In December 2023, defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn made headlines when he left UCLA after just one year to take the same job at USC. Less than two years later, Lynn’s replacement is out in Westwood, as on Wednesday, the Bruins parted ways with DC Ikaika Malloe.
Following Lynn’s departure, head coach Chip Kelly promoted Malloe, who had previously coached UCLA’s defensive line and outside linebackers, to defensive coordinator. After Kelly left Westwood to be the offensive coordinator at Ohio State, new head coach DeShaun Foster retained Malloe as DC.
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Of course, Malloe is not the only UCLA coach to lose his job over the past few days, as Foster himself was fired on Sunday. It seems as though the Bruins are looking to clean house and go in an entirely new direction with their football program.
As for the Trojans, the degree to which their crosstown rival’s defense has fallen off following Lynn’s departure is a strong endorsement of USC’s DC. The Trojans seemingly have a rising star on defense on their staff. It now falls on head coach Lincoln Riley and athletic director Jennifer Cohen to keep Lynn happy and ensure that he sticks around at USC for a while.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: UCLA football parts with defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe