Zona Zealots
Fansided

Arizona Football hires UCLA’s Jason Kaufusi as LB Coach

By Eric Townsend

TUCSON, AZ - SEPTEMBER 29: Arizona Wildcats mascot Wilbur the Wildcat crowd surfs during the game between USC Trojans and Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium on September 29, 2018 in Tucson, Arizona. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images)
TUCSON, AZ - SEPTEMBER 29: Arizona Wildcats mascot Wilbur the Wildcat crowd surfs during the game between USC Trojans and Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium on September 29, 2018 in Tucson, Arizona. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Finalizing their coaching staff for 2022, Arizona Football has hired UCLA’s Jason Kaufusi to become the next linebacker coach for the Wildcats. 

The 2021 Arizona Football season has been over only but a couple of weeks, and already Jedd Fisch and the Wildcats have had an eventful off-season as they first hired Johnny Nansen to become their next Defensive Coordinator. However, the action hasn’t slowed down either as the Wildcats have now also hired UCLA’s Jason Kaufusi.

Making news on Monday afternoon, Arizona Football announced the hiring of Kaufusi as their next linebacker coach, and he will immediately replace Keith Dudzinski, who left the Wildcats to follow former Arizona defensive coordinator Don Brown at UMass.

A colleague of Nansen’s, together, the two served on the same staff at UCLA under head coach Chip Kelly, and luckily for us, they will be having a reunion in Tucson.

Immediately joining Arizona’s staff, the hire of Jason Kaufusi is a home run hire for Arizona Football as the Wildcats now has UCLA’s two, best recruiters.

Coming into the off-season Coach Fisch understood the need for the Wildcats to recruit well in order to raise the level of talent, and in turn, improve the product on the field.

By bringing in Kaufusi, he is another good recruiter on the Wildcats’ staff, and his addition gives Arizona a bit of a competitive advantage off the field, and like Nansen, he is well-connected in the Polynesian and Samoan football communities.

Here’s the resume of the Wildcats’ new linebacker coach!

Jason Kaufusi

Age: 42
Previous Position: Outside Linebacker Coach at UCLA
Alma Mater: Utah

Resume: 

  • Utah – 2000-03
  • Cottonwood High School (UT) (Defensive Line Coach / Strength Coach) – 2004-08
  • Utah (Cornerback Coach) – 2009
  • Weber State (Defensive End Coach) – 2010-11
  • BYU (Graduate Assistant) – 2012-13
  • Weber State (Defensive End Coach) – 2014-15
  • Weber State (Defensive Coordinator / Defensive End Coach) – 2016
  • Nevada (Defensive Line Coach) – 2017-18
  • UCLA (Outside Linebacker Coach) – 2019-21

Overall, this is a great hire for the Wildcats, and we are excited to see what Jason can do with Arizona Football!

More. Arizona Football adds Isaiah Ward, talented Edge Rusher for 2022. light

Home/Wildcats Football