LOS ANGELES — The day UCLA football defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe earned his scholarship as a player at Washington left a lasting impact on him.
“Walk-ons were in a separate locker room than the scholarship players,” Malloe said. “You had to earn your right to get there. I remember that same day that they gave me the scholarship. I’ve always held that deep inside of me.”
Walk-on culture has been and is still embraced at UCLA, with defensive back Kanye Clark the most recent player to earn a scholarship, and it adds to the competitive mindset the Bruins are breeding this spring.
Clark learned of his scholarship at a team meeting in early April. Video of head coach DeShaun Foster recognizing him at that meeting was posted to UCLA social media accounts April 9.
Scholarship earned!
Congrats, @clark_kanye! #DoMore pic.twitter.com/SwDYu4FFOv
— UCLA Football (@UCLAFootball) April 9, 2024
Clark felt the emotions Malloe felt in the early 1990s. He also called his parents – something Malloe said he forgot to do.
“I was in front of the team, so I didn’t want to let my emotions out,” Clark told reporters. “But eventually, I was by myself and I realized the hard work had paid off. So the tears came out.”
Celebrating a walk-on gives UCLA something to be excited about amid the newness, uncertainty and constant evaluations of spring practices. The team yelled and cheered when two entire groups of third-team players were brought out during an 11-on-11 team period during Thursday’s practice.
Defensive back Josh Dixon and defensive lineman Peter Bario are walk-ons yet to earn scholarships who have taken repetitions on defense at spring practices.
“We look for guys that are willing to compete and the guys that have the edge on their shoulder,” Malloe said. “The guy that’s got to work to get a scholarship, his mindset will never change scholarship or not.”
That relentlessness fits into the greater picture of endless competition that Foster has emphasized at spring practices, whether in one-on-one faceoffs, in drills or during team periods.
Score was kept for offense and defense during 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills Thursday. Although Malloe did not confirm, it appeared that a point was awarded to whichever side of the ball had better executed their play.
Jadyn Marshall’s interception and Keanu Williams’ quarterback pressure each earned a point for the defense, which beat the offense 21-14, according to the practice facility’s scoreboard.
“I always keep score,” said Malloe, who still wears cleats while coaching practices. “We don’t all get trophies. I want my guys to know that we won the day or we did not. And if we did not, what do we need to correct so we can win the day?”
Early look at the defense
Malloe, in his first year as defensive coordinator at UCLA, gave hints as to what the Bruins’ defense could look like in the coming season when he spoke with reporters Thursday after practice.
The defensive package will be unchanged from last season, he said, and developing a pass rush that has little drop-off from last season is a priority.
“We’ve just got to manufacture some different ways of getting pressure,” Malloe said. “We’re just working on that and we’re just calling plays to call plays so we can evaluate them. When you come to camp, hopefully, what you guys saw with the four-man rush, now we can produce it somewhat differently.”
The transfer portal could be used to build up the pass-rush. The Bruins have already used the portal to add depth in the secondary with K.J. Wallace II and Ramon Henderson.
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Bringing talent from other positions is another way. Middle linebacker Oluwafemi Oladejo is someone that the coaching staff is experimenting with at defensive end.
Malloe also oversees the inside linebackers, which he sees as one of the most experienced and talented position groups.
“I want the defense to run through them,” he said. “I want them to see it through my eyes and they understand I give them tools and not assignments.”
