to take stock of the mistakes that their predecessors made going back to 2002. Because I'd bet that the memory of the fan boards is better than the institutional memory at this point.
1) Don't hire a former player.
2) Don't listen to former players.
3) UCLA ties are meaningless.
4) Don't give any weight to how a coach dresses, combs his hair, etc.
5) Don't hire someone who is currently unemployed and/or in a TV studio.
6) Don't hire someone who doesn't like to recruit.
7) Don't hire someone who isn't willing to engage with donors and the fanbase.
8) Don't hire anyone unless they've either been a head coach or a star Power 4 coordinator.
9) Hire someone hungry, not some former big name looking for a retirement gig.
10) Give no weight to whether you think the coach will stay at UCLA long term.
11) Knowing about John Wooden, Jackie Robinson, or UCLA's academic tradition, or talking about how passionate they are, won't win any games.
12) Hire a coach who has the personality to be a head coach. An executive, a leader. (This sounds too obvious, but UCLA fans know better).
13) Make no demands that the coach hire anyone who is currently on the staff.
14) Run from any coach who thinks he can "bring the NFL" to college ball.
15) Don't hire anyone who's going to lower or manage expectations.