After having served as the San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator the past four seasons, Robert Saleh is quickly making the transition to his head-coaching post with the New York Jets. Saleh selected Jeff Ulbrich to coordinate his defense and also announced the additions of five defensive assistants.
Ulbrich, who started last season as Atlanta's assistant head coach and linebackers coach, was promoted to defensive coordinator when Raheem Morris took over head-coaching duties in October and the unit played significantly better down the stretch. In six seasons as Atlanta's linebackers coach, Ulbrich mentored the likes of Deion Joens, De'Vondre Campbell and Foye Oluokun.
"You talk about the ultimate juice in your football team," said Morris said of Ulbrich in an AtlantaFalcons.com article published in December. "You talk about authentic energy; you're talking about a guy that can absolutely light up a room when he comes in it. He is a former player that knows what it's like to be in the trenches, so he's sensitive to his guys in that way. He can also give them a type of compassion and a type of learning and a type of development that you can't get unless you play this game."
After attending junior college, Ulbrich, a linebacker, was a two-year starter at Hawaii. He set a school record with 169 tackles in 1999 and was a third-round selection of the 49ers in the 2000 NFL Draft. He played his entire career in San Francisco, tallying 488 tackles, 6 forced fumbles, 5.5 sacks and two 2 INTs from 2000-09.
After retiring, Ulbrich was hired by the Seahawks as a special teams assistant on Jan. 29, 2010. Saleh and Ulbrich coached together in 2011 under Pete Carroll. Then Ulbrich moved to the college ranks with UCLA in 2012, filling roles as linebackers and special teams coach, assistant head coach and defensive coordinator. At UCLA, he was named 2013 FootballScoop Special Teams Coordinator of the Year and helped Anthony Barr, Myles Jack and Erik Kendricks grow on their paths to the NFL.
Ulbrich, who started last season as Atlanta's assistant head coach and linebackers coach, was promoted to defensive coordinator when Raheem Morris took over head-coaching duties in October and the unit played significantly better down the stretch. In six seasons as Atlanta's linebackers coach, Ulbrich mentored the likes of Deion Joens, De'Vondre Campbell and Foye Oluokun.
"You talk about the ultimate juice in your football team," said Morris said of Ulbrich in an AtlantaFalcons.com article published in December. "You talk about authentic energy; you're talking about a guy that can absolutely light up a room when he comes in it. He is a former player that knows what it's like to be in the trenches, so he's sensitive to his guys in that way. He can also give them a type of compassion and a type of learning and a type of development that you can't get unless you play this game."
After attending junior college, Ulbrich, a linebacker, was a two-year starter at Hawaii. He set a school record with 169 tackles in 1999 and was a third-round selection of the 49ers in the 2000 NFL Draft. He played his entire career in San Francisco, tallying 488 tackles, 6 forced fumbles, 5.5 sacks and two 2 INTs from 2000-09.
After retiring, Ulbrich was hired by the Seahawks as a special teams assistant on Jan. 29, 2010. Saleh and Ulbrich coached together in 2011 under Pete Carroll. Then Ulbrich moved to the college ranks with UCLA in 2012, filling roles as linebackers and special teams coach, assistant head coach and defensive coordinator. At UCLA, he was named 2013 FootballScoop Special Teams Coordinator of the Year and helped Anthony Barr, Myles Jack and Erik Kendricks grow on their paths to the NFL.