Who is Jeff Ulbrich? Four things to know about the Jets’ interim coach following Robert Saleh’s shocking firing

The New York Jets pulled off a stunning move on Tuesday with the dismissal of Robert Saleh. With Saleh out, defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich will take over as the team’s interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

Ulbrich may not be a household name, but he is well-known in the NFL and a popular coach in the Jets’ locker room. Here are five things to know about Ulbrich as he prepares to take over as head coach for the first time:

• He has NFL playing experience. Ulbrich’s time in the NFL began in 2000 after the 49ers made him a third-round pick in the NFL Draft that year. The linebacker ended up spending his entire ten-year career in San Francisco. During his time with the 49ers, he started in 75 of the 120 games he played.
• He got his first NFL coaching job in 2010. After retiring as a player in 2009, Ulbrich landed a job as assistant special teams coordinator in Seattle in 2010 on Pete Carroll’s first coaching staff. Ulbrich ultimately spent two seasons in Seattle (2010-11) before moving to the college ranks for two seasons with UCLA.
• Ulbrich has coached in a Super Bowl. After his time at UCLA ended (2012-14), Ulbrich returned to the NFL in 2015 as the linebackers coach of the Atlanta Falcons. Ulbrich was on the Falcons’ coaching staff in 2016 when the team reached Super Bowl LI (you probably shouldn’t make 28-3 jokes around him). After four seasons as linebackers coach, he was promoted to assistant head coach in 2020 and ultimately was given the defensive coordinator job from interim coach Raheem Morris following the midseason firing of Dan Quinn.
• Ulbrich was part of Saleh’s first staff. Saleh was signed by the Jets in 2021 and one of his first moves was to hire Ulbrich as his defensive coordinator. Through five weeks this season, the Jets have allowed the fewest yards per game in the NFL and also given up the second-fewest yards per game in the league.

According to Sports Illustrated, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan was interested in hiring Ulbrich as his defensive coordinator to replace DeMeco Ryans, but the Jets said no. The fact that Shanahan was interested apparently caught the attention of Jets owner Woody Johnson.

“He is a tough coach who has the respect of the coaches and players on this team,” Johnson said of Ulbrich on Tuesday. “I believe that, together with the coaches on this team, he can bring out the best in our talented team and achieve the goals we set for ourselves this offseason.”

Ulbrich will be tested in his first game: The Jets will host Josh Allen and the Bills on Monday night in Week 6.