That crappy local paper of ours is reporting that we are working out contract details with Jim Mastro, a very highly respected coach from Nevada. Check it out here:

UCLA and Nevada running back coach Jim Mastro are close to deal that would bring him to the Bruins’ program as running game coordinator, according a person close to the situation who is not authorized to speak on the subject.

Mastro, 45, has been Nevada’s recruiting coordinator and running back coach since 2004. He is believed to be seeking a three-year contract, with the final hurdle being whether the third year would be guaranteed, according to the person close to the situation.

If true, and it seems to have some merit, I think this is a great move. If we are serious about running the Pistol in any form, we need to have coaches on board who truly understand it inside and out. Mastro obviously does. I also think it is obvious from hearing CMJ that our offense will employ a variety of offensive sets, which is what I have been begging for. So many teams use the Pistol as a part of their offense, but are able to adapt and use other formations and schemes to attack defenses in many ways.

With Hundley coming in, it looks (and I hope) that we are going to utilize his talents and those of our other skill players. Use the pistol, come back with a little bit of spread, throw in some pro-set, and sprinkle in a little two or three TE sets. All possible with the talent we have on the roster. With this hire, it is a clear sign to Hundley and the rest of the team that the offense will be very different in 2011.

Now lets just hope it works ... and lets make a great DC in the next couple days so that our program has some direction going forward.