Report: Former Seahawks DC Ken Norton Jr. to Join UCLA's Coaching Staff
Five weeks after being relieved of his duties, former Seahawks defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. has reportedly landed a new job. Per Bruce Feldman of FOX Sports and The Athletic, Norton will return to UCLA—his alma mater—and become the school's linebackers coach for the 2022 college football season.
This will be Norton's first time back in the college ranks since 2009, when he served as an associate head coach and linebackers coach on Pete Carroll's staff at USC.
Following Carroll to Seattle and the NFL in 2010, the four-time Super Bowl champion spent five seasons as the Seahawks' linebackers coach before he was hired as the Raiders' defensive coordinator in 2015. Two years later, then-head coach Jack Del Rio fired him during the 2017 campaign, setting up his return to the Pacific Northwest a year later.
Reunited with Carroll in 2018, Norton has helmed Seattle's defense for the past four seasons. But a pair of historically poor starts in 2020 and 2021, respectively—along with consistent struggles in generating pass rush and turnovers—culminated in his recent exiling after the team suffered its worst season in the Carroll era.
Missing the playoffs with a 7-10 record and a defense that ranked 31st in the league in passing, 17th in rushing, 25th in takeaways and 21st in defensive DVOA, the Seahawks felt that it was time to not only part ways with Norton, but also passing game coordinator Andre Curtis. In their place, assistant head coach and defensive line coach Clint Hurtt was promoted to defensive coordinator and former Alabama and Vikings defensive backs coach Karl Scott was hired to take over Curtis' vacated role. The team also hired former Bears defensive coordinator Sean Desai as a defensive associate head coach.
As for Norton's future, he will join a UCLA staff helmed by former Eagles and 49ers head coach Chip Kelly. In four seasons with the Bruins, Kelly has gone 18-25 and has yet to reach a bowl game.
