We'll see. At least he's not a hackneyed retread like Kelly and Mora. And who knows, the players seem to like him and that's gotta help. As to Jarmond I still say the jury is out, he gets no help in fact active hindrance from Block who could not care less about the Athletic Department.
I am neutral in regards to the hiring of Foster as HC. Let's see how that plays out. But point made that has been made clear awhile ago, the UCLA brass does not care about it's football program.
Hiring is hard. I’ve done it. I’ve had people who interviewed well, looked great on paper and had strong references who didn’t come close to working out. And yes, UCLA has a pattern that this fits into. We all read about Tony White and Tommy Rees. Both sounded promising and both may have succeeded. Or not. Sometimes the unknown quantity gets a bit more leeway than the guy in house. I was excited when both Neuheisel and Kelly were hired, only to be disappointed in the end. One can cite examples of coordinators that became head coaches and succeeded. And, also ones that failed. There have been position coaches that did both as well. I’d guess the odds would generally favor a coordinator over a position coach. My expectations were already lowered prior to this decision, whether it was Rees, White or Foster. I’m too old to be as certain as some.
Ok... I disagree with the analysis of DeShaun... So I will be entirely unoriginal 🤣 and repost my comment from the earlier announcement post today...
DeShaun knows the OC and LA neighborhoods for recruiting and he has a natural rapport with young players. He embraces NIL as much as I hate it, but it's good that he does. He embraces recruiting. He is a developer of players. They love and respect him. He was nominated for the Broyles award. He loves UCLA and brings authentic passion to the program. He is a skilled positions coach but also served assist head coach. He may not have the coordinator experience but I believe he will put people in positions to succeed.
If I am wrong on the above then I will accept my errors. But in the meantime, I will love and support DeShaun and I will be rooting for him each step of the way 💙💛
And I will add this... some things a resume can't possibly reveal...
I was disappointed to hear this news. I was hoping for somone with successful HC experience. Deshaun Foster is an easy guy to get behind, though. No new head coach cares if he was not the first choice, so congratulations to Deshaun! I agree about the bad news parts. Add to that, if a sitting head coach had been hired, that would open another 30-day transfer portal to possibly help the team with players following the new coach.
I know it's the usual way, but I'm not convinced that Coordinator experience is always needed before being in the Head Coach position. It's a sad tale, but more recent Bruin's HC hires have been three previous Head Coaches with Coordinator experience, and a position coach. What we need is a good coach, and we will see about that.
Let's hope Deshaun can hold on to key team members. As of now, the team lacks at four coaching positions with three coaches having left: Offensive Coordinator, QB Coach, Tight Ends Coach, and Running Back Coach. This probably means both new hires and reassignments which Deshaun will be in charge of. Stood-up this late in the cycle, it may be just as well not to have to assemble a complete new coaching staff. I think we can all hope that Foster values "continuity" less than Jarmond does. It's not a complete tear down (that's what Chip did both arriving and leaving), but it is an opportunity to change directions.
Assistant coaches were always in the shadows with the Chipster. Maybe now they will feel a little more significant with this opportunity. We do have some good coaches, and the room is not yet filled out.
I feel like that cartoon character with the dark cloud that follows over his head. We've all been so beaten down by the mediocrity of the program for so long, does anyone really care anymore?
Thank you for reminding everyone about MJ’s utter failure with the gymnastics team. I lost all respect for the man then and he has never earned it back.
Dimitri is right, this is going to be a rough start considering where Chip let the program. I am willing to see if Deshaun can right the ship. Next year will be under .500, no other way around it, but if we can be competitive in those games, that will indicate to me they are moving in the right direction. The real indicator will be next year's recruiting. He needs an OC but having been working under one for years, he should know what to look for in a hire. I am neutral and hopeful with this hire.
Well, he did get an endorsement from someone more important than any of us 🙂 per the Times website, Bosco coach Jason Negro reacted by saying "I think it's a great hire. He and I have had a great relationship. I appreciate the way he recruits. I appreciate his honesty and he knows Los Angeles and Orange counties." Would be nice to keep more Trinity League & SoCal talent at home. Certainly he'll be better than the last guy in promoting the Collective, working the money rooms and the living rooms - since that's the lowest bar possible! - and with strong coordinators he could be a better fit for the modern "CEO model" of a head coach than we suspect.
