8 Coaching Candidates to Replace Deshaun Foster at UCLA

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8 Coaching Candidates to Replace Deshaun Foster at UCLA

Steven Lassan · Athlon Sports

Sun, Sep 14, 2025 ·

4 min read

Candidates to Replace DeShaun Foster as UCLA head coach

Brent Brennan, Head Coach, ArizonaBrennan entered 2025 on the hot seat, but Arizona is off to a strong 3-0 start capped by a win over Kansas State on Friday night. While Brennan might be a bit of a longshot here, he's from California and played at UCLA. He also went 34-48 at San Jose State (2017-23), guiding the program to three bowl trips over his final four years in charge. Brennan is 7-8 so far in Tucson.

Pat Fitzgerald, Former Northwestern CoachWith Fitzgerald and Northwestern settling a lawsuit related to his dismissal at the school prior to the 2023 season, it's safe to assume he will pop up in the rumor mill for openings. During his tenure with the Wildcats, Fitzgerald went 110-101 and guided the program to 10 bowl appearances. Northwestern also had three double-digit win seasons under his direction. Fitzgerald's experience in the Big Ten could pay off for UCLA as it still gets acclimated to the conference.

PJ Fleck, Head Coach, MinnesotaFleck is another longshot, but his name was mentioned in the last coaching search that eventually ended with Foster hired to replace Chip Kelly. Fleck is 60-40 since taking over at Minnesota, including an 11-2 record in 2019 and a streak of four straight seasons with a bowl appearance (2021-24).

Alex Golesh, Head Coach, South FloridaGolesh is likely to be one of the top coaches in demand this cycle. With wins over Boise State and Florida, the Bulls are off to a 2-1 start and in great shape to contend for a spot in the College Football Playoff as the top team from the Group of 5. After working his way up through the ranks as a rising star offensive assistant at Toledo, Illinois, Iowa State, UCF, and Tennessee, Golesh took over at South Florida in '23. The Bulls showed immediate improvement with back-to-back 7-6 campaigns. Counting his '25 record, USF is 16-13 overall under Golesh. With Golesh likely to be in demand at every major opening, can UCLA win a bidding war for his services?

D'Anton Lynn, Defensive Coordinator, USCLynn has no previous experience as a head coach, but he worked at UCLA in 2023 as the program's defensive coordinator. During that season, the Bruins finished second in the Pac-12 in fewest points allowed (18.4 a game) and finished eighth nationally in fewest yards per play (4.6). Through three games in '25, USC's defense is holding teams to 16.7 points a contest.

Dan Mullen, Head Coach, UNLVMullen returned to the sidelines in 2025 after three seasons away following his dismissal at Florida in the '21 campaign. The Rebels are off to a strong start (3-0) despite having a completely revamped roster. Mullen went 34-15 at Florida (2018-21) and guided Mississippi State to a 69-46 mark from 2009-17. For a program that needs a spark, Mullen's background on offense and track record of success would be appealing

Will Stein, Offensive Coordinator, OregonStein has no experience as a head coach, but the Kentucky native is a rising star in the coordinator ranks. The former Louisville quarterback started his collegiate coaching career at UTSA in 2020 before taking over the play-calling duties with the Ducks in '23. Under Stein's watch, Oregon has finished in the top 20 nationally in scoring offense every year, including a No. 2 finish in '23 (44.2 points a game). Considering the success by the Ducks' offense (and under different quarterbacks), Stein is likely to be mentioned for several openings this season.

Tony White, Defensive Coordinator, Florida StateWhite's name popped up in the last UCLA search and could once again after Foster's dismissal. The Florida native played at UCLA from 1997-2000 and later worked with the program as a graduate assistant in '07. Since that stint, White worked as an assistant at New Mexico and San Diego State and later as a coordinator at Arizona State, Syracuse, Nebraska, and Florida State. Under White's direction, the Seminoles have shown marked improvement on defense. After giving up 28 points a contest in '24, this unit is allowing only 10 through two games this year.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Sep 14, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.