Off-Season Has Been Turbulent for Bruins

It has been eight weeks since UCLA defeated Northwestern in the Sun Bowl, and much has changed -- namely, more than half the coaching staff. When the Bruins get an early start on spring drills today, there will be more than a few new faces.

It got to the point when you asked, ‘Who’s going to be next?’ ” Bruin quarterback Ben Olson said. “It was like every other day somebody else was gone.”

By the time the turnover ended, UCLA had lost and replaced six coaches from last season’s team. The Bruins also lost running back Maurice Drew, who made himself available to the NFL draft with one year of eligibility remaining.

The shake-up was major, especially for a team coming off a 10-2 season, its best since 1998.

Karl Dorrell, who has a 22-15 record in three seasons as Bruin coach, found a common denominator with many of the moves.

“The NFL,” he said, “is hard to beat.”

Drew was the first to announce he was leaving. He was followed by Eric Bieniemy, the running backs coach and recruiting coordinator who took a job with the Minnesota Vikings; Jon Embree, the tight ends coach and assistant head coach who left for the Kansas City Chiefs; and offensive coordinator and line coach Tom Cable, who took a post with the Atlanta Falcons.

On top of that, Dorrell dismissed defensive coordinator Larry Kerr and defensive line coach Thurmond Moore, and special teams coach Brian Schneider left the staff, citing personal reasons.

“It didn’t feel good to have Coach Cable leave,” quarterback Olson said. “My first worry was whether we would have to learn a whole new system because I spent this last year trying to learn the one we have.”

But there was no need to worry, because on offense Dorrell stayed in-house for filling two key posts and stole back from the NFL on another. He promoted quarterbacks coach Jim Svoboda to offensive coordinator and Dino Babers, who formerly coached the receivers, took over as recruiting coordinator and running backs coach. Veteran NFL line coach Jim Colletto was hired as assistant head coach and line coach.

Two key positions the Bruins will be looking to fill this spring are running back, where Chris Markey, Kahlil Bell and Derrick Williams will compete for Drew’s old spot, and tight end, where J.J. Hair, Logan Paulsen, Ryan Moya and Adam Heater are vying to replace Marcedes Lewis.

For the defense, which statistically ranked among the worst in the nation last season, Dorrell also looked to the pros. He hired DeWayne Walker from the Washington Redskins to take over as coordinator. Also joining the staff were former Jacksonville assistant Todd Howard, to coach defensive linemen, and Chuck Bullough, who worked from 1999 to 2003 with the Chicago Bears, to work with the linebackers.

“We know that we haven’t been accomplishing what we wanted to do on the field as a defense,” cornerback Trey Brown said. “It’s time for us to get it together and get it done. We’re excited to work with Coach Walker because of what he brings to the table from his NFL background.”

But Walker said the Bruins should not expect that professional tricks will save them.

“It’s going to be about toughness and fundamentals,” said Walker, who has worked under defense-minded coaches Bill Belichick and Pete Carroll.

To complete his staff, Dorrell also hired former Central Florida assistant D.J. McCarthy as receivers coach and former Colorado assistant John Wristen as special teams and tight ends coach.

With so many changes, it would have been understandable had Dorrell pushed back the start of spring drills. Instead, the Bruins’ opening workout is the earliest in the Pacific 10 Conference.

“I think it’s a good thing,” Olson said, “because we haven’t been out of football very long. It really seems like just an extended season.”