Former Gavilan standout Jeff Ulbrich named New York Jets head coach
Former Gavilan College football standout Jeff Ulbrich was recently named interim head coach of the New York Jets.
Ulbrich, a Morgan Hill native and Live Oak High School graduate, redshirted a year at San Jose State University before transferring to Gavilan to play for the Rams and first-year head coach John Lango in 1997. He earned all-conference and team MVP honors for Gavilan at the linebacker position.
Ulbrich went on to play at the University of Hawai'i, where he was a two-year starter during the 1998 and 1999 seasons. He was named team co-captain as a senior and earned All-Western Athletic Conference honors after leading the WAC with a school-record 169 tackles.
He was a third-round selection of the San Francisco 49ers in the 2000 NFL Draft. He went on to play 10 seasons with the 49ers, retiring in 2009.
Following his playing career, Ulbrich began coaching with the Seattle Seahawks in 2010. After two seasons, he went on to coach at UCLA (2012-14) before making his return to the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons in 2015. Ulbrich spent six seasons with the Falcons before joining former Jets head coach Robert Saleh's staff as New York's defensive coordinator in 2021.
On Oct. 8, Ulbrich was named interim head coach for the Jets after Saleh was removed from the position. He is in his 12th season overall as a coach and third with the Jets.