California Signs Art Kaufman as New Defensive Coordinator

Kaufman, the rolling stone of college football defensive coordinators, has taken on his FOURTH coordinator job in the last four years, this time with California.

Kaufman has been a long time coordinator and linebacker coach at a number of stops, and was in the latter capacity under Butch Jones at North Carolina from 2008-2011. However, when Jones was dismissed in 2011, interim coach Everett Withers elevated Kaufman to defensive coordinator and began his current streak.

The following season, old running-mate Tommy Tuberville came calling to offer Kaufman the defensive coordinator job at Texas Tech, which he gladly accepted. When Tuberville jumped ship to Cincinnati the following season, Kaufman followed. However, at the end of the 2013 season, Tuberville displayed a remarkable lack of loyalty in dismissing Kaufman, claiming he required a more local coordinator to aid recruiting. Cal head coach Sonny Dykes was happy to take him on board.

Despite not settling long enough to install his systems properly, nor even get the players necessary to even run them, Kaufman was in the running for the Broyles Award, given to the most outstanding assistant coach, in two of the last three years. All three of his defenses were strong units, but he will have his work cut out for him in Berkeley, as he takes over a unit that was one of the worst defenses in the FBS last season. If he can coax a significant improvement out of this group, he may finally win the Broyles Award, and stay on campus for another year.