DeShaun Foster is out at UCLA, here's who could take over the Bruins

Less than two years after promoting decorated alum DeShaun Foster to head coach, UCLA is back in the market for a program leader.

Foster, a UCLA assistant and standout running back in Westwood and in the NFL, was elevated very late in the 2023-24 coaching carousel. A solid finish to last season and an offseason highlighted by the transfer addition of quarterback Nico Iamaleava generated newfound excitement around the program. But then, the games began, and it was ugly right away.

After an 0-3 start in which UCLA was outscored 108-43, the school fired Foster on Sept. 14, two days after the Bruins were blown out by New Mexico at a mostly empty Rose Bowl.

UCLA badly needs a jolt as it tries to establish itself in the Big Ten. Athletic director Martin Jarmond, who hired Foster and has faced criticism, will lead the search, but there are questions how much control he will really have. -- Adam Rittenberg

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Candidates | Transfers | Recruits

Five candidates

UCLA has baked-in financial challenges, especially as a Big Ten member, but can still offer an appealing location for recruits and transfers. The program needs a clear focus and could benefit from an experienced head coach or a proven assistant.

Florida State defensive coordinator Tony White: A UCLA alum, White's name has gained steam in coaching searches, and he spoke with UCLA before the team hired Foster. He has since moved from Nebraska to Florida State, which opened the season with a massive win against Alabama and could challenge for the ACC title. White, 46, comes from the Rocky Long coaching tree and worked in Southern California as a San Diego State assistant from 2009 to 2017. He would be a first-time head coach, which could turn off UCLA, but has the credentials to lead his own program.

BYU coach Kalani Sitake: He's fairly established at his alma mater and would need some assurances -- beyond the Big Ten membership -- to leave a good situation in Provo. But Sitake also is in his 10th year at BYU and might want to restart his clock. The 49-year-old has spent most of his career at Utah but also worked at Oregon State and knows the West Coast and California recruiting scene. Sitake is 74-43 as an FBS coach and would bring an identity of physicality and toughness to Westwood.

Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Tommy Rees: He was born in Los Angeles and has ties to the UCLA program through his father, Bill, a Bruins assistant from 1979 to 1994 under Terry Donahue. Tommy Rees has quickly risen up the coaching ranks, earning offensive coordinator titles at Notre Dame, where he played quarterback, as well as Alabama and now the NFL's Browns. Just 33, Rees was a strong candidate for North Carolina's head-coaching vacancy this past offseason and likely will be leading his own team in the near future.

Boise State coach Spencer Danielson: The 36-year-old grew up in Southern California and played college football at San Diego and Azusa Pacific before entering coaching. He has been at Boise State since 2017, became head coach late in the 2023 season and led the Broncos to their first CFP appearance last year. Danielson, 36, is very connected to Boise State and has an easier playoff path there than at UCLA. But the school should certainly gauge his interest in returning to his home state and coaching in the Big Ten.

Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi: If UCLA wants to make a major personnel splash, like Syracuse did with Fran Brown, it could look at Lupoi, one of the more notable recruiters on the West Coast. The 44-year-old began his career at Cal, his alma mater, and then Washington before an extensive run with Nick Saban at Alabama and then in the NFL with three times. He has returned to the college game at Oregon under Dan Lanning and last year helped the Ducks to a Big Ten title and a CFP appearance. UCLA has been too quiet for years, and Lupoi would definitely increase the volume in Westwood. -- Rittenberg

Three key players to retain

Foster and his staff tried to flip the roster with 30 new transfers this offseason, second-most in the Big Ten, but didn't see much early payoff from those pickups. The Bruins lost 14 transfers to other Power 4 programs in the offseason, and an early coaching change should have personnel departments taking a closer look at who's still left on the roster who might be worth pursuing.

QB Nico Iamaleava: So...what should UCLA do here? Foster and AD Martin Jarmond raved about the attention that Iamaleava would bring to their struggling program, hoping the Tennessee transfer was worth a few more wins by himself. Iamaleava hasn't been awful but ranks 14th in the Big Ten in passing yards (608) and QBR (51.6) with four turnovers through three games. The next coach will have to decide if he's worth the high price tag, unless Iamaleava's camp makes that decision for UCLA by putting him back on the open market. There wasn't as much interest on the post-spring portal market as they expected, and the current situation at UCLA clearly isn't getting him any closer to becoming an early-round draft pick. The redshirt sophomore has two more seasons of eligibility after this year.

RB Anthony Woods: One of the few bright spots for this UCLA team through three games has been Woods, a former Utah and Idaho transfer who has put up 117 rushing yards, 91 receiving yards and one score in his debut season. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound back was an All-Big Sky performer at the FCS level but couldn't break through in his lone season with the Utes due to injury and redshirted in 2024. He's putting enough on tape to warrant some interest with one season of eligibility remaining.

CB Rodrick Pleasant: After playing two years in a reserve role at Oregon, Pleasant has started all three games this season for the Bruins. The 5-foot-10, 175-pound defensive back is one of the fastest players in college football as a two-year letterwinner in track at Oregon with a college PR of 10.16 in the 100-meter dash and can play two more seasons. -- Max Olson

Three key recruits

OT Micah Smith, No. 46 in the ESPN 300: Despite a shaky 2024 debut, Foster had found his stride on the recruiting trail in the past nine months and held the nation's 21st-ranked class in 2026 at the time of his exit. That class is anchored by Smith, ESPN's No. 7 offensive tackle prospect and the top-ranked pledge of Foster's tenure. Smith is especially close with Bruins offensive line coach Andy Kwon, whose future with the program could play a role in how Smith's recruitment plays out from here. Either way, Smith is the exact kind of polished line of scrimmage talent Foster's replacement will need in order to compete in the Big Ten. And it's the reason why June finalists Alabama, Illinois, Ohio State, South Carolina and Tennessee will likely also be among the programs that now try to swoop in for Smith in the coming weeks.

DE Carter Gooden, No. 43 defensive end: While Foster placed an emphasis on recruiting the state of California, his ability to pull recruits from across the country was a genuine bright spot in short-lived run leading UCLA. Gooden, a high-upside edge defender from Massachusetts' Tabor Academy, marked a prime example of that when the Bruins beat Penn State, Michigan State and Boston College to Gooden's pledge in July. Gooden remains the top-ranked defender in UCLA's 2026 class. But with uncertainty hanging over the Bruins' future, expect Boston College to make a renewed local push and further flip interest from elsewhere to flood in for Gooden, whose recruitment could hold implications with Tabor Academy and fellow Bruins defensive line pledge Marcus Almada, too.

DT David Schwerzel, No. 38 defensive tackle: With Anthony Jones and Yahya Gaad already decommitted from a talented defensive line class, hanging onto Schwerzel has to be a priority for the Bruins going forward. The fourth-ranked prospect in the state of Washington picked UCLA over Stanford and Washington in June, and both runner-ups have been in contact this month. Texas A&M has also entered the mix for Schwerzel, who could be the next domino to fall in the exodus from the Bruins' 2026 defensive class.

-- Eli Lederman