The newest Bruin coaching trio is complete.

UCLA is reportedly finalizing a deal to make James Madison’s Colin Hitschler the school’s next defensive coordinator, per ESPN.

Hitschler spent the 2025 season with the Dukes, working alongside Bruin head honcho Bob Chesney. He led a defensive unit that ranked fifth in the nation in total defense, sixth in rushing defense, eighth in third-down defense, No. 15 in scoring defense, No. 20 in fewest passing yards allowed and tied for No. 12 in fewest first downs allowed.

The former JMU coordinator follows Chesney and the Dukes’ offensive coordinator, Dean Kennedy, to Westwood.

Related: [Five Things: Analyzing coaching shakeups, roster changes and key returnees for UCLA football]

Chesney will replace interim head coach Tim Skipper – who took over after former UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster was fired three games into the 2025 season. Skipper will take the helm for Cal Poly’s football program in 2026.

Kennedy will take over for assistant head coach, tight ends coach and offensive play caller Jerry Neuheisel, who took over the offensive coordinator role after former offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tino Sunseri mutually parted ways with UCLA four games into the 2025 campaign.

Hitschler will take over for senior defensive analyst Kevin Coyle, who took over defensive play calling after former defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe mutually parted ways with the university after the squad started 0-3.

Related: [Defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe mutually parts ways with UCLA]

Hitschler comes to UCLA with a resume of Power Four and high-level defensive coaching experience. Prior to working with Chesney at JMU, Hitschler was the co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Alabama for the 2024 season. The Crimson Tide went 9-4 and finished No. 11 in the final CFP Poll of the season, largely due to the defense spearheaded by Hitschler.

The former Alabama coordinator made a name for himself as a coaching prodigy under coach Luke Fickell. The two spent 2023 together at Wisconsin and five years together at Cincinnati from 2018-2022, where they led the Bearcats to a combined 53-10 record. The Cincinnati defense ranked top 10 in total and scoring defense in 2020 and 2021 and reached the top 25 in 2018, 2019 and 2022.

Hitschler’s defensive expertise centers on the secondary, and his imprint on the team’s defensive backs can be seen in every stop on his coaching journey.

JMU ranked No. 16 in the nation in interceptions throughout his tenure. At Alabama, his team ranked fifth in takeaways and seventh in interceptions. Lastly, at Wisconsin, the team ranked No. 25 in interceptions. Most notably, Cincinnati registered an interception in 26 of Hitschler’s final 37 games.

Hitschler has coached four defensive backs to All-American status, including Sauce Gardner, who was selected fourth overall in the 2022 NFL Draft, and Coby Bryant, who won the 2021 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award for the nation’s best collegiate defensive back.

The new UCLA defensive coordinator’s proficiency with developing defensive backs earned him the 2020 Football Scoop Defensive Backs Coach of the Year and 2022 On3 Rising Star Assistants You Need to Know.

Now, Hitschler has the chance to prove he can get it done on the West Coast in the Big Ten.