This post was updated Oct. 2 at 11:21 p.m.

UCLA football (0-4, 0-1 Big Ten) is officially 0-1 with interim head coach Tim Skipper after its loss to Northwestern. The defeat illustrated two things: Skipper will not salvage this program, and this squad is as bad as everyone thought it was. With few winnable games left, the focus has turned toward the future – more specifically, who will be UCLA’s next head honcho. The Bruins’ last two leaders – Chip Kelly and DeShaun Foster – clearly did not work in Westwood and faced calls for their removal long before ultimately making their exits. The next coaching hire will be UCLA’s most crucial, and the committee responsible for such a choice bears the weight of the decision. Daily Bruin Sports editor Connor Dullinger gives his five optimal and most realistic predictions on who the program’s next leader will be.

Tony White, Florida State defensive coordinator

Tony White is the obvious and most likely candidate to helm UCLA football in 2026.

He was a three-year starter in Westwood, praised by his former teammates as a leader in the locker, weight room and on the field – evidenced by his position versatility and his ability to command the defense.

And although some might call for UCLA to avoid alumni after Foster’s coaching catastrophe, White boasts coaching experience that far exceeds Foster’s.

[Related: Fos Era over in Westwood as UCLA parts ways with DeShaun Foster after 15 games]

White has served as the defensive coordinator for multiple schools, with a resume that includes stops at Arizona State, Syracuse, Nebraska and Florida State.

He was a Broyles Award nominee – an honor recognizing the nation’s best assistant coach – in 2022 at Syracuse and 2023 at Nebraska, after helping produce the Big Red’s best defensive statistical season since the squad joined the Big Ten in 2011, molding a unit that allowed just 18.3 points per contest.

White’s defenses ranked in the top-25 nationally in total yards allowed from 2021 to 2024. He also has recruiting experience, earning Mountain West Recruiter of the Year awards in 2011 and 2013, along with a Non-Power Five Recruiter of the Year selection in 2014.

His defensive coaching proficiency is evident. He has Power Four experience and recruiting familiarity – all of which are ingredients to the Bruins’ next head coaching recipe.

Will Stein, Oregon, Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach

Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay changed the entire landscape of coaching hires.

McVay was the youngest head coach hired in the modern era when he was chosen to helm the Rams at just 30 years old. And he showed that youthful energy and expertise can foster champions after he won the Super Bowl at 36.

Oregon football coach Dan Lanning is a McVay prototype, and his staff mirrors McVay’s success. As offensive coordinator, 36-year-old Will Stein has transformed the new era Ducks, helping consistently produce one of the best offensive units in the nation.

In 2023 – Stein’s first campaign as Oregon’s offensive coordinator – the Ducks ranked second in the country in yards and points per game – with 531 and 44.2, respectively – while leading the nation in passing yards per contest with 346.

And his first season was not a one-hit wonder.

Stein’s offense finished in the top-25 in the same three statistical categories in 2024 and ranks 12th in yards per game and seventh in points per game through four affairs in the 2025 campaign.

The Bruins’ offense has struggled to produce across the last two seasons and has often resembled high school offenses instead. Stein boasts youth and experience at the highest level and has demonstrated that he can foster an explosive attack.

Tosh Lupoi, Oregon defensive coordinator

Although Lupoi may lack Stein’s “Sean McVay” archetype, he brings prestigious college football experience.

Lupoi spent five seasons at Alabama, coaching the outside linebackers before moving into the defensive coordinator position. During his Tuscaloosa tenure, Lupoi helped Alabama reach the College Football Playoff five times and the national championship four times, with a pair of title wins.

He co-coordinated the defense for two years and took sole charge prior to the 2018 season. Among the players he coached at Alabama were First Team All-Americans and future NFL defenders Quinnen Williams and Deionte Thompson.

After crafting an illustrious career with the Crimson Tide, Lupoi went to the NFL, where he served as a defensive line coach for the Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars.

Lupoi helped coach defensive ends Myles Garrett and Josh Hines-Allen, along with defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, during the coordinator’s time in the pros.

