When DeShaun Foster walked to the podium for his first appearance at Big Ten Media Days in 2024, it quickly became clear he was out of his depth. While sipping on a water bottle, he leaned on the podium, seemingly unsure of what he was supposed to do.
“I’m sure you guys don’t know too much about UCLA, our football program, but we’re in L.A.,” Foster mumbled. “It’s us and USC. We, umm…”
Coaches aren’t required to roll out the up-to-the-minute filibusters that have become in vogue. Most coaches at least know how to set up a press conference. Unfortunately, that was the first clear indication that Foster was completely unprepared for the job he was taking on.
UCLA coaching candidates: Hot board of potential replacements after Bruins fire DeShaun Foster
Shehan Jeyarajah
Foster was fired as head coach at UCLA on Sunday, two days after the Bruins lost a historically embarrassing game 35-10 against New Mexico. His 15-game tenure marks the shortest full-time coaching mark in UCLA history. The only shorter timeline was Fred Cozens, who coached only one year after starting the program in 1919.
The loss to the Lobos followed similar disappointments against UNLV and Utah in previous weeks. Suddenly, the Bruins are shockingly close to staring down the barrel of an 0-12 season. If they fell there, it would be the first such year by a power conference program since Kansas in 2015.
And now, at one of the most important moments in the history of college athletics, UCLA is rudderless.
Doomed from the start
Foster is a beloved figure at UCLA, even after his firing. He earned All-America honors as a player after back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. Since, Foster has spent 12 of his 13 years as a coach with the program, working up from volunteer assistant to head coach. Even UCLA brass made sure to exemplify his status on the way out.
“He was named to this role at a challenging time of the year, on the cusp of a move to a new conference, and he embraced it, putting his heart into moving the program forward,” UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond said in a statement. “His legacy and love for this university are firmly established.”
Remember, the timeline of Foster’s hiring was a quirk due to a domino effect caused by the NFL hiring cycle. Then-Boston College coach Jeff Hafley was hired by the Green Bay Packers as defensive coordinator on Jan. 31, 2024. Ten days later, Bill O’Brien left his recently announced job as offensive coordinator at Ohio State to take over Boston College. In his wake, UCLA coach Chip Kelly decided to leave a sitting Big Ten head coaching job to instead coordinate Ryan Day’s offense. It forced UCLA to make a hire late in February.
The situation was brutal, especially as the Bruins prepared to enter their first year in the Big Ten. Turning to someone with program ties was a reasonable decision, especially as the athletic department tried to build up its organization. However, in hindsight, Foster was clearly not that piece.
Other programs have fallen victim to the NFL coaching cycle in recent years. Baylor hired former LSU defensive coordinator Dave Aranda after the 2020 national title game because Matt Rhule left for the Panthers. Michigan promoted Sherrone Moore after Jim Harbaugh left for the Chargers late in January. There’s even the case of Kansas, which fired Les Miles in April. Still, they did their due-diligence and took a swing on Buffalo coach Lance Leipold, which has worked out beautifully.
UCLA, instead, hired a coach that no other program would have considered. It likely saved them money short term, but now has set the program back.
What’s the investment?
Over the past five years, public documents reveal that UCLA’s athletic department has been in the midst of a financial mess. The department had deficits of more than $200 million over the period, many of which were exacerbated by the pandemic.
Frankly, the rough financial situation is a key part of the reason that the Bruins fled to the Big Ten in the first place. The new television contract pays out more than $30 million additional per year. That’s only more important as the Bruins try to hit the $20.5 million revenue sharing number to simply continue playing major college athletics after the House case.
Of course, UCLA is also a historic basketball program and has to manage that dynamic. Bruins coach Mick Cronin secured the funding to land No. 4 overall transfer Donovan Dent in the portal, so clearly the program has found some money. Will there be some left on the football side?
Seven years ago, Chip Kelly was UCLA’s big break. Kelly turned down other major offers and picked Westwood as where he wanted to build his next great dynasty. There were solid moments in the latter half of the rebuild, including a period of 25 wins in three years to end his tenure. Eventually though, he grew tired of his limitations.
The industry has been skeptical of UCLA’s willingness to grow past its limitations. If that remains an issue — even with a Big Ten check — it could make the program a surprisingly unattractive job.
Fortune favors the bold
UCLA’s coaching hires in the 21st century have been surprisingly lackluster. Rick Neuheisel was a washed-up college coach. Jim Mora was a washed-up NFL coach. Kelly, amazingly, was both. Karl Dorrell and Foster were former UCLA players that probably would never get serious consideration at other schools. Foster was hired after a process that lasted less than 72 hours.
The Bruins haven’t gotten anywhere with such a milquetoast approach. At the most important moment in the history of the football program, it’s time to step to the plate and swing for the fences.
There are high-profile assistant coaches who could be interested in the job from either the SEC or Big Ten. Because of their presence in Los Angeles, the NFL will always produce a few worthy candidates interested in the job. However, with the problems UCLA faces, acquiring a program builder could be the perfect move.
The last time that UCLA hired away a sitting head coach from a non-power school? 1925, when William Spaulding took over the program. He coached football, basketball and baseball at the school that later became Western Michigan. A full century later, it may be time to try that pathway again.
For any comparison, look at New Mexico. Jason Eck rose up the ranks from Division II Winona State to head coach at Idaho before landing the Lobos job. On Friday, he showed what a fun, well-coached, dynamic program looks like.
UCLA put Foster in a position to fail after it tried to masquerade one of its greatest alums as a major football coach. This time, get someone who can play the part.
After UCLA fired head coach DeShaun Foster three games into the 2025 season, BruinReportOnline’s team of insiders are providing on-the-ground updates as the Bruins look for their next head coach. Stay in the know on all of the latest happenings surrounding the UCLA coaching search and sign up for a VIP membership to BruinReportOnline now to get 60% off your first year of VIP UCLA insider scoop!
