After serving as a defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers for the past four seasons, Robert Saleh is quickly making the transition to his position as coach on the New York Jets. Saleh chose Jeff Ulbrich to coordinate his defense and also announced the addition of five defensive assistants.
Ulbrich, who started last season as assistant coach and coach for Atlanta linebackers, was promoted to defensive coordinator when Raheem Morris took over as head coach in October and the unit played significantly better towards the end of the game. For six seasons as Atlanta linebacker coach, Ulbrich mentored players like Deion Joens, De’Vondre Campbell and Foye Oluokun.
“You talk about the best in your football team,” Morris said of Ulbrich in a AtlantaFalcons.com article published in December. “You talk about authentic energy; you’re talking about a guy who can fully 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 to them a kind of compassion and a kind of learning and a kind of development that you cannot get unless you play this game. “
After attending college, Ulbrich, a linebacker, started for two years in Hawaii. He set a school record with 169 tackles in 1999 and was a selection of the 49ers’ third round 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 retiring, Ulbrich was hired by the Seahawks as an assistant to special teams on January 29, 2010. Saleh and Ulbrich trained together in 2011 under Pete Carroll. Then Ulbrich moved to college with UCLA in 2012, serving as linebackers and special team coach, assistant 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 to grow on their paths to the NFL.
Defensive line coach – Aaron Whitecotton
Whitecotton spent the 2020 season as an assistant coach for the 49ers defensive line, his first with the team. He was the assistant coach of the 2018-19 Bills’ D line. In 2019, Bill’s defense ended in third overall, allowing for 298.3 yards / g. Buffalo’s defensive line had several players with sack career records, including Jordan Phillips (9.5) and Shaq Lawson (6.5). Before joining Bills, Whitecotton spent four seasons with the Jaguars as assistant coach DL (2016) and defense assistant (2013-15), where he overcame Saleh.
Assistant line of defense – Nate Ollie
Ollie has spent the past two seasons with the Eagles after serving as a defensive line coach in Eastern Kentucky in 2018. In 2019, Ollie helped Fletcher Cox win his fifth Pro Bowl career as the Philadelphia defense ranked 3rd against the race. (90.4 Yds / G) In 19, Brandon Graham’s 8.5 bags were the second most of his career and both Derek Barnett (6.5) and Josh Sweat (5.0) had their records on bags .
Defense Assistant – Chip Vaughn
Vaughn’s first season with the Jets was in 2020. Prior to Green & White, he worked with defensive backs in the Air Force, Fayetteville State and Winston-Salem State. He was selected for the 2020 American Football Coaches Association 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute. Coach at Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship in New Orleans during the training camp in 2018, Vaughn was also one of 15 coaches selected to participate in the 2018 NFL-NCAA Coaches Academy.
Defense Assistant – Ricky Manning Jr.
A choice of the third round of the Panthers in 2003, Manning Jr. six seasons in the NFL as a cornerback and one season in UFL. He had 268 tackles, 4 sacks, 5 fumble recoveries, 14 INTs and 3 TDs.
Defense Assistant – Hayes Pullard
Pullard spent the 2020 season at USC, his alma mater, as a quality control analyst. Ex-player of the seventh round in 2015, he played five seasons with five NFL teams in LB and had 114 tackles, 1 INT and 1 fumble recovery. Pullard played with Saleh in 2015-16 Jacksonville.