Growing up as a college football fan in Waimanalo, Ikaika Malloe looked forward to the first day of a new year.
It was a day of bowls, and the most decorated was the Rose Bowl that was played in the Pasadena, Calif., stadium of the same name. For decades, the Rose Bowl matched the champions of the Big Ten and the conference that grew into the Pac-12.
Now Malloe is the defensive coordinator at UCLA, which will make its debut as a Big Ten member with Saturday’s nationally televised game against Hawaii at the Ching Complex. This training camp, the Bruins held some practices at the Rose Bowl, their venue for home games.
“When I was at the University of Washington,” Malloe said of the former Pac-12 member, “we were dying to get the chance to get into the Rose Bowl. Now I call (the Rose Bowl) home. For the Hawaiians (who played for Washington), they know. They had chicken-skin-kine feelings when they walked into the Rose Bowl. Now (with UCLA), you’ve got to defend it, let alone try to get into it.”
Malloe, who was promoted to defensive coordinator in January, is preparing for a homecoming of sorts when the Bruins arrive in town on Thursday afternoon.
“Anxious is probably the underlying word,” said Malloe, a 1992 Kamehameha Schools graduate. “I’m looking forward to coming home and having the opportunity to play. … The first time the schedule came out, I was already excited.”
Malloe and UH head coach Timmy Chang, who calls the Rainbow Warriors’ offensive plays, will be matched against each other.
“It’s cool for me because I’m a huge fan of Timmy,” Malloe said of the former record-setting quarterback with UH and Saint Louis School. “Anybody from the ‘808,’ you’re always cheering for him to have the opportunity he’s had. … As for the actual game, we both know what’s at stake. We’ll go after it and battle each other. But afterward, I’ll still have so much admiration for what he’s done for the state of Hawaii.”
Chang also expressed admiration for Malloe. “He’s a Kamehameha guy,” Chang said. “How do you not root for him? For three hours, we’re going to go at it. He’s going to get his guys ready, and I’ll get my guys ready. It’ll be a challenge because they were really good on defense last year.”
Under defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn last year, the Bruins were first in rushing defense (69.6 yard per game), second in yards per rush (2.33) and third in sacks (3.42 per game). Opposing offenses averaged 299.0 yards per game. But Lynn resigned to accept the coordinator’s job at USC, and Malloe was promoted from D-line coach. He is implementing multiple-look schemes.
“It’s exciting,” Malloe said. “I’m very thankful for Coach (DeShaun) Foster for giving me an opportunity. I hope to meet, if not exceed, his expectations of what I can do. I guess everybody — including my family, the state, the country — will have a chance to see what we can do on Saturday.”
Although he was co-coordinator at Washington in 2020 and 2021, Malloe is now administering a defense fully for the first time since he was at Yale for three seasons. Accepting the defensive coordinator’s job with the Bulldogs in 2009 meant resigning after one season as the Warriors’ special teams coordinator and D-line coach.
Of his decision to leave his hometown school, Malloe said, “I think I was too young. My foolishness wanted me to climb the ladder as fast as I could instead of staying put. … You know how it is. When you get older and gain wisdom you kind of miss the things you don’t have anymore. At the time, I was really trying to climb the ladder. That’s why I left for the coordinator’s spot. It’s lessons learned. Definitely, lessons learned.”
In recent years, there were opportunities to rejoin the Warriors. “There was some thought,” Malloe said. “But because of where I am in my life, it’s hard. Now it’s trying to have some stability for my kids. That has been the most important thing for me. As long as we keep winning, I think, right now, I’m just happy with the job I have.”
He also has adjusted, sort of, to Los Angeles.
“The weather is like Hawaii’s, it really is,” Malloe said. “The beach is a little different, and the traffic is a little bit different, especially from the West side. … In the morning, because I leave so early — I leave around 5, 5:30 — it takes me a 15-minute shot to get (to the UCLA campus). And at night — at 9:30, 10 o’clock, there’s still traffic here in LA — it takes about 35, 40 minutes to get home.”