season started, and you never know when a well respected coordinator will get a shot.
Formerly AllHailMightyBruins
by AHMB on Jan 11, 2012 8:37 PM PST via iPhone app up reply actions
It seems to me that Mazzone is the only homerun hire made so far.
The hiring of a quality DC will really determine in my mind if we are going in the right direction. Even then there is the possibility that Mora might feel the need to micromanage the defense since it is his so called area of expertise.
Given the evolution of College Ball the best thing he can do is hire someone with lots of experience at this level and give him free reign. He can discuss philosophy and study game tape and all that lovely, but you hire the right guy for the job and then you give him the tools he needs to do the job.
Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing. ~ Vince Lombardi
Was thinking the exact same thing
Mazzone is the only hire I can get excited about. I’m not too hot about Mora snatching guys from U-Dub and the Seahawks. To me, he’s sticking with the familiar and not really considering the best guys out there. No offense to those two organizations (I’m a Husky alum for grad school), but it’s not like they are elite programs from which we should be poaching coaches.
The DC hire is a huge one for Mora, and needs to be a homerun hire.
by Kerckhoff405 on Jan 11, 2012 10:01 AM PST up reply actions
Ulbrich and Martin are the only guys from the Seahawks and UW.
I don’t think Mora stuck with the familiar at all, and I don’t know how you can throw around the accusation that he’s not considering the best guys out there. Martin was hired because of his LA recruiting ties, not because of his connection to UW. Ulbrich is a young coach with some intensity that could end up being a very good coach.
I think there are valid concerns over the staff’s ability to teach technique and develop players, but I don’t think he’s hiring guys based on familiarity.
Formerly AllHailMightyBruins
Not accusation, just observation
I’m not really accusing Mora of anything. Just stating an observation. When I saw that Martin, Ulbrich and reportedly Slutak (although not a football coach per se) were considered for positions, I immediately noticed their ties to UW and the Seahawks, from which Mora has his most recent experience and ties. Although both Martin and Ulbrich COULD turn out to be solid hires, their records don’t suggest that they are necessarily the best hires for their positions. Martin may have recruiting ties to LA, but he also was responsible for a UW passing defense that ranked 116 and 93 nationally in two of his three years at UW. Ulbrich was a damn good player for my Niners, but he only has two years of coaching experience total with no college coaching nor recruiting experience.
Now, are these two the best we could have hired for their positions based on coaching experience and on-the-field performance? I would say no.
by Kerckhoff405 on Jan 11, 2012 10:46 AM PST up reply actions
I think your concerns re: the coaching staff are valid. My point is that the hiring of Martin and Ulbrich do not indicate that he’s sticking with the familiar.
You also have to remember that a big part of the coaching staff involves chemistry. Coaches routinely work 18 hour days. It’s their badge of honor. Nobody wants to spend 18 hours a day with someone that they don’t like. Are these guys the most decorated coaches? No. Are they the best coaches for Mora’s staff? We’ll see.
Formerly AllHailMightyBruins
Coach Mora is a DB guy
I’m sure that our secondary will get plenty of attention from him.
Mexi, I'm not so sure.
Thanks to jtthirtyfour, we have a good idea of what Mazzone can do and what his offenses do, but I’m not sure he’s a “home run hire.” ASU had a fine QB, but they weren’t very good. To put that in a little more perspective, they were only 6-7, and managed to get beat by us.
Those are negatives. On the positive side, they were 25th in total offense, and we were 72nd. I’ll take that sort of improvement.
As a whole ASU went hot and cold, it's true
But their offense was decidedly better than ours.
32.5 points per game to our 23.1
4458 yards per game to our 376.6
Maybe ‘Homerun’ is to strong a word, but I think he is a decided improvement. And, someone who is clear about what he wants to run and how.
Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing. ~ Vince Lombardi
The DC hire will not be a "homerun"
in the way you expect. Quick, name the DC under Pete Carroll. Anyone? Anyone? Yeah, that’s what I thought. I hate to bring him up as the example, but that’s how it’s going to be. Mora will have his hands all over the defense. What he’ll need is someone who is organized, works well with him, shares the same vision, and can teach technique. That would be a homerun, but it doesn’t mean it’ll be someone you know.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
You've got a lot of Mazoney asking that question
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
Ethics don't seem to matter with the hiring of S&C...
…why would it come into play for Shannon being hired??? Very suspect and interesting. Shed light for me please.
I don't really see it as a matter of ethics
The S&C coach made a dumb, frat-boy type of mistake. He didn’t “break the rules” per se but rather did something unsportsmanlike at a moment in time, much like an “unnecessary roughness” type of penalty. I don’t know if you’ve seen the clip, but the guy was way out of bounds when he was tripped.
Randy Shannon, if the allegations are true, broke NCAA rules, but I really don’t know how implicated he is in the whole Miami mess.
But saying that Sal Alosi is somehow a cheater or unethical is like saying that a player is a cheater and should never be allowed to play again because he made a helmet to helmet hit, or hit the QB too late. A foolish mistake is much different than trying to circumvent rules on a consistent basis to gain an advantage.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
Spags would be great as DC
except, just like Coach Pagano, he is going to be someone’s NFL DC. Alosi was already a PR risky reach for Coach Mora; adding Shannon is not a sound move at this time. I’d love to see a Spagnuolo or a Mike Nolan, but those are frankly out of reach payroll wise. That being said, I can’t even get a whiff of a decent rumor on who is actually on Coach Mora’s radar screen for DC. The 9 coach limit probably means he is seeking a DC with DL expertise. Or, even more likely, he will get a DC and allow the DC to bring his own DL coach and move Angus to an on-campus recruiting slot.
Both Mazzone and Alosi have ties east coast NFL ties with Coach Mora. Coach Mora is familiar with coaches Martin and Ulbrich from his stints in Seattle and San Fran. Yarber was also a coach with the Niners. Coach Mora is primarily hiring coaches he has worked with before and is comfortable with their abilities to coach at an NFL level as well as recruit college players. Klemm and Ulbrich were college teammates at U of Hawaii.
Sunseri has been an amazing coach for the Tide
I wonder if he is on Mora’s radar though. I imagine UCLA can put together a pretty good pay package for him compared to Tennessee.
Mora's poor track record
Jim Mora is not respected by the coaching circle around the league.
He is regarded as “the guy” who is living off of Dad’s name.
So when it comes to hiring assistants, he has a poor track record. His assistants were always his own buddies or guys who just need coaching experience.
Pagano needed coordinator experience (lucky enough he got it in SD). Ulbrich wanted to become a position coach, not a QC coach. He fetched coffee and made copies as a coaches’ assistant in Seattle.
Quality established coaches never want to work for him.
Unfortunately this is the TRUTH. Ask Falcons or Hawks fans.
Right
You can always get the TRUTH from disgruntled fans.
I don’t see any of his “buddies” on the staff. No one is born with coordinator experience. If there is one place where he can take an up-and-comer, it’s at the DC position, since that will essentially be his domain anyway. The one place where he needed experience, the OC position, he got it.
Pagano needed coordinator experience (lucky enough he got it in SD)Right, Pagano needed coordinator experience at the NFL level so that he could come coach in college. That makes sense.
It appears you are a Seahawks fan, and we certainly appreciate the perspective, but I really don’t know how you can infer so much from one season in which he inherited a less than ideal situation.
And don’t try to pass your opinion as TRUTH. That’s a bit insulting.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
Sunseri would be a great hire.
His Defense pinned LSU down.
Then again, Jefferson played as horrible as expected.
Go Bruins!
Tom Bradley from Penn St. is now on the market
They’ve had pretty damn good defenses during his tenure.
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