Football
Whitfield, Kodi
Kodi Whitfield
- Title:
- Assistant Coach, Special Teams Coordinator/Cornerbacks
Kodi Whitfield completed his second year leading UCLAโs cornerbacks unit and first year as special teams coordinator in 2024. The 2023 campaign marked a return to the program for Whitfield, who served as a graduate assistant coach for the Bruins during the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
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Whitfield was recognized by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) on its 2025 โ35 Under 35โ class in December 2024. The AFCA 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute is a prestigious program aimed at identifying and developing premier, future leaders in the football coaching profession.
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Whitfieldโs 2024 special teams group saw the rise of sophomore kicker Mateen Bhaghani who went 20-for-24 (83.3%) on field goal attempts and a perfect 20-for-20 (100%) on PAT attempts in his first year with the program. Bhaghani, the team leader in scoring with 80 points, went 3-for-5 on kicks from 50 yards out, including a 57-yarder versus Iowa which stands as the second-longest field goal in program history.
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Whitfieldโs cornerbacks group was led by All-Big Ten Honorable Mention selection Kaylin Moore. Moore recorded nine pass breakups and a game-sealing interception at Nebraska, earning him the PopTarts Crazy Good Play of the Week. Nickel back K.J. Wallace led the Bruins with 10 pass breakups and ranked fourth on the team with 50 tackles. The UCLA pass defense helped the Bruins put up the 11th-best defense in the conference, averaging 340.8 yards of total offense per game.
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In 2023, UCLA led the Pac-12 and rated 10th-best in the nation in total defense (301.5 yards per game) while holding opponents to less than 20 points per game. The Bruins registered 15 interceptions on the season to rank 15th in the nation and second in the Pac-12. The team passing efficiency defense mark improved by over 20 points to 119.31 in 2023 as UCLA rated 19th in the nation in the category. The passing yards allowed total improved by over 50 yards to 220.8 in 2023 to rank second in the conference.
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Prior to returning to UCLA, Whitfield most recently held the title of safeties coach at Sacramento State in 2022. He also assisted with special teams and player development for the Hornets, who posted an 11-0 regular-season record and reached the quarterfinal round of the FCS playoffs in his only year on staff.
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As a member of the Bruins' staff in 2020 and 2021, Whitfield assisted with the defensive backs. Qwuantrezz Knight and Quentin Lake garnered second-team All-Conference honors from the Pac-12 following the 2021 season, during which UCLA went 8-4. Each player moved on to the NFL in 2022, with Knight landing on the San Francisco 49ers and Lake the Los Angeles Rams.
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A standout himself at Stanford from 2012-15, Whitfield played on both sides of the ball for teams that collected three Pac-12 championships. He appeared in 27 games as a wide receiver through his first two seasons, reeling in 18 catches for 183 yards and one touchdown. Then, as a safety in 2014 and 2015, Whitfield piled up 55 total tackles across 26 games. As a senior, he made 50 stops, including a career-high eight versus Arizona. Whitfield played in the 2013, 2014 and 2016 Rose Bowl Games as a member of the Cardinal.
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Whitfield graduated from Stanford in 2016 with a bachelor's degree in science in engineering, focused on product design. He went on to earn a master's degree in sports product design from the University of Oregon in 2018 and began working for adidas before turning his attention to coaching. Whitfield completed his master's in transformative coaching and leadership from UCLA in 2022.
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Whitfield prepped at Loyola High School in Los Angeles, where he was a three-year varsity football player who was named the Serra League's Offensive Player of the Year as a senior. He was rated the 17th-best wide receiver prospect by PrepStar and tabbed a four-star recruit by Rivals. His father, Bob, was an All-America offensive lineman at Stanford and first-round pick (eighth overall) of the Atlanta Falcons in 1992. Bob Whitfield played 176 games over 12 years professionally and earned a Pro Bowl selection in 1998.
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WHITFIELDโS COACHING EXPERIENCE
2020-21 โ Graduate Assistant (Defensive Backs), UCLA
2022 โ Safeties Coach, Sacramento State
2023 โ Cornerbacks Coach, UCLA
2023-24 โ Special Teams Coordinator and Cornerbacks Coach, UCLA
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Whitfield was recognized by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) on its 2025 โ35 Under 35โ class in December 2024. The AFCA 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute is a prestigious program aimed at identifying and developing premier, future leaders in the football coaching profession.
