UCLA’s Jim Mora talks about Adrian Klemm, Tom Bradley

UCLA Coach Jim Mora had to deal with questions about two of his assistant coaches after the first day of spring practice Tuesday.

Adrian Klemm was absent, having been suspended for alleged NCAA violations, while defensive coordinator Tom Bradley, who spent 31 seasons at Penn State, logged his first day of practice.

Mora gave a short answer when asked about Klemm.

“I’m not allowed to talk about the review process until he is able to come back,” Mora said. “As a staff we’re going coach those guys [on offensive line] up and get them going. Other than that, I really can’t comment on that process.”

Mora elaborated on the hiring of his defensive coordinator. Bradley was considered one of the top defensive coaches in the nation at Penn State, and appeared to be the coach in waiting under Joe Paterno. He was part of the house cleaning in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

Sandusky, a Penn State assistant from 1970-99, was convicted of sexually assaulting 10 boys over a 15-year period.

“I think our university, our athletic department, in combination, did a tremendous job in making sure we went through the process in the correct way,” Mora said. “We did our research. We were patient and talked to a lot of people. We were sure in our decision that he was right guy in this job at this time. As long as the chancellor and athletic director are comfortable and feel like we’ve done our due diligence, I feel confident that we made the right decision.”

Bradley’s Penn State team allowed only 16.4 points per game from 2004-2011. He employed mainly a 4-3 defensive front. Bradley used a more eclectic defense at West Virginia in 2014, his only year with the Mountaineers.

“I am always hesitant talk about 4-3 or 3-4, because we play so much 4-3 principal stuff anyway,” Mora said. “The majority of the time we are in a four-man front because that’s our nickel front. We spend a considerable amount of time in that structure.”