UCLA continues shake up, mutually parts ways with DC Ikaika Malloe
The changes in Westwood continue.
Three days after firing its head coach, UCLA mutually parted ways with second-year defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe on Wednesday.
Among the nation’s 134 FBS teams, the Bruins rank 117th nationally in total defense, 121st in both total first downs and points per game allowed, 123rd in sacks, 132nd against the run, 133rd on third-down conversion percentage and last in tackles for loss.
It’s the second big change on the UCLA staff this week. Head coach DeShaun Foster was fired Sunday, just three games into a winless second season to run his career record to 5-10. Tim Skipper, a special assistant to Foster entering the season, was named the UCLA interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
Skipper announced Malloe’s departure before Wednesday morning’s practice. He added that the defensive duties will be a collaborative effort among the assistants.
“Coach Malloe and the university has agreed to mutually part ways,” Skipper said. “I want to personally thank him for all he’s done, especially with me, having conversations and things like that and everything he’s done for this university. Just want to personally make sure I do that and get that handled. Great man right there.”
No players on the UCLA defense were made available after Wednesday’s practice.
Offensive tackle Garrett DiGiorgio, a fourth-year starter who is among the players with the most time on the roster, reflected on his time around Malloe.
“I know some of the defensive guys loved him so much, and sorry to see him go,” DiGiorgio said. “Initial reaction as a man, he’s a great person, great family person, and he brought so much value to this team. It’s just unfortunate that I feel like he felt somewhat responsible, along with Foster as well. All we can do is support him on his next step, and hopefully he can come back and see the guys at some point.”
Early-season struggles
The Bruins’ season-opening 43-10 home loss to Utah set the tone for a nonconference slate marred by missed tackles and an inability to get off the field. The average time of possession for UCLA opponents Utah, UNLV and New Mexico was 34 minutes, 13 seconds.
Slow starts have been an issue on both sides of the ball, as the Bruins have trailed 20-0, 23-0 and 14-0 before scoring their first points in the respective games. Opponents have outscored UCLA 30-0 in first quarters, with the Bruins failing to grab a lead in any contest.
Malloe had the task of replacing all 11 full-time starters from a defense that had four players — linebackers Carson Schwesinger and Kain Medrano, edge rusher Oluwafemi Oladejo and defensive tackle Jay Toia — drafted into the NFL this past spring. A fifth player, linebacker Ale Kaho, made the cut on an opening day NFL roster as an undrafted free-agent.
Transfer-heavy defense fails to adjust
UCLA, as it has done heavily in recent seasons, tried to restock the defense through the transfer portal. Half of the 22 players on the season-opening two-deep depth chart are transfers in their first year with the program. Three others transferred to UCLA in previous years.
Linebacker Isaiah Chisom, an Oregon State transfer, leads the nation in tackles with 37 — largely because of the excessive time the Bruins’ defense has spent on the field. After the loss to Utah, he attributed the team’s early struggles to poor eye discipline.
“If you try to reach around somebody’s shoulders, no matter how strong or how much you bench or squat, you’re going to fall off,” Chisom said. “We just all have to become better tacklers.”
Malloe, known for his unorthodox defense, would often say transfers in the front seven had to “unlearn to learn” the scheme.
Malloe’s time at UCLA
Malloe took over as the acting defensive coordinator when D’Anton Lynn left after one season to take the same job at crosstown rival USC at the conclusion of the 2023 regular season. Malloe helped UCLA defeat Boise State 35-22 in the L.A. Bowl.
For his efforts, former head coach Chip Kelly promoted Malloe to full-time defensive coordinator in January 2024. Malloe initially joined the Bruins when Kelly brought him on staff as an analyst in December 2021, later moving into position coach duties at defensive line and inside linebacker before overseeing the defense.
But Kelly did not stick around, leaving last February to take the offensive coordinator job at Ohio State in a chain of events that led to Foster’s hire as head coach.
A strong 2024 season
Malloe, despite losing first-round NFL draft pick Laiatu Latu, put together a strong defense after a slow start. Malloe made an emotional promise that he would get the Bruins on the right track. It ignited the backbone of a team that won five games in Foster’s first year.
Schwesinger garnered first-team All-American honors from the Associated Press and was a finalist for the Butkus Award. It was made possible after Malloe moved Oladejo from linebacker to edge, freeing up a starting spot for Schwesinger and enhancing Oladejo’s future pro prospects. Both turned into second-round draft picks.
In 2024, UCLA ranked 39th nationally in total defense and owned the sixth-best run defense. It was a strong follow-up season led by Malloe after Lynn’s defense ranked 10th and second, respectively, in both categories.
In April, Malloe acknowledged that other programs gauged his interest but “turned anything and everything down” to make good on promises and return to UCLA despite not receiving a contract extension. He signed an addendum to his existing deal that would have kicked in had the Bruins’ defense hit certain benchmarks this season.
Transfer portal success runs out
The transfer portal that Malloe scoured to land Latu, linebacker Darius Muasau and twin defensive linemen Gabriel and Grayson Murphy in past offseasons dried up this year.
Among the misses has been defensive end Nico Davillier. The Arkansas transfer, a projected starter, has yet to dress for a game due to an undisclosed personal matter.
Kelly’s apathy on the high school recruiting trail — across all positions — eventually caught up to UCLA, which was starting to turn the corner in its 2026 class before Foster’s firing. The plan beyond this season was to begin relying less on the portal because of its summer recruiting success.
The Bruins had the nation’s 23rd-best class in the Rivals industry team rankings before this past weekend. They have lost six commitments since Sunday, sitting at 54th at the time of Malloe’s departure.
Among the remaining 16 commits heading into Wednesday, Malloe played a significant role in landing Kahuku (Hawaii) safety Madden Soliai and cousin Malaki Soliai-Tui, a linebacker, and Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco linebacker Matthew Muasau, the younger brother of Darius.
