as per the article you posted: [comments in brackets mine] and emphasis mine as well

As to why UCLA was not one of the three finalists, Ed [McCarthy’s dad] said it fell on UCLA’s former staff.

“UCLA didn’t recruit him hard enough,” he said. “They got who they got in (Jim Mora’s hire) and that changed. Jim Mora made all the right moves bringing in top recruits. It just seemed like it was all coming together.”