Nobody remembers Bill Bilichick ? His age notwithstanding, his skills and football knowledge transcended anything negative about him. If he is mentally young enough to be with his girlfriend his granddaughter's age, he should be able to handle UCLA football.
I am, of course, saying it tongue in cheek. But he is worth a try.
Hey bro, if he is indeed one of our targets ( of course he isn't, LOL !!! ), just gimme a chance to approach him one on one. The girl problem is easy. Nothing cannot be done by the stroke of a pen. " Have fun honey, I got to go " That's it !!
Tour de Force article, Dimitri. (Per usual.) Thank you for laying out the [mine]field we are traipsing across.*
Cannot improve on this in anyway, not that I would. But, some nights I will wake up screaming as we relive the Kelly hiring and the search:
(1) Keep Troy Aikman as far away from the selection process as possible. Someone start a fund to purchase him an around-the-world cruise lasting through next March.
(2) The Fetus will screw this up by trying to gloss over his incompetence and we will end up with someone from your "bad pile" and enter into a "Chipster II" 35-35 half decade. He will then sashay off to Ohio State as Assistant AD or publicity boss or toilet attendant or something.
To tell the truth, I am praying that Chancellor Frenk will get some of the old Miami juices flowing and start wielding the scythe mercilessly!
OK, two Nembutal and another run at an afternoon nap!
Reading various websites this morning the consensus is that our “athletic director” should not be involved in the hiring process for a new coach. Rhetorical question: why is the guy still employed?
Just my opinion, but not even a position coach (like DeShaun Foster) would probably take this job as long as Martin Jarmond is AD. Just a cold-hearted fact. As much as Foster wasn't qualified for the head coaching position, it's obvious even to a layman out there that Jarmond is in no way qualified to be an Athletic Director ANYWHERE. Come on Frenk, do your damn job and fire this clown before he ruins all the rest of your athletics, although it may already be too late for even that!
But normally "those people" will want that annual salary to last for a longer time. To take a job for 4-5-6-7 million a year for 5 years doesn't go as far these days especially with California tax structure. Hence, no I think you'll find a lot of qualified candidates saying no mas to this kind of job. It's a career killer.
oh i did not say a lot of qualified people will do a lot of things for an annual salary. but a QB coach from a crappy school would jump at the opportunity to coach UCLA. What do you think Jerry Neuheisel is going to do if they offer him 5 years 20 mil?
Only a Jarmond would select a QB coach from a crappy school. Are you saying Jarmond will select the new coaching and GM? If you are, prepare for more of the same, LOSING. The situation with UCLA football is 100% toxic, not many QULIFIED candidates, whether you think they want the million dollar job or not will be like Chip Kelly and just take anything for a paycheck and if I were selecting a coach I would be cognizant of this fact and not select such a candidate because again, I just get more of the same and in 12-14 months end up selecting yet another GM & Head coach.
Kudos to Bill Plaschke for his commentary in the L.A. Times yesterday. The DSF firing cost $6.43M and we still have the same inept AD and presumably another HC selection committee working to help minimize his responsibility and accountability for hiring the next HC (and coaching staff). Curious to see if they choose someone listed on the MB Coaching Hot Board or get somebody totally unexpected, how much money they spend on getting that person, and the ensuing roster reconstruction for next season. But until then, back to the usual football program full of false hopes, low expectations, and continuing mediocrity.
I'd add G.J. Kinne in to the Intriguing Options category. He is the current head coach of Texas State, a ...sigh... future Pac-12 school.
He was a college QB at Texas before transferring to Tulsa and becoming a 4 year starter under Gus Malzahn. After bouncing around a few pro teams in the NFL and Canada, he began his coaching career in 2017 at SMU and has worked his way up from there. He's been a head coach for the last 3 years. He went 12-2 with Incarnate Word in the FCS, losing by 3 in the national semifinals to North Dakota St, and he has coached the last 2 years at Texas State in the Sun Belt Conf, going 8-5 and winning the First Responder Bowl both years.
He is a Texas guy with roots to that area, and he has 5 years left on his contract, so UCLA may not be an ideal option for him, but I think he's worth looking into from our side.
You could throw Kinne in a similar situation as Sumrall in that Kinne is very much a Texas guy, and there's been a pretty consistent trend in recent years of Texas guys working really well in Texas and not very well outside of it.
This isn't me saying Kinne isn't a good coach - I think he's excellent and is probably in line for the Baylor job should that open up - but I don't think he's right for this specific opening.
Agreed, hence my last sentence. UT is not opening soon so I'd expect him to jump to Baylor or TCU or Texas Tech or something there. But it's worth asking. If he (or anyone) isn't all in on our job, then it's best to keep looking. We don't want to be a stepping stone, and we sure don't want any Chip's who are just looking for a paycheck while they're not doing anything else.
it's so embarrassing for the sport that Texas State will join the Pac 12 (Pac 2?). Even though the Pac 12 is now barely even a mid major. Larry Scott is an asshole.
Glad you have Entz on your list. I love that he’s been at a blue collar programs like Fresno State, a championship program like NDSU, and a blue blood like…well…that school across town.
I personally think he’d be a good hire, but if I’d prioritize anyone or anything it’d be a fundraiser who get donors back to the table and get an influx of talent.
I don’t know if Entz is that guy—he was hired at Fresno State before USC hired away Notre Dame’s GM—so I’m not sold on his ability to recruit.
I know Fisch can, and I know he can coach. He should probably be top of the list.
Also I think Tony White’s prepared for the job. Word is he laid out a plan for everything UCLA needed to do to get relevant again, so he understands the landscape and the elbow grease we’ll need at every level. Apparently Jarmond was put off by that, which says a lot about his football aptitude.
For what it's worth, there's more and more reporting out there that Jarmond isn't going to actually be involved in the search and Frenk will take "an active role" - mentioning Bolch's interview with the Chancellor in this article lends some credence to the assertions IMHO
Assuming the article is reality, Jarmond is taking sole credit for Foster being fired and he assumes he will be involved/head the committee for a new coach and Frenk just a final OK man. A recipe for disaster if Frenk does not fire Jarmond or at least keep him miles away from the selection process.
BTW, read several articles from other university newspapers claiming that they are in heavy negotiations for several of our top former commits who have decommitted.. Four star linemen J. Jones and A. Jones, three star Gad and Schwerzel , linebacker Fruen and Cooper Javorsky. Something we all knew was likely, and probably more to come, but something that had to be done for the future of the program.
Of course Jarmond's going to publicly claim that, whether actually true or not - anyone in his position would. Neither him, nor anyone else in his position, would publicly say "I've been cut out of the process and have no power nor role" if they weren't resigning, even if it's the actual case. I take more from the Frenk interview with Bolch and, again, if the article is accurate, the quote "To that point, Last Word has received double confirmation that the committee, in its search for a new head coach, will report its findings and recommendations directly to Chancellor Frenk." which pretty clearly implies that the Chancellor (a) cares and understands the gravity of the situation and (b) will be the decision-maker without Jarmond's input - which would follow the precedent set by his actions at Miami. Let's hope.
I agree that Jarmond must go - but I'd submit again that replacing an AD - and doing it right - isn't just an "elevate a staffer" quick interim choice and for a Chancellor who's only been here a few months and who may have wanted to observe evidence and analyze results before coming to a conclusion (y'know, the scientific method... he comes from a research background after all...) I'd consider it the best of both worlds if he cuts Jarmond out of this process while doing due diligence to find the best possible AD for UCLA.
I have moved to the side of: Frenk absolutely gets it.
From the article: "Multiple sources confirm the coaching search committee will report directly to Frenk, not Jarmond. When your boss creates a workaround to bypass your authority, it’s usually a sign your days are numbered."
My disgust toward Jelly 2.0 could not be greater. My blue and gold heart goes out to Foster, and I will always hope that he finds another role with the UCLA Football team when Jelly 2.0 is gone.
Maybe some anger and disgust should also be directed to any remnants of the Blockhead administration that still exist. Their painful years of mismanagement and apathy need to be replaced by a new vision and sense of urgency and seriousness for UCLA athletics going forward. I think (and hope) that all of these negative issues being publicized (social media backlash, HC hiring failures, false home attendance reporting, the secret alumni teleconference, lack of clarity on the current AD's role in hiring the next HC, etc.) will just make it easier to make the necessary and desired changes.
In the corporate world maybe... but what has Malloe done this season with this roster to justify being retained? More likely Skipper saw the regression and made it part of his agreement to step in as interim
As of right now, no one has entered the portal, and it would be hard for anyone to really do that. The players have 30 days from Foster's firing to enter the portal, but they would have trouble finding a new team this season given the vast majority of schools are on the semester system (meaning no way they can enroll at this point) and the few that still do quarters like UCLA are a step down in competition.
