UCLA Football, Defensive Line Coach Chad Kauha'aha'a Part Ways

After one season with the Bruins, Kauha'aha'a announced he would be leaving his post to pursue other opportunities.

The Bruins are facing their first staff vacancy of the offseason.

Defensive line coach Chad Kauha'aha'a announced that he would be parting ways with UCLA football Monday on Twitter. Kauha'aha'a joined the program in December 2021 after previous stints with UNLV, USC, Boise State, Wisconsin, Oregon State, Utah, Utah State and Weber State.

Kauha'aha'a was the second of several new position coaches brought in last offseason, arriving just after outside linebackers coach Ikaika Malloe. Tight ends coach Jeff Faris, inside linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr. and defensive coordinator Bill McGovern joined the staff soon after.

According to 247Sports' Bruin Report Online, Kauha'aha'a's departure could more accurately be defined as a firing by UCLA, which is looking to make broader changes to the defense after another disappointing campaign in 2022.

The Bruins' 29.0 points allowed per game ranked No. 92 in the country, and their red zone defense was tied for No. 105. UCLA ranked No. 75 in yards allowed per play, and they gave up the 12th-most passing yards per game at 277.8.

In the Bruins' four losses this season, their offense scored 34.5 points per game, but their defense allowed 41.0.

With Malloe handling the outside linebackers, edge rushers and defensive ends, Kauha'aha'a was essentially responsible for the interior defensive line this fall. His position group lacked depth once super senior Martin Andrus Jr. went down with a season-ending injury in September, a loss accentuated by Duke transfer Gary Smith III missing four games with an injury of his own.

Jay Toia and Jacob Sykes were left to eat up most of the snaps up front for long stretches as a result. The rest of the playing time was split up between former walk-on Dovid Magna and former fullback Sitiveni Havili-Kaufusi, while Hayden Harris and Quintin Somerville appeared in just three games each.

Sykes and Andrus exhausted their eligibility and Harris entered the transfer portal in December, leaving UCLA with even fewer bodies at the position heading into 2023. The Bruins didn't sign a single defensive lineman to their 2022 high school recruiting class, but they do have two coming in this year in three-star Liberty (CA) product Grant Buckey and three-star Liberty (NV) product A.J. Fuimaono.

Whoever replaces Kauha'aha'a will likely make an effort to bring in more talent via the transfer portal before the season starts. UCLA has reportedly been pushing hard to secure former four-star recruit Anthony Lucas, who played one year at Texas A&M before entering the portal on Jan. 4.

McGovern, Malloe, Norton and assistant head coach/defensive backs coach/passing game coordinator Brian Norwood remain on the defensive staff, but it remains to be seen if they will all return to Westwood in their current roles in 2023.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF CHAD KAUHA'AHA'A/TWITTER