Washington State rush linebackers coach Roy Manning is leaving to join Chip Kelly’s staff at UCLA, Bruce Feldman reported Wednesday morning.
Manning will join the UCLA staff as special teams coordinator, Feldman reported, adding that several schools have tried to hire Manning this winter.
Manning, 35, just completed his third season at WSU. He arrived shortly after Mike Leach hired Alex Grinch as defensive coordinator in 2015 and helped Grinch overhaul the WSU defense, which finished 16th nationally in total defense this season.
Under Manning’s tutelage, WSU’s rush linebackers have blossomed. Frankie Luvu switched from inside linebacker to rush linebacker prior to this season, and finished his senior year with a career-high 12-tackles-for-loss — second on the team behind Hercules Mata’afa.