First-year coach John Wristen has had a hard time adjusting to
UCLA. Things are more complicated, going at a much faster rate than
he is used to, but his transition has nothing to do with
football.
“The biggest thing I have had to get used to by far is
just living in Los Angeles,” Wristen said.
But when Wristen isn’t wrestling with the fast-paced
Southern California lifestyle, he is more than at home with the
Bruin football team, where he looks to take the reins as the head
man in a couple of key areas: special teams and tight ends.
Wristen comes to Westwood by way of Colorado, having served as
an assistant to the Big 12 powerhouse Buffaloes for seven years.
During his tenure at the University of Colorado, Wristen was
responsible for the development of numerous All-Big-12 players and
high NFL Draft picks. As a Bruin, the first-year coach hopes to
keep up his track record.
“First and foremost, I want to win a Pac-10
Championship,” Wristen said. “And also I want to make
sure that all of my players graduate, and (I want) to have the best
special teams in the league.”
Last season, the tight end position was key for the Bruins, as
the now-departed Marcedes Lewis led the team in receiving. With
Wristen coming in, the team should see a great deal of development
in that area, as he was instrumental in the development of several
fine tight ends at Colorado, including a John Mackey Award winner
in Daniel Graham back in 2001.
Wristen’s impact can already be seen, as Logan Paulsen and
Ryan Moya have proven themselves valuable receiving threats for the
Bruins in the team’s opening-week win against Utah.
Wristen’s path to UCLA might have started sooner, but the
circumstances were not quite right. Nevertheless, he has finally
made it to Los Angeles and looks forward to working as a Bruin.
“I was good friends with a number of the coaches here and
those guys were trying to get me to come out here earlier, but it
just didn’t seem to work,” Wristen said. “But now
my opportunity is here and I am very glad to be here. They had the
right position for me to come in and coach, and it just became a
good fit based on the job openings (available).”