Simply put, he has done it on the highest level with the best of the best.

He worked with one of the greatest coaches of all time in Nick Saban and coached some of the best talent in the NFL today. If there is anyone who understands talent acquisition, development and retention, it is Lupoi.

The Bruins’ defense is one of the nation’s worst, and no one is left to steer the defensive ship after former defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe’s departure.

[Related: Defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe mutually parts way with UCLA]

And Lupoi could assume the captain’s mantle.

Jedd Fisch, Washington head coach

The Bruins football program is a dumpster fire.

And Jedd Fisch knows how to turn a program around.

Before taking the reins at Washington, Fisch led Arizona to a 10-3 record – the program’s best since 1998 – a No. 11 ranking in the final AP poll and an Alamo Bowl victory over Oklahoma.

Although Fisch went 6-18 across his first two seasons in Tucson, he revolutionized the Wildcats in the third year of his tenure.

Fisch even received a pair of nominations following his 2023 campaign at Arizona – the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year award and the Dodd Trophy, which is given to the top coach in the nation each year.

And Fisch’s move to Seattle did not impede his coaching ability.

A year removed from the departure of quarterback and first-round NFL draft pick Michael Penix Jr., along with a national championship appearance, Fisch led the Huskies to a 6-7 record last season, picking up wins against then-No. 10 Michigan, USC and UCLA. The Huskies are 3-1 thus far in the 2025 campaign, with their sole defeat coming against No. 1 Ohio State last week.

Fisch not only boasts head coaching experience for multiple Power Four teams, but he has also demonstrated the ability to carry programs from the trough of a conference to the peak.

He also has NFL experience after serving as the quarterbacks coach for the New England Patriots and as the senior offensive assistant and assistant offensive coordinator for the Rams.

Although his contract buyout may be steep, Fisch may be the best semi-realistic head coach the Bruins can hire. Fisch also boasts Bruin ties after spending the 2017 season as the program’s offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach and eventually the interim head coach when Jim Mora was fired.

Kalani Sitake, BYU head coach

While Sitake has been a coach for 25 seasons, his reputation has grown the most in the last five.

He has garnered just two losing seasons in his last nine years as the Cougars’ head honcho, producing a pair of 11-win campaigns and winning five bowl games. Throughout his Cougar tenure, he has a 72-43 record – good for a .626 win percentage.

The biggest problem in the way of his Westwood entrance is his status as a BYU alumnus. The Cougar leader was a three-year starter at fullback and was a team captain his senior year.

Sitake’s ties to the Cougars are strong, and I doubt the chance to coach UCLA football will convince him to leave his alma mater.

But this season will mark Sitake’s tenth year coaching the Cougars, and if he wants to blaze a new trail elsewhere, Westwood may be the perfect destination.

Sitake is a veteran with experience dealing with big donors, big recruits and an even bigger fanbase.

All things the Bruins currently lack.

Other candidates considered:

D’Anton Lynn, USC defensive coordinator

A D’Anton Lynn hire could make for the most bizarre homecoming in UCLA history.

Lynn served as the Bruins’ defensive coordinator for one season and elevated the squad’s defense from a No. 87 ranking in 2022 to a No. 10 finish in 2023. But Lynn left for the same position at USC just one season after completely redefining the Bruins’ defense.

The former Bruin defensive coordinator has the coaching expertise to helm one of the best groups in the country and boasts familiarity with LA and UCLA.

He has worked with big-time collegiate programs and the NFL and knows how the show is run.

But I think his recent move across town makes it all too unlikely Bruin fans see him back on the Rose Bowl sideline – unless he’s wearing red and gold.

Alex Golesh, South Florida head coach

I will put it this way – Alex Golesh did not earn a selection, not because I believe he would not get hired, but because I believe the Bruins need to stay away from the Golesh archetype.

UCLA football needs a coach who has done it at the highest possible level.

That means recruiting the best of the best, working with incomprehensible amounts of money and developing players to play against the upper echelon of collegiate football talent.

A coach from a non-Power Four will not cut it, and that does not stop with Golesh.