The UCLA Bruins football head coaching job is open in the middle of February. Chip Kelly’s abrupt departure to become the OC at Ohio State did not go over well with the fan base.
All of a sudden, Martin Jarmond has to find a new head coach after the portal has closed and after the top candidates have already been hired elsewhere.
It’s a tough task, but Dan Wolken of USA Today brings up some excellent points: There are some questions to be answered about how good this job is:
And any candidate for UCLA should have some serious questions about why Kelly, who had four years and more than $24 million left on his contract, would take a pay cut to go be a college coordinator.
Is the roster really that bad? Does UCLA just not care that much about competing at the highest level in football? Is the school’s NIL program so lackluster that it’s impossible to recruit?
While it’s fair to say that Kelly was a massive disappointment on the field and that UCLA probably should have fired him two months ago, it’s also quite a slap in the face to watch him walk out the door for a college coordinator job. When UCLA has a head coach opening, it is supposed to be looking at assistants from places like Ohio State, not the other way around.
It’s a valid point from Wolken. Does UCLA care? Is NIL sustainable in Westwood? Is there some underlying thing nobody knows about?
Either way, UCLA has a tough task ahead.