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Top 5 Coaches To Replace DeShaun Foster As UCLA Bruins Head Coach

Originally posted on LAFB Network | By Ryan Dyrud | Last updated Sep 7, 2025 5:13 PM ET

The UCLA Bruins football program is about as low as it has been in quite some time. In Chip Kelly’s final season, things felt bleak, but even that year the Bruins finished 8-5 with an LA Bowl win.

After Kelly left to become the OC for the Ohio State Buckeyes (now the OC for the Raiders in the NFL), running back coach DeShaun Foster was given the keys to the program by AD Martin Jarmond.

It was a somewhat perplexing hire at the time, but Foster is a UCLA Alum and absolutely loves the program.

Unfortunately, love and passion do not always translate to results.

The UCLA Bruins finished 5-7 last year and 12th in the Big Ten. While it was a drop from the previous season, the team improved during the year and was very competitive. Conventional wisdom said that with his first full offseason, Foster could improve the roster and thus improve in year two.

It feels early to even consider a coaching change, but that is how bad the first two games have gone. A blowout loss to Utah at home in Week 1 and a demoralizing loss at the hands of the UNLV Rebels in Week 2 have the future looking very bleak.

In reality, it is very unlikely that Martin Jarmond will move on from Foster during the season, let alone afterwards. However, while the buyout figure has not been publicly disclosed, Foster is in Year 2 of a 5-year, roughly $15 million contract, so a buyout would be extremely cheap, even for a program that is strapped for cash.

Foster can certainly turn things around, and we absolutely hope that he does, but if he doesn’t, here are 5 of the best options to replace him as head coach of the UCLA Bruins.

Top 5 Coaches To Replace DeShaun Foster As UCLA Bruins HC

Tony White, Florida State Defensive Coordinator

Tony White is the most obvious choice as the next UCLA Bruins head coach. Not only is he a UCLA alum (standout linebacker), but he is also one of the top coordinators in the country.

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He led Nebraska’s defense to a Top 20 ranking and a reputation as one of the stingiest units in not just the Big Ten, but all of College Football. That earned him a raise as he took the Florida State DC job this past offseason.

FSU famously knocked off Alabama in Week 1, in large part thanks to White’s defense.

His former boss, Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule, has publicly endorsed White as head coaching material, and there were rumors that he was in the mix for the job before Jarmond ultimately hired Foster.

Depending on how this season finishes, he could be one of the hottest names in the cycle, so hiring him would likely come with a hefty price tag.

Jimbo Fisher, Former Texas A&M And Florida State Head Coach

Top 5 Coaches To Replace DeShaun Foster As UCLA Bruins Head Coach 4 Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Hiring Jimbo Fisher is a massive long shot and likely not a great fit for the UCLA Bruins, if we are being honest, but his name and pedigree would certainly get the fan base excited, which desperately needs a spark.

Fisher is currently a free agent, after he was fired by Texas A&M. He had a massive buyout that the Aggies will be paying for quite some time, meaning that he could actually be a fairly cheap option if he is simply looking to get back into coaching and put some positivity on his resume.

While it did not work out at Texas A&M, Fisher made a name for himself at Florida State, where he led the Seminoles to a BCS National Championship in 2014. He has a 128-48 overall record and an 8-2 record in Bowl Games.

Alex Golesch, South Florida Head Coach

Top 5 Coaches To Replace DeShaun Foster As UCLA Bruins Head Coach 5 David Butler II-Imagn Images

Perhaps this is some immediate recency bias after South Florida just upset Florida on Saturday. However, Golesch is building a program with the Bulls and will be one of the hot names for an upgrade to a more prestigious program this offseason.

Since taking the South Florida job in 2023, he has a 16-12 record and is 2-0 in Bowl Games.

He may not be a household name like some of the others, but he has built a program from the ground up and could be a great builder for the UCLA Bruins.

Ben Arbuckle, Oklahoma Offensive Coordinator

Ben Arbuckle was one of the big coordinator hires this offseason, as the Oklahoma Sooners brought him in from Washington State.

At just 29 years old, he is one of the youngest coordinators in College Football, so there would certainly be questions about whether he is ready to take over as the leader of a program, but his resume speaks for itself.

His quarterback at Washington State, John Mateer, followed him to Oklahoma, and the two have the Sooners sitting at 2-0 after a big win over Michigan.

Mateer is one of the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy, and a lot of that is thanks to Arbuckle.

It could be a little early, but sometimes you have to take a risk to get the next great head coach.

David Shaw, Former Stanford Head Coach

Top 5 Coaches To Replace DeShaun Foster As UCLA Bruins Head Coach 6 Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

If he even wants to get back into coaching, David Shaw would probably be the safest hire for the UCLA Bruins. He is the former head coach of the Stanford Cardinal and had a lot of success running a program that is similar to the UCLA Bruins in terms of academic standards.

However, his final 4 seasons with the Cardinal were all sub-4 win seasons, so there are plenty of questions about whether he would be able to rebuild the Bruins to what they could be.

Currently, he is the passing game coordinator for the Detroit Lions. Perhaps being back on the sidelines will light a fire for him to get back into the head coaching game.

I’m not sure if going the re-tread route is the best option for the Bruins, but Shaw is a man with immense integrity, and he would run the program the right way. Would that translate to wins? That is the bigger question.

Honorable Mentions – Extreme Long Shots

Barry Odom, Purdue Head Coach – Odom was just hired by Purdue after having a successful run at UNLV (who just beat UCLA), so it is unlikely that he would leave after just one year. Either way, it would be worth a phone call.

Jedd Fisch, Washington Head Coach – Jedd Fisch is truly the coach that got away. Not only did he serve as the OC of the UCLA Bruins and the interim head coach in 2017, but he has been tied multiple times to the program and expressed a desire to be in Westwood. Now, it is extremely unlikely that he would leave a Washington program, and his salary of $7.75 million is likely out of the Bruins’ price range.

Thoughts, Bruin Nation? Comment below!

This article first appeared on LAFB Network and was syndicated with permission.

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