After missing UCLA’s final five games of the regular season, Bill McGovern is back.

The Bruins’ defensive coordinator told reporters on Tuesday he will be on the field when the Bruins take on Pittsburgh at the Sun Bowl on Friday.

“I’m thrilled to be back, and honestly, one of the things that gave me the most energy was being back around the kids and being back in the offices and working and trying to game-plan and do all those things,” McGovern said, according to The L.A. Times’ Ben Bolch. “I thought it was really exciting just to be out with the guys running around.”

McGovern is set to turn 60 on New Year’s Eve and told reporters he expects to be back in 2023 to fulfill the back half of his two-year deal. It remains unclear what exactly kept McGovern out of commission — he cited “health problems” when asked — but he told reporters he’s feeling energized, per Bolch.

UCLA’s defense got off to a strong start in McGovern’s first season, albeit against lighter competition. Still, UCLA was aggressive in getting after the quarterback and the edge-rushing trio of Laiatu Latu, Gabriel, and Grayson Murphy were exceptional at pressuring the quarterback.

Opponents averaged 25.9 points a game over the first seven. When McGovern was away, that scoring number crept up to 31.8 a game. Arizona State and Arizona each topped 30 points. USC put up 48 in a three-point Bruin loss.

The Bruins will try and stymie a Pitt offense that’ll be missing quarterback Kedon Slovis (BYU transfer) but still figures to challenge them. The Panthers have been a run-first offense this season, led by Israel Abanikanda. The star tailback finished the regular season with 1,431 yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground.

The Bruins were already one of the Pac-12’s better run-stopping units, so we’ll see what boost McGovern’s return will provide.

Kickoff against Pitt is set for 11 a.m. PT on CBS on Dec. 30.