Phil Snow Will Handle Defense at Washington

Phil Snow landed a new job and new UCLA Coach Karl Dorrell continued to seek candidates to fill open positions on Tuesday. Snow, the Bruin defensive coordinator the last two years, became co-defensive coordinator at Washington. He will share the position with current coordinator Tim Hundley and also coach defensive backs.

Dorrell, who hired four assistants Monday, is interested in Duane Akina or Gary DeLoach as defensive coordinator, sources in Texas said, and in Bill Musgrave as offensive coordinator. Akina, 45, is the secondary coach at Texas and was an assistant at Arizona for 14 years. He was named defensive coordinator for the Wildcats before Coach Dick Tomey was fired in 2000 and left to join the staff at Texas.

DeLoach, 48, has been defensive coordinator at North Texas for three years. He also was an assistant at New Mexico State, Texas A&M; and in the World Football League. Musgrave, 35, is offensive coordinator at Virginia and a former quarterback at Oregon and the San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos. He also served short stints as offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers and Philadelphia Eagles.

Snow, 47, wasn’t unemployed for long. UCLA defeated Washington the last two years and the Bruin defense impressed Husky Coach Rick Neuheisel. “Rick wanted to get me there,” Snow said. “He put together a good package. It will be good for my family. They have good players coming back.”

Snow, who will begin working at Washington on Jan. 9, said he would get a raise from the $151,000 he made at UCLA. Dorrell is offering slightly more money to assistants than did former Coach Bob Toledo.

Although the contracts of Dorrell and Athletic Director Dan Guerrero include incentives, none are expected to be included in those of assistants. Beyond his salary of $235,000, Guerrero can earn easily attainable bonuses of 10% each for UCLA’s finish in the Sears Cup and for improving the graduation rates of student-athletes.

Dorrell retained Gary Bernardi (recruiting coordinator, tight ends) and Don Johnson (defensive line) and made Colorado assistants Jon Embree (receivers) and Eric Bieniemy (running backs) his first outside hires. The addition of Bieniemy caused a stir at UCLA because he has four misdemeanor convictions, the latest involving drunk driving in April 2001. The other incidents occurred during his NFL and college playing careers in 1994, 1990 and 1988.

Problems off the field by players contributed to the firing of Toledo. However, Bieniemy developed a reputation as an enthusiastic and knowledgeable coach as well as a standout recruiter in his two seasons on the Colorado staff.

“I’ve learned from my mistakes and I think I can be a strong role model who players can relate to because they know what I’ve been through,” he said.

-- Steve Henson

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Arizona State defensive end Terrell Suggs and first team All-Pacific 10 wide receiver Shaun McDonald will forego their senior seasons and declare for the NFL draft, ESPN has learned.

Suggs won the Lombardi Award as the nation’s top college lineman.