More dominoes on the quickly-changing UCLA coaching staff started to fall Friday morning.
Brian Norwood, the Bruins’ safeties and assistant head coach for the past five seasons, announced on social media that he was not retained.
“Although my time here has ended I am thankful for the many relationships and memories that will last a lifetime,” wrote Norwood, who also was UCLA’s passing game coordinator.
Last season, UCLA’s pass defense ranked 82nd nationally in efficiency (135.85) and 107th in passing yards allowed (244.7) with a retooled secondary that included transfer safeties Bryan Addison, Ramon Henderson and K.J. Wallace all making key contributions.
The announcement comes four days after the report that Michigan State assistant Demetrice Martin is returning to Westwood to coach the defensive backs.
Martin’s hire has yet to be announced by UCLA, which also had Kodi Whitfield coach the cornerbacks the past two seasons. Whitfield’s future has yet to be revealed.
Martin, though, has already been recruiting for the Bruins. First, he flipped four-star Corona (Calif.) Centennial cornerback LaRue Zamorano III from Michigan State to UCLA during Wednesday’s start to the early signing period.
Martin also extended UCLA offers this week to Derrick Johnson II, a 2026 recruit at Murrieta Valley, and the nation’s 14th-best JUCO player in the Rivals rankings Keshawn Davila, who is at Northwest Mississippi Community College.
The Bruins had three more moves reported Thursday, with offensive coordinator/associate head coach Eric Bieniemy fired after one season and his replacement, Indiana co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Tino Sunseri, lined up to take the job and report to UCLA after the end of the Hoosiers’ season.
Bruins offensive line coach Juan Castillo also will not return after joining the staff with Bieniemy.
Sunseri, like Martin, has not had his hire announced by the program. But he is also starting to pay dividends after convincing four-star quarterback Robert McDaniel to flip his commitment from Arizona and sign Thursday with UCLA.