Arizona names UCLA's Johnny Nansen as Wildcats next defensive coordinator

Arizona has moved quickly on finding its next defensive coordinator as head coach Jedd Fisch said it would. Fisch hoped to have a decision made by midweek, and that is exactly what happened Wednesday morning as UCLA defensive line coach Johnny Nansen was announced as the successor to Don Brown to lead the Wildcats defense.

Nansen has been a staple in the Pac-12 for several years but most recently served as the defensive line coach at UCLA. Prior to that the 47-year-old Washington State alum was an assistant at USC from 2014-19.

He coached at Washington from 2009-2013 serving as both a defensive coach (2009-11) and running backs coach (2012-13) with the Huskies.

Though Nansen has never served as a defensive coordinator he does have coordinator experience as he guided the special teams units at Idaho, Washington and USC for several years. He also has assistant head coach duties on his resume as well.

Born in Samoa, Nansen grew up in Southern California and eventually attended Jordan High School in Long Beach before moving on to play linebacker at Washington State.

He has become a well-known recruiter as he has played a big role in leading the recruitments of several high-profile recruits over the years including standout players at USC such as Talanoa Hufanga, Palaie Gaoteote and current standout receiver Gary Bryant Jr. plus he helped in the pursuit of players such as Adoree' Jackson, Damien Mama, Vavae Malepeai and others.

The new Arizona defensive coordinator has served as a recruiting coordinator at both Washington and USC in addition to his other on-field duties at those schools.

Nansen was a finalist for the Broyles Award in 2018, which is an award that goes to the top assistant coach in college football.

On the field Nansen has had plenty of success regardless of the side of the ball he is on, however, his work against the run recently is something that stands out as he enters his career with the Wildcats.

Nansen helped the Bruins lead the Pac-12 in lowest rushing yards per carry (3.6) allowed last season and finish eighth in the country while leading the conference in sacks (3.29) per game. The overall rush defense ranked second in the conference and 30th nationally.

This season the Bruins have the 26th-ranked rush defense at the FBS level and second in the league with 26 sacks as a team.

Nansen has mostly coached on the defensive side of the ball throughout his career with running backs being his specialty on offense. He has coached every group defensively during his time as an assistant, but most of his career has been spent working with the front seven.

He has coached linebackers in seven seasons over the course of his career with his most recent stint coaching the position coming in 2019 at USC where he coached inside linebackers.

Nansen began his career as a graduate assistant at Louisville in 1999 followed by his first full-time coaching job as the running backs coach at Montana State. He eventually moved on to coach defensive backs at Idaho State before taking over the special teams, linebackers and defensive line during his time at Idaho.

His first job in the Pac-12 came in the 2009 season when he joined the staff at UW to coach the defensive line and special teams for the Huskies.

Fisch outlined what he was looking for in Arizona's next defensive coordinator earlier this week, and one thing he mentioned is connections to other coaches on his current staff. Nansen has coached alongside both tight ends coach Jordan Paopao at Washington and quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator Jimmie Dougherty at UCLA.

Nansen will be taking over for Brown who decided to leave Arizona after one season to take the head coach position at UMass for the second time in his career. The Wildcats made drastic improvement under Brown moving up to 58th in total defense in 2021 from 116th last season.

1999: Louisville | Graduate assistant

2000: Montana State | Running backs

2001-02: Idaho State | Cornerbacks

2003: Idaho State | Defensive backs

2004-06: Idaho | Linebackers/Special teams coordinator

2007-08: Idaho | Defensive line/Special teams coordinator

2009-11: Washington | Defensive line/Special teams coordinator

2012-13: Washington | Running backs/Special teams coordinator/Assistant head coach

2014-15: USC | Running backs/Special teams coordinator/Assistant head coach

2016-18: USC | Linebackers/Assistant head coach

2019: USC | Inside linebackers

2020-21: UCLA | Defensive Line

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