This post was updated Oct. 23 at 11:39 p.m.
John Wooden coined the “Pyramid of Success” – a standard that served as the blueprint for UCLA men’s basketball’s 10 national championships throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
But Wooden spent 15 years at the helm before winning his first national title in 1964.
Although standards often demand patience, they yield success.
UCLA football seemingly accelerated the process after overhauling its coaching staff and transitioning to a unit led by interim head coach Tim Skipper, assistant head coach and tight ends coach Jerry Neuheisel, and senior defensive analyst Kevin Coyle.
“We have a special bond between us,” Coyle said. “All three of us work together, and when Skip (Skipper) presented the opportunity … I made a decision that I’m going to give it a swing.”
The shakeup has helped shift UCLA’s former status as the Big Ten’s doormat to a squad that can vanquish conference juggernauts – take the Bruins’ 42-37 victory over the then-No. 7 Nittany Lions on Oct. 4.
Even Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti said his team is facing “a 3-0 team” Saturday, despite UCLA’s 3-4 overall record.
Skipper attributes the program’s recent success to his squad’s belief in the “standard,” along with the bunch’s rejuvenated identity.
“The standard is the standard,” Skipper said. “We’ve identified our style of play and what we want to be. Now, we’ve got to back it up every single day and in every single game. We’ve got to be the best version of ourselves. As long as we’re rising, we’ll be fine.”
And the Bruins continue to improve – especially in the secondary, which has blossomed under Coyle’s tutelage.
UCLA’s defensive back unit boasted 12 defended passes against Maryland, with redshirt sophomore defensive back Rodrick Pleasant notching three – and junior defensive back Scooter Jackson recording the team’s first interception of the 2025 campaign.
The unit also limited true freshman quarterback Malik Washington to 210 passing yards and a 47.9% completion clip, both of which were season lows.
Skipper said the Bruin secondary discovered its identity after the winless start, which influenced how the unit approached opposing offensive arsenals.
“Our secondary likes to challenge people,” Skipper said. “They like to put themselves in risky situations and see if they can come down with a positive result. They’re getting hands on receivers, and they’re shadowing them … we’re staying sticky.”
Assistant coach, pass game coordinator and secondary coach Demetrice Martin – the father of redshirt sophomore defensive back Cole Martin and UCLA’s defensive backs coach from 2014 to 2017 – struggled to establish a stifling secondary at the start of the 2025 campaign. However, his unit has dominated throughout the Bruins’ three-game winning streak.
The back end forfeited seven passing touchdowns across its first three performances and recorded just four combined pass breakups.
But since then, UCLA altered its defensive scheme after Coyle’s appointment, which has seemingly allowed the team’s defensive backs to rely more on their speed to dash around the gridiron while forcing opposing quarterbacks to hesitate.
Demetrice Martin added that Coyle helped herald the secondary’s recent surge.
“(We had) belief that we could do whatever coverage, whatever scheme, whatever we wanted to do,” Demetrice Martin said. “I nickname him the ‘Mad Scientist,’ so he’s a guy that’s always cooking up some stuff in there.”
Coyle has coached for more than 45 years at all levels, which includes experience with various collegiate programs and NFL teams. He even earned the head coaching role for the Atlanta Legends in the now-defunct Alliance of American Football in 2019.
Although the defensive playcaller boasts a wealth of knowledge across all defensive position groups, coaching secondaries is his specialty since he was a cornerback during his playing career at Massachusetts, where he walked onto the team in 1977.
“With coach Coyle and the scheme, he does a great job of relying on the DBs (defensive backs) and knowing what we’re good at,” Cole Martin said. “Being able to know that the coaches have our backs and (that) they’re trying to get the best out of us, it just elevates us to another level.”
And Coyle may understand the standards that it takes to win, a byproduct of his 45-plus years of coaching.
Skipper said his players understand, internalize and “attack” the messages he and his coaching staff emphasize each week.
“These guys are putting their minds toward something and achieving their goals,” Skipper said. “You’re trying to get small wins every single day so you get that big one Saturday.”
The remnants of former head coach DeShaun Foster’s attempt to instill a winning culture in Westwood are still prevalent under Skipper – with the continuation of traditions like the “Bruin Walk,” along with the soaked postgame celebrations that follow every victory. But it seems that the interim head coach boasts a more polished path to achieve Foster’s lofty goals, particularly with his support staff.
UCLA football is often relegated to the shadow of the athletic program’s “blue blood” basketball status.
Wooden set the precedent through his “Pyramid of Success” standard, which the coach took 15 years to manifest into championship glory.
UCLA football’s current coaching trio seemingly established its own standard in less than a month.
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