After serving as defense coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers for the past four seasons, Robert Saleh quickly makes the transition to his head coaching position with the New York Jets. Saleh selected Jeff Ulbrich to coordinate his defense and also announced the addition of five defense assistants.
Ulbrich, who started last season as Atlanta’s assistant head coach and lineout coach, was promoted to defense coordinator when Raheem Morris took over as head coach in October and the unit played significantly better. In six seasons as coach of Atlanta’s lineout balance, Ulbrich has mentored mentors such as Deion Joens, De’Vondre Campbell and Foye Oluokun.
“You’re talking about the ultimate juice in your football team,” Morris said in a year of Ulbrich AtlantaFalcons.com article published in December. “You’re talking about authentic energy; you’re talking about a man who can absolutely light up a room when he enters it. He’s a former player who knows what it’s like to be in the trenches, so he’s sensitive to his guys. in He can also give them a kind of compassion and a kind of learning and a kind of development that you can not get if you do not play this game. “
After junior college, Ulbrich, a linebacker, was a two-year starter in Hawaii. He set a school record with 169 tackles in 1999 and was a third-round pick of the 49ers in the 2000 NFL draft. He played his entire career in San Francisco, counting 488 tackles, 6 forced fumbles, 5.5 sacks and two 2 INTs from 2000-09.
After retirement, Ulbrich was appointed by the Seahawks on January 29, 2010 as a special assistant for teams. Saleh and Ulbrich coached in 2011 under the leadership of Pete Carroll. Subsequently, in 2012, Ulbrich went to the university ranks with UCLA and fulfilled the roles of coaches, coaches, assistant head coaches and defense coordinators. At UCLA he was named 2013 SoccerScoop Special Team Coordinator of the Year and Anthony Barr, Myles Jack and Erik Kendricks helped grow on their path to the NFL.
Defense Coach – Aaron Whitecotton
Whitecotton spent the 2020 season as the 49ers’ assistant coach for the defensive line, which was with the team for the first time. He was the Bills’ assistant coach of D-line from 2018-19. In 2019, the Bills defense ends no. 3, which allows 298.3 Yds / G. Buffalo’s defensive line had several players with a career high in pockets, including Jordan Phillips (9.5) and Shaq Lawson (6.5). Before joining the Bills, Whitecotton spent four seasons with the Jaguars as assistant coach of DL (2016) and defensive assistant (2013-15), where he overlapped with Saleh.
Assistant Defense Line – Nate Ollie
Ollie has spent the past two seasons with the Eagles after serving as defensive coach at Eastern Kentucky in 2018. In 2019, Ollie Fletcher helped Cox earn his fifth career in the Pro Bowl, as the Philadelphia defense stood at point no. ). In ’19, Brandon Graham’s 8.5 bags were the second most of his career, and Derek Barnett (6.5) and Josh Sweat (5.0) had a career high in bags.
Defense Assistant – Chip Vaughn
Vaughn’s first season with the Jets was in 2020. Prior to the Green & White, he worked with defensive backs at the Air Force, Fayetteville State, and Winston-Salem State. He was selected to the American Football Coaches Association 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute. A Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship coach with New Orleans during training camp in 2018, Vaughn was also one of the 15 coaches selected to participate in the 2018 NFL-NCAA Coaches Academy.
Defense Assistant – Ricky Manning Jr.
A third-round pick from the Panthers in 2003, Manning Jr. six seasons in the NFL at cornerback and one season in the UFL. He had 268 tackles, 4 pockets, 5 fumble repairs, 14 INTs and 3 TDs.
Defense Assistant – Hayes Pullard
Pullard spent the 2020 season at USC, his alma mater, as a quality control analyst. A former seventh-round pick in 2015, he played five seasons with five teams in the NFL at LB and had 114 tackles, 1 INT and 1 fumble recovery. Pullard played from 2015-’16 under Saleh in Jacksonville.