In addition, it's not a great look to quit on your team in the middle of a season like that. Other coaches do value that, and considering the vast majority of players have only put up bad tape so far this season, I can't imagine we'll see many transfers (if any) at this moment. Perhaps in the January portal window we'll see plenty more, especially with a new coach who would likely encourage a good amount of the team to move on, but not so much right now.
Nico in particular is likely to play out the season, if only to try and rehab his image for his next stop (I have 0 faith he will be here next season, and always assumed this was a marriage of convenience). He already took a major hit leaving a good Tennessee team over a contract dispute, and walking out on UCLA at this point would make him radioactive to most programs. Sticking it out through the rest of the season would at least let his people sell the "move closer to family" aspect as believable.
Apparently, Frenk has expressed his support of Jelly 2.0 in hiring a new coach, per a quote by Frenk posted by Ben Bolch on X.
And Frenk states how Football builds strong community and connections yet he is standing behind Jelly 2.0 - the definitive destroyer of community and connections?
If true, then Frenk has lost my vote of confidence that I had expressed in prior post.
This whole situation is one huge mess with narrative after narrative and none of us really know what is going on behind the scenes which is pretty awful, but not surprising.
Nobody remembers Bill Bilichick ? His age notwithstanding, his skills and football knowledge transcended anything negative about him. If he is mentally young enough to be with his girlfriend his granddaughter's age, he should be able to handle UCLA football.
I am, of course, saying it tongue in cheek. But he is worth a try.
..except he is now being lead around with his nose ring by 25-year-old that hottie he's stapled at the hips to.
Hey bro, if he is indeed one of our targets ( of course he isn't, LOL !!! ), just gimme a chance to approach him one on one. The girl problem is easy. Nothing cannot be done by the stroke of a pen. " Have fun honey, I got to go " That's it !!
More importantly - have you watched North Carolina play this season?
Except that he is a known cheater like Chetey Petey.
Tour de Force article, Dimitri. (Per usual.) Thank you for laying out the [mine]field we are traipsing across.*
Cannot improve on this in anyway, not that I would. But, some nights I will wake up screaming as we relive the Kelly hiring and the search:
(1) Keep Troy Aikman as far away from the selection process as possible. Someone start a fund to purchase him an around-the-world cruise lasting through next March.
(2) The Fetus will screw this up by trying to gloss over his incompetence and we will end up with someone from your "bad pile" and enter into a "Chipster II" 35-35 half decade. He will then sashay off to Ohio State as Assistant AD or publicity boss or toilet attendant or something.
To tell the truth, I am praying that Chancellor Frenk will get some of the old Miami juices flowing and start wielding the scythe mercilessly!
OK, two Nembutal and another run at an afternoon nap!
Epic Planner. Epic.
Reading various websites this morning the consensus is that our “athletic director” should not be involved in the hiring process for a new coach. Rhetorical question: why is the guy still employed?
Pat Fitzgerald. Has Big 10 experience. Revived the Northwestern program.
Having conducted no research whatsoever, I'll take Jonathan Smith, Jedd Fisch, or Jon Gruden in that order.
I truly do not understand the fascination with Gruden. I'm with Dimitri; he should not be on any list.
Just my opinion, but not even a position coach (like DeShaun Foster) would probably take this job as long as Martin Jarmond is AD. Just a cold-hearted fact. As much as Foster wasn't qualified for the head coaching position, it's obvious even to a layman out there that Jarmond is in no way qualified to be an Athletic Director ANYWHERE. Come on Frenk, do your damn job and fire this clown before he ruins all the rest of your athletics, although it may already be too late for even that!
This is the consensus. Jarmond should be the next to go.
a lot of people will do a lot of things for an annual salary of $4-5 million.
But normally "those people" will want that annual salary to last for a longer time. To take a job for 4-5-6-7 million a year for 5 years doesn't go as far these days especially with California tax structure. Hence, no I think you'll find a lot of qualified candidates saying no mas to this kind of job. It's a career killer.
oh i did not say a lot of qualified people will do a lot of things for an annual salary. but a QB coach from a crappy school would jump at the opportunity to coach UCLA. What do you think Jerry Neuheisel is going to do if they offer him 5 years 20 mil?
Only a Jarmond would select a QB coach from a crappy school. Are you saying Jarmond will select the new coaching and GM? If you are, prepare for more of the same, LOSING. The situation with UCLA football is 100% toxic, not many QULIFIED candidates, whether you think they want the million dollar job or not will be like Chip Kelly and just take anything for a paycheck and if I were selecting a coach I would be cognizant of this fact and not select such a candidate because again, I just get more of the same and in 12-14 months end up selecting yet another GM & Head coach.
