West Virginia defensive line and assistant head coach Tom Bradley is close to being named the new defensive coordinator at UCLA, according to a report from Fox Sports.
Bradley joined head coach Dana Holgorson at West Virginia last season. Prior to Bradley’s move he was an assistant at Penn State University for 32 years and was the Nittany Lions’ defensive coordinator for his final 12 seasons. Bradley briefly served as interim head coach following the departure of Joe Paterno, winning one game over that short span.
Bradley would interview for the head coaching position but was not hired, nor retained by head coach Bill O’Brien who was brought in to succeed Paterno.
Under Bradley’s watch, Penn State ranked third in Division I in scoring defense (16.4 points per game) during a seven-year span, from 2004 to 2011. In 2005, he was named the AP national defensive coordinator of the year.
His arrival at West Virginia resulted in what was technically an improved defensive performance. The Mountaineers gave up 27.6 points per game in 2014, down from the 33.3 points per game they allowed the previous season, which ranked 100th in Division I.
If nothing else, Bradley will get another crack at USC and the Pac-10’s offenses that historically gave Penn State trouble under Bradley’s tenure.
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