UCLA Bruins Make Shocking Move Days After Firing DeShaun Foster

The UCLA Bruins made the decision to move on from head coach DeShaun Foster after an embarrassing 0-3 start.

Just three days later, the program has now decided to mutually part ways with defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe.

Malloe was in his second season as the DC for the Bruins, taking over the position once D’Anton Lynn left for the USC Trojans across town.

While it’s hard to fully blame the coordinator, his defense currently ranks 117th out of 134 FBS teams. They are 132nd against the run, 121st in points per game allowed, 133rd on third-down conversion percentage, and dead last in tackles for loss.

It’s a unit that lost key players from last year and brought in a lot of transfers to try to fill that void. It hasn’t worked up to this point.

Tim Skipper, who was a special assistant to DeShaun Foster entering the season, was named the interim head coach and announced this move ahead of Wednesday’s practice.

UCLA Bruins Move On From Ikaika Malloe

Malloe joined the UCLA Bruins in December of 2021 as an analyst under then-head coach Chip Kelly. He was later promoted to defensive line coach, and then inside linebackers coach, before taking over as the defensive coordinator in 2024.

This is a move that would have likely happened at the end of the year, or whenever the new head coach was hired. Making the move now is interesting considering other coaches will now be tasked with an even greater workload.

Part of the reason that Foster was given the head coaching job was due to the program’s intention to keep most of their assistant coaches. Typically, when a new head coach is hired, he will bring in his own staff. Malloe was one of the assistants kept on during the process in 2023-2024.

UCLA plays at Northwestern this Saturday in what could be its best opportunity to notch a win this season. They will need to do it without both their head coach and defensive coordinator.