Former UC Defensive Coordinator Art Kaufman Hired By Cal Golden Bears

Aug 31, 2013; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Tommy Tuberville, left, talks with officials during the first quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Nippert Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

It appears former Cincinnati Bearcats defensive coordinator Art Kaufman has found a soft landing spot on the West coast, with the University of California to be exact.

Kaufman was of course relieved of his duties by Tommy Tuberville two weeks ago along with defensive tackles coach Fred Tate. Failures on the recruiting trail appear to be the root cause of their dismissal but I’m sure their coaching abilities played a bit of a factor. For Kaufman in particular his defense was never stellar. Sure the Bearcats finished near the top of the AAC in many statistical areas but Cincinnati’s schedule was horrendous. Plus, when UC was exposed on defense, they were exposed badly. I’m referring to the games against Illinois and North Carolina where a culmination of missed tackles and a lackluster defensive gameplan led to the Bearcats getting stomped.

So I wish Art Kaufman the best of luck. I mean that in the most literal of ways. His soon-to-be PAC-12 foes Oregon, UCLA, Arizona, and Arizona State all have the ability to score points every time they touch the football. We’ll probably be saying the same thing about Washington and USC with their new coaching staffs next season. And of course Mike Leach’s Washington State squad knows how to light up the scoreboard. But Kaufman should be used to such prolific offenses based on his days in the Big-12, where Texas Tech showed marked improvement defensively in his short stint there.

We’ll see how he fares at Cal. The Golden Bears’ program certainly has the ability to experience greatness and I hope Kaufman will be a part of that.