Tag: UCLA football

DeShaun Foster will give UCLA football new energy, but energy won’t be enough to succeed

Energy is good, but UCLA’s new coach has to find defensive coaching on par with what D’Anton Lynn provided in 2023.

DeShaun Foster being named the new UCLA football head coach was not especially surprising or seismic. The move was expected by many, and yet it certainly doesn’t rate as a huge splash for the Bruins.

Foster, 44, played at UCLA from 1998-2001 and had 1,109 rushing yards and 12 TDs as a senior. He scored 39 TDs over four seasons and finished with 686 carries for 3,049 yards.

He was taken in the second round of the 2002 NFL draft by the Carolina Panthers. He played in 79 games across six NFL seasons. In his NFL career, Foster rushed 927 times for 3,570 yards and also had 142 catches for 1,129 yards.

He got his start coaching college football as a student assistant at UCLA and spent a season at Texas Tech in 2016 as the team’s running backs coach before returning to his alma mater.

Foster impressed the UCLA administration with his ability to lead and command a room. Per sources, school officials believe Foster can resonate in the Los Angeles market and emphasize recruiting and fundraising and NIL deals.

ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that Foster’s contract is for five years as the Bruins get set to play in the Big Ten.

The word “energy” has been a theme upon Foster’s hire. Energy, though, must be supplemented by coaching acumen and an ability to do more with less. Losing D’Anton Lynn as defensive coordinator will hurt Foster in his ability to elevate the UCLA program.

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UCLA does not hire Clay Helton or Alex Grinch as its new head football coach

Darn.

Clay Helton and Alex Grinch both had coaching experience in the Pac-12. They both knew the Los Angeles recruiting scene and had established local connections. They were both part of coaching staffs which won New Year’s Six bowl games. Clay Helton won the 2017 Rose Bowl at USC. Alex Grinch won the 2019 Rose Bowl at Ohio State and the 2020 Cotton Bowl at Oklahoma under Lincoln Riley. Both Clay Helton and Alex Grinch won conference championships. Helton won the 2017 Pac-12 title at USC, while Grinch won multiple Big 12 titles with Riley at Oklahoma. Both men could have been amazingly great fits for the UCLA football program after Chip Kelly went to Ohio State, but the Bruins instead chose DeShaun Foster, an alumnus and a longtime assistant at the school.

UCLA Wire is covering this story. Let’s talk a little more about it:

Who is DeShaun Foster, the former UCLA running back just hired as the head coach of the Bruins?

DeShaun Foster played seven years in the NFL and is a longtime assistant coach.

After former head coach Chip Kelly left UCLA to become the offensive coordinator at Ohio State, the Bruins have already found his replacement.

The athletic department has hired DeShaun Foster, a former UCLA running back who attended the university between 1998 and 2001. He was selected in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft and played in the pros until 2008.

Here is more from UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond:

“While undergoing a comprehensive search for our new head coach, DeShaun resonated from the start and throughout the whole process,” said Jarmond. “We are looking for a coach with integrity, energy and passion; someone who is a great teacher, who develops young men, is a great recruiter and fully embraces the NIL landscape to help our student-athletes. DeShaun checks all of those boxes and then some. He is a leader of men and a true Bruin. I am excited to partner with him as we usher UCLA Football into an exciting new era.”

After playing for the Carolina Panthers and briefly the San Francisco 49ers, Foster eventually found his way into coaching. He began his coaching career as a student assistant at UCLA in 2013 and he then became a graduate assistant the following year. He served as the director of player development and high school relations in 2015.

Foster briefly left UCLA for Texas Tech (where he was the running backs coach in 2016) before he was offered the same position with the Bruins a year later in 2017.

He remained with the program (becoming associate head coach of the team under Kelly last season) until he briefly accepted a position as running backs coach for the Las Vegas Raiders.

Even though the former UCLA star had just left the school for the NFL, we recently mentioned Foster as a potential candidate to replace Kelly. He was able to separate himself from a pool of 11 other candidates, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Foster was the “overwhelming choice of the current players” as the top pick to replace Kelly, according to Thamel.

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UCLA Wire knows what it wants for a new football coach, but life might not cooperate

UCLA fans and bloggers know what they would like to get, but do the Bruins have the leverage to pull it off?

USC fans certainly hope UCLA won’t land a quality football coach. Trojan fans aren’t worried about the matter, either. Everyone is looking at Westwood and wondering what can possibly happen at a school with a bad NIL setup and an administration which clearly doesn’t care that much about football. UCLA might not be a poverty school, and it’s true that the Bruins did invest a lot in D’Anton Lynn as defensive coordinator one year ago, but their paralysis this past November when it was clear Chip Kelly should have been fired is something everyone can see.

