UCLA Twin Defenders Address Goals and Transition to Defensive Coordinator

The excitement surrounding the UCLA Bruins is palpable. With just days left until kickoff, the air is electric, pregnant with the promise of a season that could rewrite the narrative of the sport. 

All eyes are on UCLA's twin defensive powerhouses—Gabriel and Grayson Murphy. These two dynamic players, who joined the ranks of UCLA in 2022 following a formidable stint at North Texas, are poised to etch their names and let their game do the talking.

While speaking to Bruins insider Tracy McDannald, Gabriel Murphy painted a vivid picture of his motivation, largely thanks to UCLA All-American Laiatu Latu. 

“I want him to accomplish all the goals he’s got set,” Gabriel Murphy said. “I’ve got my goals, (Grayson’s) got his goals, so we’re all trying to accomplish everything together. We’re all trying to be on the same page and it’s just going to push each other, push all of us…to set high goals so we can all achieve them. So, (Latu) trying to do that, we want to do the same thing.”

^{(via Rivals)}

On the other hand, Grayson kept his motivations to himself. 

“I don’t really want to do too much talking, I just want to perform." 

^{(via Rivals)}

The Murphy twins displayed their mettle in all 13 games of the 2022 season. 

Gabriel ranked eighth in team tackles with 38. Meanwhile, Grayson carved his niche, ranking second in the team's tackles with nine tackles for loss and an impressive five sacks. 

The Bruins' defense will look slightly different under defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn this season. Grayson spoke on how the defense will look but didn't go into much detail. 

“We’ve got a lot of multiple fronts, multiple looks in the backend,” Grayson Murphy said. “We’re keeping everything schematically. We’re doing different things than we did last year. We’re going to keep it very general, very simple, but at another time very confusing for the opposing offense and things of that nature. But it’s going to be a different look than it was last year.”

^{(via Rivals)}

The countdown has begun, and anticipation reaches its apex as the Bruins take to the field in pursuit of greatness.