Joel Klatt Makes Feelings Clear About Huge College Football News

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Rowan Fisher-Shotton | Last updated Sep 15, 2025 11:59 AM ET

The UCLA Bruins dropped to 0-3 on Friday with a 35-10 home loss to the New Mexico Lobos, capping a three-game stretch in which the Bruins never led and allowed at least 30 points in every game.

As a result, the school moved Sunday to dismiss second-year coach DeShaun Foster, who finished 5-10 over 15 games.

Meanwhile, in Blacksburg, the Virginia Tech Hokies' 45-26 loss to the Old Dominion Monarchs triggered their first 0-3 start since 1987 and the end of Brent Pry’s tenure at 16-24 across three-plus seasons.

The Hokies were outscored 34-0 after halftime by the Vanderbilt Commodores the week prior and trailed ODU 28-0 at the break on Saturday.

On Monday, Joel Flatt spoke out on his show, "The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football Podcast," offering his take on the recent firings.

"I totally get it," Klatt said. "I get the timing and I get the pressure that programs are under to signal to recruits and signal to those that they're trying to get to commit to their school that ... however, I hate this timing."

"I understand why you've got to make this decision now, I just hate it," Klatt added. "It's similar to watching kids go through parents getting divorced. It sucks. And it typically falls on the players themselves to circle the wagons, make sure that there's some self-discipline and in every one of these situations, guys fall through the cracks. ... It just kind of all falls apart. So, that's why I hate it for right now."

Foster’s dismissal came two days after New Mexico’s 25-point win at the Rose Bowl, following UCLA's earlier losses to Utah (43-10) and UNLV (30-23). UCLA averaged just 14.3 points per game, ranked in the bottom quartile nationally on both sides of the ball through three weeks, and was outscored 30-0 in first quarters across those games.

Foster’s buyout is expected to be approximately $6 million under a five-year, $15 million contract structure with 70% payout on the remaining salary.

Special assistant Tim Skipper was named interim coach as UCLA begins a national search backed by a committee of athletics leaders and alumni.

As for Pry, Virginia Tech President Tim Sands announced Sunday he had been relieved of his duties after the Hokies’ 0-3 start, which included defeats to South Carolina (24-11), Vanderbilt (44-20) and Old Dominion (45-26).

The school named offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery interim head coach and tasked Board of Visitors members with working alongside leadership to present a financial and organizational plan for the program later this month.

Pry’s record closes at 16-24 (10-13 ACC) with a 2023 Military Bowl win and a Duke’s Mayo Bowl loss last season, but no AP Top 25 appearances in his tenure.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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