UCLA assistant Jeff Ulbrich named defensive coordinator

Linebackers coach Jeff Ulbrich has been promoted to defensive coordinator, making official a promotion that had been expected for weeks. He fills the vacancy left by Lou Spanos, who left the Bruins last month to become the Tennessee Titans’ linebackers coach.

Ulbrich was also the team’s special teams coordinator, a unit that leads the country in blocked kicks and punts over the last two seasons, and was top-20 last fall in both kick and punt return coverage. The 36-year-old was nominated for the 2013 Broyles Award for college football’s top assistant coach.

“Coach ‘Brick’ is a natural fit for this position, having run an NFL defense for years as a player while honing his abilities to get the most out of his players as a coach,” head coach Jim Mora said of the former San Francisco 49er. “We couldn’t be more excited about this move.”

UCLA has not named a replacement for either linebackers coach or special teams coordinator. Mora said this week that he is looking to add one position to the staff. He did not offer more specifics, but the new hire could conceivably be a stand-alone special teams coordinator, leaving Ulbrich to continue coaching linebackers.

Other staffers received additional titles as well. Defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator Demetrice Martin is now also the assistant head coach, a spot formerly held by Ulbrich. Offensive line coach and running game coordinator Adrian Klemm is the associate head coach.