Kudos to Bill Plaschke for his commentary in the L.A. Times yesterday. The DSF firing cost $6.43M and we still have the same inept AD and presumably another HC selection committee working to help minimize his responsibility and accountability for hiring the next HC (and coaching staff). Curious to see if they choose someone listed on the MB Coaching Hot Board or get somebody totally unexpected, how much money they spend on getting that person, and the ensuing roster reconstruction for next season. But until then, back to the usual football program full of false hopes, low expectations, and continuing mediocrity.
Go Bruins.
I'd add G.J. Kinne in to the Intriguing Options category. He is the current head coach of Texas State, a ...sigh... future Pac-12 school.
He was a college QB at Texas before transferring to Tulsa and becoming a 4 year starter under Gus Malzahn. After bouncing around a few pro teams in the NFL and Canada, he began his coaching career in 2017 at SMU and has worked his way up from there. He's been a head coach for the last 3 years. He went 12-2 with Incarnate Word in the FCS, losing by 3 in the national semifinals to North Dakota St, and he has coached the last 2 years at Texas State in the Sun Belt Conf, going 8-5 and winning the First Responder Bowl both years.
He is a Texas guy with roots to that area, and he has 5 years left on his contract, so UCLA may not be an ideal option for him, but I think he's worth looking into from our side.
You could throw Kinne in a similar situation as Sumrall in that Kinne is very much a Texas guy, and there's been a pretty consistent trend in recent years of Texas guys working really well in Texas and not very well outside of it.
This isn't me saying Kinne isn't a good coach - I think he's excellent and is probably in line for the Baylor job should that open up - but I don't think he's right for this specific opening.
And if the Baylor job opens up, I'd assume Dave Aranda would be added to the hot board
Agreed, hence my last sentence. UT is not opening soon so I'd expect him to jump to Baylor or TCU or Texas Tech or something there. But it's worth asking. If he (or anyone) isn't all in on our job, then it's best to keep looking. We don't want to be a stepping stone, and we sure don't want any Chip's who are just looking for a paycheck while they're not doing anything else.
it's so embarrassing for the sport that Texas State will join the Pac 12 (Pac 2?). Even though the Pac 12 is now barely even a mid major. Larry Scott is an asshole.
100%. Damn he was horrible, and there were too many bureaucrats like Guerrero and Block who fiddled while Larry set the place on fire.
Glad you have Entz on your list. I love that he’s been at a blue collar programs like Fresno State, a championship program like NDSU, and a blue blood like…well…that school across town.
I personally think he’d be a good hire, but if I’d prioritize anyone or anything it’d be a fundraiser who get donors back to the table and get an influx of talent.
I don’t know if Entz is that guy—he was hired at Fresno State before USC hired away Notre Dame’s GM—so I’m not sold on his ability to recruit.
I know Fisch can, and I know he can coach. He should probably be top of the list.
Also I think Tony White’s prepared for the job. Word is he laid out a plan for everything UCLA needed to do to get relevant again, so he understands the landscape and the elbow grease we’ll need at every level. Apparently Jarmond was put off by that, which says a lot about his football aptitude.
For what it's worth, there's more and more reporting out there that Jarmond isn't going to actually be involved in the search and Frenk will take "an active role" - mentioning Bolch's interview with the Chancellor in this article lends some credence to the assertions IMHO
https://lastwordonsports.com/collegefootball/2025/09/15/79736-ucla-ad-hears-from-former-players/
Assuming the article is reality, Jarmond is taking sole credit for Foster being fired and he assumes he will be involved/head the committee for a new coach and Frenk just a final OK man. A recipe for disaster if Frenk does not fire Jarmond or at least keep him miles away from the selection process.
BTW, read several articles from other university newspapers claiming that they are in heavy negotiations for several of our top former commits who have decommitted.. Four star linemen J. Jones and A. Jones, three star Gad and Schwerzel , linebacker Fruen and Cooper Javorsky. Something we all knew was likely, and probably more to come, but something that had to be done for the future of the program.
Of course Jarmond's going to publicly claim that, whether actually true or not - anyone in his position would. Neither him, nor anyone else in his position, would publicly say "I've been cut out of the process and have no power nor role" if they weren't resigning, even if it's the actual case. I take more from the Frenk interview with Bolch and, again, if the article is accurate, the quote "To that point, Last Word has received double confirmation that the committee, in its search for a new head coach, will report its findings and recommendations directly to Chancellor Frenk." which pretty clearly implies that the Chancellor (a) cares and understands the gravity of the situation and (b) will be the decision-maker without Jarmond's input - which would follow the precedent set by his actions at Miami. Let's hope.
