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Bruin Nation, Bruins, Chip Kelly, college football, football, Pac-12 Conference, Pauley Pavilion, Rose Bowl, UCLA, UCLA Athletics, UCLA Bruins, UCLA Football, University of California Los Angeles, Westwood
The 17th head football coach in the history of UCLA. Photo courtesy of registerguard.com
A NEW ERA DAWNS IN WESTWOOD
Unless you’ve been under a rock on Mars the past few days, you’ve undoubtedly heard of UCLA making perhaps the biggest hire in their history when Chip Kelly, the man responsible for the domination of the Oregon Ducks on west coast college football earlier this decade, especially on offense,
Agreed to become the new coach of UCLA Bruin Football this past weekend.
The formal announcement, introduction, and press conference is scheduled for this afternoon at Pauley Pavilion on the Westwood campus.
The deal that Kelly signing – five years, $23.3 million – is pretty significant as that’s the largest contract that UCLA Athletics has given any football coach.
Which to me indicates that while I still don’t think that the school has gone all-in to the commitment of the Bruins becoming an elite, championship-level football program,
They have come a lot closer to doing so.
The thing that has prevented me from stating that UCLA has gone all-in is the fact that while with Kelly’s high-octane, quick-paced, quick-strike offense that averages eighty plays and fifty points a game, many more four and five-star running backs and wide receivers in SoCal high schools will be interested in joining Bruin Nation,
It’s the stringent academic and admissions standards – the same issue that has prevented many high-end players from coming to Westwood, that may still be a bit of a hindrance.
In other words, when it comes to getting recruits admitted into school, Kelly will quickly find out that UCLA is NOT Oregon.
Which I will blame chancellor Gene Block and his administration friends at Murphy Hall if such ends up being the case.
In short, by hiring Kelly, athletic director Dan Guerrero has shown that he wants to go all-in.
Now Block needs to do the same.
Not that I want 2.5, low-SAT score guys admitted at the expense of others, but if a player’s grades and test scores are good enough to make him eligible for the University of California system – good enough for him to get accepted to places like UC Irvine and UC Riverside – then he needs to be welcomed to UCLA.
Kelly while the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. Photo courtesy of BruinsNation.com
Having said that…
Here are some things that Kelly needs to do right off the bat as the new Bruin coach:
1. Fire defensive coordinator Tom Bradley.
Which considering that he was in charge of the nation’s worst run defense should go without saying.
2. Until I saw on social media that many members of Bruin Nation do NOT want to see former UCLA standout linebacker Ken Norton Jr., who has just been fired as the defensive coordinator of the Oakland Raiders, being asked to come home because he not only joined Pete Carroll’s staff at USC, he bad mouthed UCLA as well, that was the guy I wanted.
Now I will be happy to have anyone who will immediately change the philosophy and culture of that defense, make them more aggressive as opposed to the read and react, bend-but-don’t-break approach that the Bruins have had for far too long.
Whoever the new DC is, he needs to be a no-nonsense, don’t-take-no-mess guy, someone who will remind me of Buddy Ryan and his shut-down, lights out “46” defense that he ran during the Chicago Bears’ glory days of the 1980s.
Mike Singletary, a key member of that defense who coached the San Francisco 49ers for a time, may be a good fit.
BOTTOM LINE: A great defensive coordinator is a top priority because Kelly’s defenses at Oregon were merely adequate at best; those Ducks winning by outscoring people.
3. I agree with those in Bruin Nation who want Angus McClure retained, as he’s the longest tenured member of the coaching staff.
I honestly don’t think he’ll remain the defensive line coach as I’m sure that Kelly will want to start fresh with his own people, but he should remain as recruiting coordinator, working with Kelly to get the four and five-star guys that are sorely needed as it’s been a while since he’s done any recruiting.
Running backs coach and former Bruin star DeShaun Foster should stay as well; progress was made at that position as Bolu Olorunfumni, Soso Jamabo, and the rest of those guys have improved from last season.
Plus he’s a UCLA alum, which gives him much cred.
4. All those high school players who decommitted from UCLA these past few weeks, including five within a seven-day period?
Three words: Get. Them. Back.
Especially the offensive linemen, as if you don’t have a good o-line (or a defensive line for that matter), you don’t have a good team.
Like the rest of Bruin Nation, I’m excited over a marquee coach like Chip Kelly being given the keys to the Bruin Football Kingdom.
I’ll be even more excited when I see the results, as in:
* Seasons with more than ten wins,
* Pac-12 Championships and January 1st Rose Bowl appearances (and wins), and…
* Berths in the College Football Playoff.
For now, let me join the rest of the UCLA community in welcoming Chip Kelly to Westwood.
May his presence ignite the glory days that UCLA desperately wants.
Former UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel exchanging pleasantries with Chip Kelly after a game at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, OR. Photo courtesy of statesmanjournal.com