Football
- Title:
- Offensive Coordinator / Offensive Line
Justin Frye joined the UCLA football staff in February of 2018 as offensive line coach. He arrived in Westwood after serving as the run game coordinator/offensive line coach at Boston College the previous five seasons. In December of 2018, he was promoted to UCLA's offensive coordinator / offensive line coach.
In 2021, UCLA rushed for at least 200 yards in all eight wins and its average of 215.1 yards per game placed second inย the Pac-12 Conference and ranked 12th nationally. Zach Charbonnetย pacedย all Pac-12 running backs with seven 100-yard games during the season. ย Brittain Brown topped the conference rushers with a 6.03 yards per carry mark. UCLA led the Pac-12 in scoring (36.5 ppg-12th in NCAA) and was second in total offense (441.2-31st in NCAA). Charbonnet rated thirdย in the league in rushing yards (1,137) and was second in rushing yards per game (94.8). Heย became Coach Frye's seventh Top-35ย NCAA rusher. ย Dorian Thompson-Robinson ranked No. 1 in the league in passing efficiency (153.9). Kyle Philips led all Pac-12 receivers with 10 scoring receptions. Tight end Greg Dulcich was a semifinalist for the John Mackey Award as the nation's top performer at his position. Offensive tackle Sean Rhyan was a first team all-conference selection.
In the 2020 season, UCLA improved its rushing yards average per game (230.6) by more than 70 yards per contest to rank 12th in the nation and second in the Pac-12. The Bruinsย rated 21st nationally and second in the conference in total offense (455.0) and 20th in the nation,ย second in the league, in passing efficiency (154.68). UCLA ranked 20th in the nation in scoring offense (35.4) and its total of 31 touchdowns scored on the season topped the Pac-12. Sacks by opponents decreased by a factor of more than one per game to 1.7. The per carry rushing average of 5.1 yards was the highest by a Bruin team since 1976 and the 200-plus rushing yards per game mark was just UCLA's fourth at or above the 200 mark since 1990. Thompson-Robinson posted the best pass efficiency rating (156.29) of a Bruin starting quarterback since 2005 and became the first to attainย the 100-yard rushing / 300-yard passing milestones in the same game (at Colorado-109 rushing yards / 303 passing yards). Demetric Felton Jr. earned consensus all-conference honors while leadingย the Pac-12 and ranking sixth nationally in all-purpose yardage (165.8/g). Felton posted a 111.3-yard rushing yards per game average to place 14th nationally. Ten different receivers caught scoring passes in 2020 whileย UCLA paced the Pac-12 with 18 touchdown passes.Both Felton andย Brown gained over 500 yards on the season while averaging at least 5.0 yards per carry to become just the third Bruin duo to achieve those milestones since 1975.ย
In 2019, Joshua Kelley posted a second-straight 1,000-yard rushing season to become just the eighth Bruin to accomplish the feat. UCLA produced five straight 200-yard rushing games in a season for the first time sinceย 1978.ย ย Felton set a school mark for a running back with 55 receptions and another record with four scoring plays of at least 75 yards of length.ย Kyle Philips finished with the most catches ever by a Bruin freshman receiverย and became the first redshirt freshman to lead the team in receptions since 2001. His 60 catches tied for 11th on the all-time school single season list and his total of two 10-plus catch games ranks tied for third on the all-time school list. Five wide receivers made their first career scoring catches during the season. Thompson-Robinson finished among the top 10 at the school for a single season in completions (216-9th), total offense (2,899-10th) and touchdown passes (21-10th). He set a school mark with 564 yards of total offense in a win at Washington State. Thompson-Robinson's 431 yards of total offense at USC was the second-most ever by a Bruin against the Trojans.ย Offensive tackle Sean Rhyan became a consensus Freshman All-America selection -- FWAA Shaun Alexander Freshman All-America team,ย USA Todayย Freshman All-American team, Theย Athleticย 2019 Freshman All-America team and National All-Freshman team by PFF.
In his first season with the Bruins, UCLA's rushing attack improved by a margin of over 40 yards per game on average from the previous season. Running back Joshua Kelley ranย for 1,243 yards, the 10th-highest total in school single-season history. In addition, Kelley racked up 289 rushing yards against USC, the most by any back in the rivalry series, and the third-highest total in school history. Kelley, who ranked ninth in FBS rushing yards per game,ย finished withย six 100-yard rushing games during the season. The Bruins generated over 432 yards of offense, on average, over the course of the last eight games of the season, including over 164 yards per game on the ground.
