The former Oklahoma standout defensive back has spent the past two seasons at Colorado
LOS ANGELES – Gabe Lynn has been named safeties coach for the UCLA football team, head coach DeShaun Foster announced Thursday.
Lynn, a former standout defensive back at Oklahoma, joins the Bruin from Colorado, where he spent the past two seasons on staff as a defensive analyst and the assistant player personnel director.
"Gabe Lynn has already grown tremendously as a coach," said Foster. "He shows an enthusiasm to make young people better and a willingness to adapt with the different responsibilities he's taken on in his career. We look forward to seeing him get to work with the safeties room."
This past season, Lynn was a quality control analyst on defense with the Buffaloes. He primarily coached the team's safeties, helping the team to a 9-3 overall record and a berth in the 2024 Alamo Bowl against BYU. As a team, Colorado allowed just 204.7 passing yards per game and totaled 12 interceptions on defense during the regular season, both ranking top-50 nationally.
In his first season at Colorado, Lynn was the assistant director of player personnel. Defensive coordinator Charles Kelly also tapped into Lynn's coaching knowledge, utilizing him along the defensive line and with outside linebackers.
Prior to his time in Boulder, Colo., Lynn made collegiate coaching stops at Houston Christian University (2019-22), Oklahoma Baptist (2018) and Central Oklahoma (2017).
His lengthiest coaching stop came at Houston Christian University, as he spent four seasons on staff with the nascent program (the Huskies had their first official season in 2014) from 2019-2022. In his first year, he helped HCU tie a program record for single-season wins. He was promoted to defensive backs coach starting in 2020, ultimately spending three years in that role. In 2022, defensive back Coi Miller led the conference with four interceptions and HCU had a top-30 ranking in the FCS with 11 picks as a squad.
During his lone season at Division II Central Oklahoma, he helped the Bronchos to an 8-4 record and a win in the inaugural Corsicana Bowl. Central Oklahoma won its final six games of that campaign. Under Lynn's tutelage, defensive back Stephan Robinson had a team-high five interceptions and defensive back Omari Cole earned all-league recognition.
Lynn was a four-year letterwinner and three-year starter at Oklahoma, appearing in 41 games from 2010-13. The defensive back totaled 116 tackles (84-32-116), eight tackles for loss, two sacks, and four interceptions. He set career highs across the board during his senior year en route to All-Big 12 acclaim, notching 57 tackles, four interceptions and two sacks while playing both corner and safety.
After his college days, Lynn signed as an undrafted free agent with the NFL's Detroit Lions in 2014. He went on to make pro appearances with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League in 2014 and 2015 and also played parts of two seasons (2015-16) in the Indoor Football League with the Iowa Barnstormers and the Wichita Falls Nighthawks.
The Jenks, Okla. native has earned two degrees from OU, receiving his bachelor's in multi-disciplinary studies in 2013 and his master's in human relations in 2015.
LYNN'S COACHING EXPERIENCE
2017 – Graduate Assistant, Central Oklahoma
2018 – Cornerbacks Coach, Oklahoma Baptist
2019 – Defensive Quality Control, Houston Christian University
2020-22 – Defensive Backs Coach, Houston Christian University
2023 – Assistant Director of Player Personnel, Colorado
2024 – Quality Control Analyst (Defense), Colorado
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