UCLA officially announced the hiring of Kodi Whitfield as its next cornerbacks coach on Tuesday afternoon.

Whitfield, a former Stanford defensive back, most recently served as the safeties coach at Sacramento State.

Here’s UCLA’s announcement:

UCLA’s interest in Whitfield was previously reported by The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman. Whitfield also has a tie to the Bruins as he served as a GA with the program in 2020-21.

As a player, Whitfield appeared in 3 Rose Bowl games for the Cardinal. He started his collegiate career at receiver before moving to defensive back. As a senior in 2015, he recorded 49 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 interception and 1 forced fumble.

His father, Bob, played in the NFL for a dozen seasons. He was a 1st round pick by the Atlanta Falcons in the 1992 NFL Draft.

Whitfield will be tasked with improving UCLA’s pass defense in 2023. The Bruins ranked 8th in passer efficiency rating allowed last season amongst Pac-12 teams.