UCLA Football: Recapping the Biggest Offseason News so Far

It's been a period of transition throughout this offseason for head coach Jim Mora and the UCLA football team. 

The program has bid adieu to integral members of the roster (Brett Hundley, Eric Kendricks, Owa Odighizuwa). Dually, there's been a change at one of the coordinator spots. 

There have also been some problems surfacing—which include a suspension of a coach and legal problems for a highly prized recruit. 

Accordingly, this piece will delve into the biggest offseason news for the UCLA Bruins. 

Welcome, Tom Bradley

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New defensive coordinator Tom Bradley.

The arrival of Tom Bradley as the new defensive coordinator is a definite upgrade for the Bruins. 

Former defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich opted to leave for a job with the Atlanta Falcons. With all due respect to Ulbrich, Bradley's mass amount of experience on the collegiate level (mostly with Penn State) should help to improve the defensive efforts considerably. 

It was a coup for Mora—even if a bit of controversy trickled down from the scandal at Bradley's alma mater. Bradley's vast knowledge of virtually every offensive scheme should pay dividends against the explosive offenses in the Pac-12. 

It will be fascinating to see whether there's more of an emphasis on bringing pressure and blitzing. Last year, UCLA's defense was plagued at times by a vanilla approach. 

The Wasserman Football Center

In order for UCLA to be considered a "big boy" football program, it desperately needed to upgrade its facilities. Conventional wisdom suggested the current facilities on campus being on the lower end of the spectrum when it comes to the Pac-12 Conference. 

The Bruins took a big step toward remedying the problem—in large part because of the efforts of Mora and entrepreneur Casey Wasserman. 

The Wasserman Football Center project will give UCLA a state-of-the-art facility on campus. Funding has surpassed the initial goal of $50 million. As a result, construction on the project will begin in the fall of this year. 

Not only will this enhance the perception of the program, but it also will undoubtedly help when it comes to recruiting. 

The Arrival of Josh Rosen

The arrival of quarterback Josh Rosen was huge on a number of levels. 

For one, UCLA was able sign Rosen—a 5-star prospect, per 247Sports, and arguably the best quarterback prospect to come out of the state in the past decade.

Secondly, Rosen's academic prowess in high school enabled him to get a jump-start on his career. He was able to enroll in January. As a result, he participated in spring ball.

Lastly, his entry into the program coincides with the departure of Brett Hundley. There's a real (and likely) chance Rosen will be the starter as a true freshman.  

2 Important Transfers

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PASADENA, CA - NOVEMBER 22: Devin Lucien #15 of the UCLA Bruins makes a catch in front of Adoree' Jackson #2 of the USC Trojans during a 38-20 UCLA win at the Rose Bowl on November 22, 2014 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Multiple players have chosen to leave the program in the offseason. 

Reserve defensive backs Tyler Foreman and Jalen Ortiz opted to depart for more playing time. The same can be said for Priest Willis—a player failing to live up to the immense hype he had in high school. 

The two most noteworthy transfers come in the form of quarterback Asiantii Woulard and receiver Devin Lucien. 

Woulard's transfer isn't a shock. He hails from Florida—and likely will go closer to home for an opportunity to start. While Rosen is the likely leader to assume the starting gig, the loss of Woulard hinders depth considerably. UCLA now has only two scholarship quarterbacks on its roster with Rosen and Jerry Neuheisel. 

The other surprising transfer is receiver Devin Lucien to Pac-12 South foe Arizona State. Lucien had been considered one of UCLA's top four receivers. His transfer to one of the Bruins' biggest rivals is a curious move to say the least. 

The Adrian Klemm Saga

Perhaps the most distressing news circulating from Westwood comes in regard to offensive line coach Adrian Klemm. 

Klemm has been suspended for alleged NCAA recruiting violations. This forced him to miss out on the entire spring ball period. There's also no word on when—or if—he will return. 

This development is damaging on multiple levels. Considered one of the best recruiters in the country, Klemm is unable to have any contact with recruits. Thus, UCLA is behind the proverbial eightball when it comes to not only offensive line prospects, but also recruits nationally (particularly in Texas). 

Additionally, he wasn't able to work with any of his personnel during the spring. It was a ragtag effort done by a combination of coaches and graduate assistants. 

UCLA can only hope Klemm is back sometime this June—right in time for summer workouts. 

UPDATE: (6/19)

Klemm has been reinstated to the program, according to BruinReportOnline.com. 

The Soso Jamabo Arrest

Elite running back signee Soso Jamabo was arrested in April for evading police with a vehicle. 

There's no word on whether this will affect his enrollment into the university. Nonetheless, it's a troubling development. Jamabo is expected to come in right away and compete on the offensive side of the ball. He was regarded as one of the top, if not the top, running back in the class of 2015. 

If UCLA clears Jamabo to enroll and become a member of the team, he'll likely have to be on his best behavior going forward.  

Much like it is in regard to Klemm, the best-case scenario for UCLA would include having Jamabo enroll with the rest of the freshmen later this June.