I agree that Jarmond must go - but I'd submit again that replacing an AD - and doing it right - isn't just an "elevate a staffer" quick interim choice and for a Chancellor who's only been here a few months and who may have wanted to observe evidence and analyze results before coming to a conclusion (y'know, the scientific method... he comes from a research background after all...) I'd consider it the best of both worlds if he cuts Jarmond out of this process while doing due diligence to find the best possible AD for UCLA.
Alex Golesh, Jamey Chadwell, Spencer Danielson
Here is a great article detailing how Jelly 2.0 set DeShaun Foster up to fail, and why Jelly 2.0 must be fired now. Truly worth the read.
https://coacheshotseat.com/martin-jarmond-set-deshaun-foster-up-to-fail-now-uclas-athletic-director-should-be-the-one-looking-for-a-new-job/
I have moved to the side of: Frenk absolutely gets it.
From the article: "Multiple sources confirm the coaching search committee will report directly to Frenk, not Jarmond. When your boss creates a workaround to bypass your authority, it’s usually a sign your days are numbered."
My disgust toward Jelly 2.0 could not be greater. My blue and gold heart goes out to Foster, and I will always hope that he finds another role with the UCLA Football team when Jelly 2.0 is gone.
Maybe some anger and disgust should also be directed to any remnants of the Blockhead administration that still exist. Their painful years of mismanagement and apathy need to be replaced by a new vision and sense of urgency and seriousness for UCLA athletics going forward. I think (and hope) that all of these negative issues being publicized (social media backlash, HC hiring failures, false home attendance reporting, the secret alumni teleconference, lack of clarity on the current AD's role in hiring the next HC, etc.) will just make it easier to make the necessary and desired changes.
You are spot on... the non-existent leadership and the detrimental mismanagement is on display and the all of the rotten apples need to exit.
Malloe out as DC.
https://x.com/IraGorawara/status/1968355709797679511
Jelly 2.0 should have been fired first.
Management 101: Jelly 2.0 firing those below him to deflect blame and to obscure his own incompetence.
💯
In the corporate world maybe... but what has Malloe done this season with this roster to justify being retained? More likely Skipper saw the regression and made it part of his agreement to step in as interim
This is apparently the only thing that the current AD is competent at. Too bad he can't fire himself...
Sporting News, Athlon, and USA Today all report that Nico is considering entering the transfer portal along with a "horde of other players".
Also, the DC, Ikaika Malloe, is gone.
Going to need a whole shit load of money to turn around and rejuvenate this sorry mess--thanks Jarmond and Kelly!
As of right now, no one has entered the portal, and it would be hard for anyone to really do that. The players have 30 days from Foster's firing to enter the portal, but they would have trouble finding a new team this season given the vast majority of schools are on the semester system (meaning no way they can enroll at this point) and the few that still do quarters like UCLA are a step down in competition.
In addition, it's not a great look to quit on your team in the middle of a season like that. Other coaches do value that, and considering the vast majority of players have only put up bad tape so far this season, I can't imagine we'll see many transfers (if any) at this moment. Perhaps in the January portal window we'll see plenty more, especially with a new coach who would likely encourage a good amount of the team to move on, but not so much right now.
Nico in particular is likely to play out the season, if only to try and rehab his image for his next stop (I have 0 faith he will be here next season, and always assumed this was a marriage of convenience). He already took a major hit leaving a good Tennessee team over a contract dispute, and walking out on UCLA at this point would make him radioactive to most programs. Sticking it out through the rest of the season would at least let his people sell the "move closer to family" aspect as believable.
WTH is going on...
Apparently, Frenk has expressed his support of Jelly 2.0 in hiring a new coach, per a quote by Frenk posted by Ben Bolch on X.
And Frenk states how Football builds strong community and connections yet he is standing behind Jelly 2.0 - the definitive destroyer of community and connections?
If true, then Frenk has lost my vote of confidence that I had expressed in prior post.
This whole situation is one huge mess with narrative after narrative and none of us really know what is going on behind the scenes which is pretty awful, but not surprising.
I wouldn’t read too much into Frenk’s statement, tbh.
^^^This
I wish I could confidently read more into yours, D.