While at BC, the Eagles appeared in four bowl games in his five seasons. Frye helped structure and guide an offensive line that produced a Heisman Trophy finalist and the Atlantic Coast Conference's first Doak Walker Award recipient in Andre Williams. In 2013, the running back became the 16th player in FBS history to rush for over 2,000 yards in the regular season and placed fourth in the Heisman Trophy balloting.
Williams finished the 2013 season leading the nation with the fifth-highest total in NCAA FBS history for a season at 2,177 yards. He shattered nearly every school single-season record at Boston College, including most rushing yards in a single game (339 vs. NC State) and rushing touchdowns in a game (5 vs. Army). The Eagle rushing attack ranked 20th in the NCAA in per game average (212.5) which was a 121.5-yard increase from the previous season average. Williams' 167.5 rushing yards per game average led the nation. Three of his linemen - left tackle Matt Patchan, center Andy Gallik and right tackle Ian White received all-conference recognition. The Eagles played in the 2013 AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl.
In his second season at BC, he mentored an offensive line unit that paved the way for Tyler Murphy to break the Atlantic Coast Conference single-season record for rushing yardage by a quarterback and the Boston College career record in the same category (1,184 yards). BC averaged 254.7 yards per game on the ground in 2014 which ranked 14th in the nation and allowed just 21 sacks, tied for 29th in the country. Four linemen merited all-conference accolades - Gallik, tackle Seth Betancourt, tackle Ian Silberman and guard Bobby Vardaro. The Eagles played in the 2014 New Era Pinstripe Bowl.
Two of Frye's offensive linemen were selected in the 2015 NFL Draft - Ian Silberman (49ers) and Andy Gallik (Titans). In 2016, he oversaw an offensive line which helped the BC offense top the ACC and rank 11th in the nation in time of possession. Boston College played in the 2016 Quick Lane Bowl.
In the 2017 season, BC ranked 25th in the nation in rushing offense with a 220.4 yards per game average. Running back AJ Dillon ranked seventh in the nation in rushing yards with 1,589 and was tied for 19th nationally with 14 rushing touchdowns. Dillon's rushing average per game of 122.2 yards rated as the 12th-best in the country. BC's offensive line allowed just 1.15 sacks per game to rank as the 13th-best unit (tied) in the nation. Boston College appeared in the 2017 New Era Pinstripe Bowl.
Frye came to Boston College after working as offensive line coach at Temple University for two seasons (2011-12). He guided an offensive line at Temple that blocked for the top rushing offense in the Big East as the Owls totaled 201.2 rushing yards per game (31st in NCAA) in 2012. All-Big East first-team selection Montel Harris led the conference with a 105.4 rushing yards per game average.
In Frye's first season at Temple, the Owls set school records for most rushing yards and most rushing touchdowns in a season while ranking seventh in the country in rushing offense (256.5 yards per game). Running back Bernard Pierce ranked sixth in the NCAA in rushing yards per game average (123.4). Two of his linemen, Pat Boyle and Wayne Tribue earned all-conference honors. Temple played in the 2011 New Mexico Bowl, making just the fourth bowl appearance overall by the program.
In 2009 and 2010, Frye was a graduate assistant coach working with the offensive line at the University of Florida. He helped mentor future NFL draft picks Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Pouncey, Marcus Gilbert and Maurice Hurt while with the Gators.
The Gators' offensive line opened holes for four players to rush for over 300 yards in 2010, one of only six BCS teams to accomplish the feat that season. The offensive line, which allowed just 24 sacks, had a Freshman All-America in guard Jon Halapio and an All-SEC performer in center Mike Pouncey. Following a win in the 2010 Outback Bowl, Gilbert and Pouncey were selected to play in the 2011 Senior Bowl.
Maurkice Pouncey won the 2009 Rimington Award, given annually to college football's most outstanding center. The 2009 offensive line unit helped the Gators lead the Southeastern Conference in rushing and total offense while finishing second in scoring offense. Florida went on to play in the 2009 Sugar Bowl.
Frye embarked on his coaching career at his alma mater, Indiana University, as an offensive graduate assistant in 2007-08 where he worked with the offensive line and the tight ends. Indiana played in the 2007 Insight Bowl against Oklahoma State. As a player, he lined up along the offensive line for Indiana in the 2002-06 seasons.
Frye is a native of Elwood, Ind. and graduated from IU in 2006 with a degree in Sports Communications. He and his wife, Lauren, have fourย children - Kevin, Zoe, Max, Welles.
