After 58 days of searching, UCLA has finally found a defensive coordinator.
Football coach Rick Neuheisel announced Tuesday that he has hired Joe Tresey to fill the vacancy left by Chuck Bullough, who was fired in December.
“I have settled on who I think will be a great leader for our defense,” Neuheisel said. “A guy that has proven that he can lead top-flight defenses in each of the last three seasons, … a guy that I believe has got the energy, the vision and the package to get to where we need to go defensively.”
Tresey brings eight years of experience as a defensive coordinator to the Bruin coaching staff. His coordinator resume includes stops at Akron, Georgia Southern, Central Michigan, Cincinnati and South Florida.
Current Notre Dame coach and then-Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly fired Tresey after the 2008 season and a loss in the Orange Bowl, saying that the two “differed philosophically” about where the Bearcat defense was headed.
Neuheisel said he spoke with Kelly before choosing to hire Tresey.
“I’m very comfortable after talking with coach Kelly that I’ve got a first-rate defensive coordinator coming to UCLA,” Neuheisel said.
After then-South Florida coach Jim Leavitt was fired for striking a player at halftime of a 2009 game, Tresey was not retained by the new coaching staff and spent all of last season coaching the defensive backs for the United Football League’s Omaha Nighthawks.
Additional defensive responsibilities for Tresey have not been specifically defined.
The Bruins are still without a defensive line coach after Todd Howard was fired last week, coinciding with the hire of running game coordinator Jim Mastro.
Neuheisel said he and Tresey will make a decision on whom to hire and how to configure when Tresey arrives in Los Angeles today. Linebackers coach Clark Lea and secondary coach Tim Hundley still remain on staff.
Last week, Neuheisel said he had the defensive coordinator picked three different times but had to continue the search because certain candidates were no longer available.
He appeared to offer former USC defensive coordinator Rocky Seto the job but then rescinded the offer while he waited for the UC Board of Regents to approve the offer sheet.
“There’s a comfort zone in hiring people that you’re familiar with, and those guys, for whatever reason, did not become available,” Neuheisel said. “That’s why the process took longer than any process I’ve been involved in.”
Neuheisel was impressed by the various packages and schemes that Tresey pitched in the interview process. He cited inflexibility in defensive looks as a reason for letting Bullough go.
Tresey talked of a “multiple 4-3″ package Monday but said above all, it’s predicated on playing fundamentally sound defense.
“When you have so many tools in your tool chest, you need to make sure you have enough flexibility as a defensive coordinator to try different things,” Neuheisel said of Tresey’s coordinating style.
Tresey’s defense at South Florida allowed just 19.8 points per game, good enough for No. 19 in scoring defense in the nation in 2009. The Bulls went 8-5 and beat Northern Illinois in the International Bowl.
Despite spending most of his coaching career in the Midwest and East Coast, Tresey is excited to coach and recruit in California.
“People are people. You build relationships with people, and I love working with young people,” Tresey said of his new job. “I don’t think playing in a different region has anything to do with how I approach the game.”
UCLA fans will get their first opportunity to see Tresey’s defense in action when the Bruins open spring practice on March 31.