Another former NFL head coach now working as a TV analyst, Steve Mariucci, may be a candidate for the opening at UCLA.

Blank and McKay may seek interviews with NFL assistants they spoke with before hiring Petrino, including San Francisco linebackers coach and assistant head coach Mike Singletary and San Diego linebackers coach Ron Rivera.

Singletary has never been a coordinator, but he made a strong impression with the Falcons in the last search.

Other hot NFL assistants include Dallas offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Bruce Ariens.

McKay indicated he might make use of the still-fresh information from his last search.

“We’ve got a little work on the front end this time,” McKay said, referring to research and interviews conducted in the last search. “That gives us a running start.”

That groundwork could enable McKay to move quickly when current assistants are available for interviews.

“There’s no question we’d rather hire sooner than later,” McKay said. “That gives you the opportunity to get the best staff you can get.”

On the other hand, McKay is about to make his third hire in four years, following Mora’s three-year term and Petrino’s 11 months in town.

“You make sure you take your time and make sure you follow the process and get it right,” McKay said. “Again, we don’t want to have this press conference again. It’s not good for me, not good for the organization and certainly not good for Arthur.”

Two other NFL assistants who interviewed with the Falcons in their last search, Ken Whisenhunt and Cam Cameron, now are NFL head coaches at Arizona and Miami, respectively.

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