ย
Whitfieldโs 2024 special teams group saw the rise of sophomore kicker Mateen Bhaghani who went 20-for-24 (83.3%) on field goal attempts and a perfect 20-for-20 (100%) on PAT attempts in his first year with the program. Bhaghani, the team leader in scoring with 80 points, went 3-for-5 on kicks from 50 yards out, including a 57-yarder versus Iowa which stands as the second-longest field goal in program history.
ย
Whitfieldโs cornerbacks group was led by All-Big Ten Honorable Mention selection Kaylin Moore. Moore recorded nine pass breakups and a game-sealing interception at Nebraska, earning him the PopTarts Crazy Good Play of the Week. Nickel back K.J. Wallace led the Bruins with 10 pass breakups and ranked fourth on the team with 50 tackles. The UCLA pass defense helped the Bruins put up the 11th-best defense in the conference, averaging 340.8 yards of total offense per game.
ย
In 2023, UCLA led the Pac-12 and rated 10th-best in the nation in total defense (301.5 yards per game) while holding opponents to less than 20 points per game. The Bruins registered 15 interceptions on the season to rank 15th in the nation and second in the Pac-12. The team passing efficiency defense mark improved by over 20 points to 119.31 in 2023 as UCLA rated 19th in the nation in the category. The passing yards allowed total improved by over 50 yards to 220.8 in 2023 to rank second in the conference.
ย
Prior to returning to UCLA, Whitfield most recently held the title of safeties coach at Sacramento State in 2022. He also assisted with special teams and player development for the Hornets, who posted an 11-0 regular-season record and reached the quarterfinal round of the FCS playoffs in his only year on staff.
ย
As a member of the Bruins' staff in 2020 and 2021, Whitfield assisted with the defensive backs. Qwuantrezz Knight and Quentin Lake garnered second-team All-Conference honors from the Pac-12 following the 2021 season, during which UCLA went 8-4. Each player moved on to the NFL in 2022, with Knight landing on the San Francisco 49ers and Lake the Los Angeles Rams.
ย
A standout himself at Stanford from 2012-15, Whitfield played on both sides of the ball for teams that collected three Pac-12 championships. He appeared in 27 games as a wide receiver through his first two seasons, reeling in 18 catches for 183 yards and one touchdown. Then, as a safety in 2014 and 2015, Whitfield piled up 55 total tackles across 26 games. As a senior, he made 50 stops, including a career-high eight versus Arizona. Whitfield played in the 2013, 2014 and 2016 Rose Bowl Games as a member of the Cardinal.
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Whitfield graduated from Stanford in 2016 with a bachelor's degree in science in engineering, focused on product design. He went on to earn a master's degree in sports product design from the University of Oregon in 2018 and began working for adidas before turning his attention to coaching. Whitfield completed his master's in transformative coaching and leadership from UCLA in 2022.
ย
Whitfield prepped at Loyola High School in Los Angeles, where he was a three-year varsity football player who was named the Serra League's Offensive Player of the Year as a senior. He was rated the 17th-best wide receiver prospect by PrepStar and tabbed a four-star recruit by Rivals. His father, Bob, was an All-America offensive lineman at Stanford and first-round pick (eighth overall) of the Atlanta Falcons in 1992. Bob Whitfield played 176 games over 12 years professionally and earned a Pro Bowl selection in 1998.
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WHITFIELDโS COACHING EXPERIENCE
2020-21 โ Graduate Assistant (Defensive Backs), UCLA
2022 โ Safeties Coach, Sacramento State
2023 โ Cornerbacks Coach, UCLA
2023-24 โ Special Teams Coordinator and Cornerbacks Coach, UCLA
UCLA Football Media Availability - Players (Sept. 23, 2025)
Tuesday, September 23
UCLA Football Media Availability - Coach Skipper (Sept. 22, 2025)
Monday, September 22
UCLA Football Media Availability - Players (Sept. 17, 2025)
Wednesday, September 17
UCLA Football Media Availability - Coach Skipper (Sept. 17, 2025)
Wednesday, September 17