Why would a top coach want to coach at UCLA? That should be an impediment toward hiring an elite coach.

Nevertheless, our new friends at UCLA Wire — a website which launched just a few weeks ago and now gets to cover a coaching search — know what they want:

“The UCLA Bruins football program has a hard decision to make. After Chip Kelly left to become the new offensive coordinator at Ohio State, the Bruins are suddenly in need of a coach in the middle of February.

“But, they can do the right thing and make an easy phone call: D’Anton Lynn. The former UCLA DC left for the USC Trojans DC job earlier in the offseason.

“However, a chance to become a head coach would be hard for Lynn to pass up, especially with the Bruins. If so, it is likely that a number of UCLA players would stay instead of entering the transfer portal. The question is, does Martin Jarmond make the call?”

You can wish for the moon and the stars, Bruins, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to get them. Maybe we will all be surprised, but don’t hold your breath in Westwood or anywhere else.

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Q and A with UCLA Wire about Chip Kelly’s exit, new football coaching search, and more

Let’s see what UCLA Wire’s editor thinks about Chip Kelly and the Bruins’ head coaching search.

We have been here at Trojans Wire for several years. I have personally been on the job as Trojans Wire editor since early March of 2020, so I am approaching four years in this position. UCLA Wire is just a few weeks old. Former Trojans Wire staff writer Matt Wadleigh is the first site editor at UCLA Wire.

Matt Wadleigh helped us cover the Clay Helton firing and the coaching search which led to Lincoln Riley in the fall of 2021. He is now covering a coaching search at UCLA in his new role at UCLA Wire.

It was a natural and obvious choice to ask Matt about the Chip Kelly departure for Ohio State, the UCLA head coaching search, and other related topics.

D’Anton Lynn saw a sinking ship at UCLA, which is why he won’t replace Chip Kelly

D’Anton Lynn wanted out at UCLA. Don’t expect him to go back to the Bruins. Not happening.

D’Anton Lynn, if he had not left UCLA for the USC defensive coordinator job, might have been in line to replace Chip Kelly. It’s a very interesting “what if” to consider after Kelly left to become the offensive coordinator at Ohio State. Lynn had to have known that Chip Kelly was not particularly happy or comfortable at UCLA. He could have played the long game, betting on the eventuality that Kelly would not stay at UCLA too much longer, maybe the 2024 season at most.

No one could have predicted that after UCLA refused to fire Kelly in November and December, Kelly would walk away voluntarily in February for a coordinator job. Lynn couldn’t have known that. He could have guessed, however, that Kelly was not going to coach UCLA beyond 2024. Lynn might have been in position to be the heir apparent in 2025. We’ll never know.

Let’s sort through some details of the Chip Kelly aftermath and look at the Bruins’ prospects in their coaching search, which are of interest to USC fans:

Social media reacts to rumors of defensive coordinator Tony White to UCLA

Could Nebraska’s defensive coordinator be headed west?

The fallout continues following Friday’s news that UCLA head coach Chip Kelly would be stepping down to accept the offensive coordinator position at Ohio State. Bruin’s AD Martin Jarmond has confirmed that a national search will be conducted, and a new head coach is expected to be named by early next week.

“It is imperative that we support our student-athletes and put them in the best position to succeed. UCLA is a special place, and we are confident we will find a leader for our football program who develops young men on and off the field and embodies our True Bruin Values.”

One name that has already become popular on social media is Nebraska defensive coordinator Tony White. In his first season in Lincoln, the Nebraska defense had one of their best seasons in years.

Under White, the team finished 14th nationally in total defense, their best finish since 2010. The Huskers also held opponents to 14 points or fewer in eight games last season and placed 17th in scoring defense at 18.3 points per game.

He also recently renegotiated his contract, which increased his salary from $1 million to $1.6 million. During the offseason, he received head coaching interest from San Diego State and even received a look from USC in what would have been a lateral move to defensive coordinator.

White has connections to the UCLA football program as he played for the Bruins from 1997 to 2000, where he was a three-year starter. He also started as a coach at his alma mater, UCLA, as a grad assistant.

Find social media reactions to the rumors of Tony White to UCLA below.

8 candidates to replace Chip Kelly at UCLA, including Minnesota’s P.J. Fleck

Chip Kelly is off to Columbus. Here’s who the Bruins could target as they embark on a late-cycle search.