I checked out the Bruin Report Online commentary and other sources regarding other coaches that may or may not be available at this late date and saw plenty of downside along with upside for each … no west coast experience, culture shock for some from the midwest coming to the insane CA environment, insane living expenses, some whose formerly bright stars are no longer as bright, outright commitments to the teams they are with, others like Foster with no head coaching experience, or only experience with lower caliber leagues (like the Toledo coach). We also need to stop the possible exit of the players we have in the next spring portal slot and I don’t think any of the others has a better shot at doing so than Foster who is extremely popular with the players … and for good reason. His guys have consistently gone to the pros and credit much of their success to Foster’s tutelage. He’s one of the greatest players in UCLA history and his coaching record is tremendous … being nominated by peers and sports writers for being the top assistant coach in NCAA football. I’ve listened to you and others rave about Lincoln Riley for a few years and he had his hind end handed to him last year with a Heisman Trophy quarterback. I’m sure you are hurting recruiting dramatically with your insistent and chronic negativity and it is wearisome. Maybe Jarmond and his interview team learned a lot more in their interviews than you give them credit for. Also, remember Bob Toledo won 20 games in a row and was run out of town shortly after.
I live in Georgia (formerly from Westwood) and I heard some Alabama fans criticizing Nick Saban before he retired for “losing his touch”. He only had the 2nd best recruiting rating in the country with 3-5 star guys and 20 or so 4-stars). The same went for Coach Wooden after seven straight national championships, a man who me and my friends in Jr. high occasionally swept the floors in the old men’s gym to remove the wrestler’s chalk dust before basketball practice.
Also, if the team struggles next year, like USC did this year, I suggest you lay off and please break the monotonous, grinding negativity.
It’s the same old penny pinching UCLA Athletic Department. I hope Deshaun Foster does great, I think we are all rooting for him. Nonetheless, I get the impression that Jarmond is in a similar situation that I was when I had just graduated UCLA. I worked, paid the bills, and took care of the household- however, I had to ask my old man for permission and it was him who made the final decisions around the house.
I think judgement is still out on Jarmond, but it seems like he can not really do as he pleases and it’s someone above him calling the shots and he is just executing them and taking the hits for them. I might be wrong, but nothing in this hire shouts out imaginative and prepared. It’s just another patch on the wheel to just keep the truck moving.
We'll see. At least he's not a hackneyed retread like Kelly and Mora. And who knows, the players seem to like him and that's gotta help. As to Jarmond I still say the jury is out, he gets no help in fact active hindrance from Block who could not care less about the Athletic Department.
I am neutral in regards to the hiring of Foster as HC. Let's see how that plays out. But point made that has been made clear awhile ago, the UCLA brass does not care about it's football program.
Great article!
Hiring is hard. I’ve done it. I’ve had people who interviewed well, looked great on paper and had strong references who didn’t come close to working out. And yes, UCLA has a pattern that this fits into. We all read about Tony White and Tommy Rees. Both sounded promising and both may have succeeded. Or not. Sometimes the unknown quantity gets a bit more leeway than the guy in house. I was excited when both Neuheisel and Kelly were hired, only to be disappointed in the end. One can cite examples of coordinators that became head coaches and succeeded. And, also ones that failed. There have been position coaches that did both as well. I’d guess the odds would generally favor a coordinator over a position coach. My expectations were already lowered prior to this decision, whether it was Rees, White or Foster. I’m too old to be as certain as some.
Ok... I disagree with the analysis of DeShaun... So I will be entirely unoriginal 🤣 and repost my comment from the earlier announcement post today...
DeShaun knows the OC and LA neighborhoods for recruiting and he has a natural rapport with young players. He embraces NIL as much as I hate it, but it's good that he does. He embraces recruiting. He is a developer of players. They love and respect him. He was nominated for the Broyles award. He loves UCLA and brings authentic passion to the program. He is a skilled positions coach but also served assist head coach. He may not have the coordinator experience but I believe he will put people in positions to succeed.
If I am wrong on the above then I will accept my errors. But in the meantime, I will love and support DeShaun and I will be rooting for him each step of the way 💙💛
And I will add this... some things a resume can't possibly reveal...
https://twitter.com/UCLAFootball/status/1757135040100897046
I was disappointed to hear this news. I was hoping for somone with successful HC experience. Deshaun Foster is an easy guy to get behind, though. No new head coach cares if he was not the first choice, so congratulations to Deshaun! I agree about the bad news parts. Add to that, if a sitting head coach had been hired, that would open another 30-day transfer portal to possibly help the team with players following the new coach.
I know it's the usual way, but I'm not convinced that Coordinator experience is always needed before being in the Head Coach position. It's a sad tale, but more recent Bruin's HC hires have been three previous Head Coaches with Coordinator experience, and a position coach. What we need is a good coach, and we will see about that.
