The wait is now over. After scouring the land and getting spurned by John Pagano of the San Diego Chargers, new UCLA football coach Jim L. Mora has filled the final vacancy on his coaching staff by naming his defensive coordinator.
Washington Redskins linebackers coach Lou Spanos gets the title.
"I am thrilled a coach with Lou's NFL background and defensive pedigree has agreed to join our staff. Now that our coaching staff is complete, I'd like to thank Dan Guerrero for his support as we sought to bring the finest coaches in football to UCLA," Mora said in a statement.
Spanos spent the previous two seasons with the Redskins as a member of Mike Shanahan's staff, but it was in Pittsburgh where he worked for a large part of his career.
He spent 15 seasons with his hometown Steelers. Spanos was on a defensive staff that led the unit to 13 top-10 rankings during his tenure. Four times, the Steelers were the top-ranked defense in the NFL. The Steelers made it to three Super Bowls with Spanos on staff and won two of them.
He has coached former and current Steelers linebackers such as Kevin Greene, Greg Lloyd, Levon Kirkland, James Farrior and James Harrison.
The hiring of Spanos hints to the Bruins switching to a 3-4 defense. Mora has coached the 3-4 in the past, and Spanos was brought to Washington to help implement a 3-4 scheme.
Last season, under Spanos, Redskins linebacker London Fletcher led the NFL with 166 tackles and was named to the Pro Bowl. Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan combined for 16.5 sacks.
Mora's completed staff has more than 90 years of NFL experience.
"We have a collection of men that will not only be mentors to our student-athletes, but given their experience at the highest levels of football, will also be able to provide them a blueprint for competing and winning, and reaching their athletic potential," Mora said.
