Five candidates
UCLA has baked-in financial challenges, especially as a Big Ten member, but can still offer an appealing location for recruits and transfers. The program needs a clear focus and could benefit from an experienced head coach or a proven assistant.
Florida State defensive coordinator Tony White:
A UCLA alum, White's name has gained steam in coaching searches, and he spoke with UCLA before the team hired Foster. He has since moved from Nebraska to Florida State, which opened the season with a massive win against Alabama and could challenge for the ACC title. White, 46, comes from the Rocky Long coaching tree and worked in Southern California as a San Diego State assistant from 2009 to 2017. He would be a first-time head coach, which could turn off UCLA, but he has the credentials to lead his own program.
BYU coach Kalani Sitake:
He's fairly established at his alma mater and would need some assurances -- beyond the Big Ten membership -- to leave a good situation in Provo. But Sitake also is in his 10th year at BYU and might want to restart his clock. The 49-year-old has spent most of his career at Utah but also worked at Oregon State and knows the West Coast and California recruiting scene. Sitake is 74-43 as an FBS coach and would bring an identity of physicality and toughness to Westwood.
Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Tommy Rees:
He was born in Los Angeles and has ties to the UCLA program through his father, Bill, a Bruins assistant from 1979 to 1994 under Terry Donahue. Tommy Rees has quickly risen up the coaching ranks, earning offensive coordinator titles at Notre Dame, where he played quarterback, as well as Alabama and now the NFL's Cleveland Browns. Just 33, Rees was a strong candidate for North Carolina's head-coaching vacancy this past offseason and likely will be leading his own team in the near future.
Boise State coach Spencer Danielson:
The 36-year-old grew up in Southern California and played college football at San Diego and Azusa Pacific before entering coaching. He has been at Boise State since 2017, he became the head coach late in the 2023 season and he led the Broncos to their first CFP appearance last year. Danielson, 36, is very connected to Boise State and has an easier playoff path there than at UCLA. But the school should certainly gauge his interest in returning to his home state and coaching in the Big Ten.
Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi:
If UCLA wants to make a major personnel splash, like Syracuse did with Fran Brown, it could look at Lupoi, one of the more notable recruiters on the West Coast. The 44-year-old began his career at Cal, his alma mater, and then Washington before an extensive run with Nick Saban at Alabama and then in the NFL. He has returned to the college game at Oregon under Dan Lanning and last year helped the Ducks to a Big Ten title and a CFP appearance. UCLA has been too quiet for years, and Lupoi would definitely increase the volume in Westwood. -- Rittenberg