Seemingly no matter what time of year, the never-ending college football coaching carousel continues to spin.

Just as the dust began to settle after the domino effect that followed Nick Saban’s retirement at Alabama, Boston College’s Jeff Hafley kicked off another wave of coaching movement.

Hafley left to become the Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator, and newly hired Ohio State offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien was brought in to replace him.

Now, another Power Five job appears to be opening as UCLA’s Chip Kelly is expected to leave his position to become the Buckeyes’ offensive coordinator, as was first reported by The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman.

Kelly was rumored to be on the hot seat at the end of 2023, but an upset win over USC likely saved his job. Still, he was apparently looking for greener pastures and was reportedly in the mix for several NFL offensive coordinator jobs.

He has now found his soft landing spot, and he’ll leave Los Angeles behind with a 35-34 record in a six-year tenure that was headlined by a 9-4 finish in 2022.

Now, as the Bruins embark on a coaching search very late in the cycle, here are eight names that could be in the mix for this job, including another sitting Big Ten head coach.

UCLA head coach Chip Kelly interviews for Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator job

Chip Kelly wants out of UCLA. Will another NFL or college team hire him?

It seems obvious by now: Chip Kelly is tired of the recruiting game. He just wants to call plays for an offense in the NFL or in college. Being the leader of a college football program is something he no longer seems to relish, at least at UCLA.

Kelly is, according to NFL insiders, making contact with NFL teams. He is doing the chasing, not the NFL teams themselves. The latest team he is pursuing for a possible NFL offensive coordinator job: the Seattle Seahawks under new head coach Mike Macdonald.

UCLA Wire has more:

“The UCLA Bruins head coach reportedly interviewed with the Las Vegas Raiders for their OC job and was mentioned as a candidate for the Washington Commanders opening before Kliff Kingsbury was hired.

“Now, it turns out Kelly is interviewing for the Seattle Seahawks OC job, per a report from Benjamin Solak of The Ringer. In Solak’s tweet, he put Oregon HC but later corrected it in the reply.

“Kelly’s name again is included in an NFL OC opening, and it might be a matter of time before he heads back to the pros. The Seahawks were thought to be targeting Alabama OC Ryan Grubb, who followed Kalen DeBoer from Washington.”

The other plot point to watch with Chip Kelly: Will Bill O’Brien leave his spot as Ohio State offensive coordinator to take the head coaching job at Boston College? If so, Kelly could become Ohio State offensive coordinator. The Buckeyes have other ace recruiters on staff. Kelly would not be expected to do a lot of recruiting if hired by Ryan Day.

UCLA fans want Kelly to go, but the Bruins will likely have a hard time finding a quality coach this late in the carousel cycle. They’re in a tough spot.

Such a shame, right? Maybe they should have fired Chip in November when they had the chance.

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Kliff Kingsbury’s move to the Raiders might have affected UCLA football’s future

The Raiders interviewed Chip Kelly multiple times for their OC position, but Kliff Kingsbury won the job instead.

The football offseason contained a lot of coaching carousel questions and plot points. One notable drama revolved around Kliff Kingsbury, who was on Lincoln Riley’s 2023 coaching staff at USC and was expected to land an NFL coordinator job or a college job either as head coach or offensive coordinator. That drama came to an end on Thursday when it was reported that the Las Vegas Raiders had settled on Kingsbury as their choice for offensive coordinator. Raiders Wire has more details.

There had been speculation that the Chicago Bears might be interested in Kingsbury for their offensive coordinator spot, but the Bears chose Seattle Seahawk offensive coordinator Shane Waldron instead. The door was closed to the possibility that Kingsbury would call plays for Caleb Williams in Chicago.

Kingsbury’s move did not affect Caleb Williams, then. Kingsbury’s move to the Raiders might have affected someone else’s future, and by extension, the future of USC’s chief football rival, the UCLA Bruins.

Kingsbury, by getting the Raiders’ offensive coordinator job, prevented Chip Kelly from getting the same job. Raiders Wire picked up reports noting that the Las Vegas franchise interviewed Kelly multiple times for the offensive coordinator vacancy on new coach Antonio Pierce’s staff.

Kingsbury might have prevented Chip Kelly from leaving UCLA, something Bruin fans desperately want to see. Kingsbury might have therefore caused Chip Kelly and UCLA fans to be stuck with each other for another year, though Kelly might still try to land another NFL coordinator job.

Life works in mysterious ways.

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