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Who is Jeff Ulbrich? 3 things to know about NY Jets interim coach after Robert Saleh firing

On Tuesday morning, the New York Jets fired head coach Robert Saleh.

Saleh, who was in his fourth season with the team, finished with a lackluster 20-36 record in 56 games and no playoff appearances.

Owner Woody Johnson released a statement relaying that defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich will take over as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

Sep 9, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; New York Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Sep 9, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; New York Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Here are three things to know about Ulbrich:

Jeff Ulbrich was head coach at this year's Senior Bowl

In February, Ulbrich was the head coach of the National Team at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.

The Jets' new interim head coach led the team to a 16-7 win over the American Team.

Ulbrich participated in the Senior Bowl when he was coming out as a linebacker from the University of Hawaii in 2000, stating it played a huge role in him getting drafted that spring.

"I played in the 2000 Senior Bowl and went from a potentially undrafted rookie to a third-round pick, which is actually pretty common throughout the history of this storied game. Again, I'm honored and excited about helping and guiding the newest class of NFL players through this amazing week."

Here's what Ulbrich had to say about the overall experience of being a head coach at this year's Senior Bowl:

Jeff Ulbrich played nine seasons in the NFL

After a successful experience as a player at the Senior Bowl, Ulbrich was selected by the San Francisco 49ers with the 86th overall pick in the third round of the 2000 NFL Draft.

The San Jose, California, native went on to play his entire career with San Francisco.

In 120 career games, he recorded 501 tackles, 32 tackle-for-losses (TFLs), 5.5 sacks and two interceptions in the Bay Area.

Jeff Ulbrich's coaching career

Less than a year after retiring due to the effects of a concussion he suffered late in the 2009 season, Ulbrich began his coaching tenure in 2010 with NFC West rival Seattle Seahawks, where he was the assistant special teams coordinator for two seasons from 2010-11.

He then went the college route, becoming the linebackers coach and special teams coordinator for UCLA Bruins for three seasons (2012-14).

Ulbrich returned to the league as the Falcons linebackers coach from 2015-2019 and was promoted to assistant head coach and linebackers coach in 2020. He was also named defensive coordinator under interim head coach Raheem Morris for Atlanta during the middle of the 2020 season.

In 2021, Ulbrich made his way to One Jets Drive has he was hired as their defensive coordinator as a member of now former head coach Robert Saleh's staff.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Who is Jeff Ulbrich? NY Jets name interim coach after Robert Saleh firing