Let's hope Deshaun can hold on to key team members. As of now, the team lacks at four coaching positions with three coaches having left: Offensive Coordinator, QB Coach, Tight Ends Coach, and Running Back Coach. This probably means both new hires and reassignments which Deshaun will be in charge of. Stood-up this late in the cycle, it may be just as well not to have to assemble a complete new coaching staff. I think we can all hope that Foster values "continuity" less than Jarmond does. It's not a complete tear down (that's what Chip did both arriving and leaving), but it is an opportunity to change directions.
Assistant coaches were always in the shadows with the Chipster. Maybe now they will feel a little more significant with this opportunity. We do have some good coaches, and the room is not yet filled out.
I feel like that cartoon character with the dark cloud that follows over his head. We've all been so beaten down by the mediocrity of the program for so long, does anyone really care anymore?
Thank you for reminding everyone about MJ’s utter failure with the gymnastics team. I lost all respect for the man then and he has never earned it back.
Btw, very few running backs could hit a hole and glide to the outside at full speed like DeShaun Foster!
I completely disagree. This is a great choice and a new day for UCLA.
Dimitri is right, this is going to be a rough start considering where Chip let the program. I am willing to see if Deshaun can right the ship. Next year will be under .500, no other way around it, but if we can be competitive in those games, that will indicate to me they are moving in the right direction. The real indicator will be next year's recruiting. He needs an OC but having been working under one for years, he should know what to look for in a hire. I am neutral and hopeful with this hire.
Well, he did get an endorsement from someone more important than any of us 🙂 per the Times website, Bosco coach Jason Negro reacted by saying "I think it's a great hire. He and I have had a great relationship. I appreciate the way he recruits. I appreciate his honesty and he knows Los Angeles and Orange counties." Would be nice to keep more Trinity League & SoCal talent at home. Certainly he'll be better than the last guy in promoting the Collective, working the money rooms and the living rooms - since that's the lowest bar possible! - and with strong coordinators he could be a better fit for the modern "CEO model" of a head coach than we suspect.
I checked out the Bruin Report Online commentary and other sources regarding other coaches that may or may not be available at this late date and saw plenty of downside along with upside for each … no west coast experience, culture shock for some from the midwest coming to the insane CA environment, insane living expenses, some whose formerly bright stars are no longer as bright, outright commitments to the teams they are with, others like Foster with no head coaching experience, or only experience with lower caliber leagues (like the Toledo coach). We also need to stop the possible exit of the players we have in the next spring portal slot and I don’t think any of the others has a better shot at doing so than Foster who is extremely popular with the players … and for good reason. His guys have consistently gone to the pros and credit much of their success to Foster’s tutelage. He’s one of the greatest players in UCLA history and his coaching record is tremendous … being nominated by peers and sports writers for being the top assistant coach in NCAA football. I’ve listened to you and others rave about Lincoln Riley for a few years and he had his hind end handed to him last year with a Heisman Trophy quarterback. I’m sure you are hurting recruiting dramatically with your insistent and chronic negativity and it is wearisome. Maybe Jarmond and his interview team learned a lot more in their interviews than you give them credit for. Also, remember Bob Toledo won 20 games in a row and was run out of town shortly after.
I live in Georgia (formerly from Westwood) and I heard some Alabama fans criticizing Nick Saban before he retired for “losing his touch”. He only had the 2nd best recruiting rating in the country with 3-5 star guys and 20 or so 4-stars). The same went for Coach Wooden after seven straight national championships, a man who me and my friends in Jr. high occasionally swept the floors in the old men’s gym to remove the wrestler’s chalk dust before basketball practice.
Also, if the team struggles next year, like USC did this year, I suggest you lay off and please break the monotonous, grinding negativity.
Sincerely,
M. Shotwell
Ouch!
Honestly who with head coaching experience did you reasonably expect UCLA to hire?
It’s the same old penny pinching UCLA Athletic Department. I hope Deshaun Foster does great, I think we are all rooting for him. Nonetheless, I get the impression that Jarmond is in a similar situation that I was when I had just graduated UCLA. I worked, paid the bills, and took care of the household- however, I had to ask my old man for permission and it was him who made the final decisions around the house.
I think judgement is still out on Jarmond, but it seems like he can not really do as he pleases and it’s someone above him calling the shots and he is just executing them and taking the hits for them. I might be wrong, but nothing in this hire shouts out imaginative and prepared. It’s just another patch on the wheel to just keep the truck moving.