Report: Chip Kelly, UCLA add UNLV assistant as defensive line coach

The UCLA Bruins are bringing in UNLV defensive line coach Chad Kauha’aha’a to lead Chip Kelly’s d-line for the 2022 season, according to Bruce Feldman. Kauha’aha’a has coached in the West since the early 2000s and should easily plug into Kelly’s recruiting scheme.

Arizona plucked away the former Bruins defensive line coach Johnny Nansen at the beginning of December, prompting the search for a new assistant.

SOURCE: UCLA is expected to hire UNLV D-line coach Chad Kauha’aha’a as the Bruins new defensive line coach. He had been the USC D-line coach in 2019 and before that had coached at Boise State, Oregon State, Wisconsin, Utah and Utah State.

— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) December 24, 2021

Prior to his two seasons at UNLV, Chad Kauha’aha’a was the defensive line coach for the USC Trojans. In the 2019 season, his unit ranked 28th in the nation with 35 quarterback sacks.

Kauha’aha’a has previously been an assistant at six other schools. He was at Boise State in 2018). He coached at Oregon State from 2015-17, Wisconsin from 2013-14, Utah from 2011-12, Utah State from 2009-10 and Weber State from 2005-08.

The new UCLA assistant was the head coach at his alma mater, Baldwin High School, in Wailuku, Hawai’i, from 2002-04.

As a collegiate player, he lettered on the DL and at linebacker for Utah for three seasons.

UCLA adds Washington assistant

The UCLA Bruins football program swiped away another prominent coach from one of their division rivals this week. Sources told the Athletic’s Bruce Feldman that UCLA will hire Ikaika Malloe of the Washington Huskies as their new outside linebackers coach.

Malloe is a Washington graduate and played safety and linebacker for the Huskies from 1993 to 1996. He returned to his alma mater 20 years later, in 2016, as a defensive line coach. Last year, he added co-defensive coordinator to his title.

The former Huskies assistant also coach at Western Illinois, UTEP, Hawaii, Yale, Portland State, and Utah State.