UCLA Hot Board: ESPN names 5 candidates to replace DeShaun Foster

DeShaun Foster lasted only 15 games as the head coach of his alma mater with UCLA firing him after an 0-3 start to this season with losses to Utah, UNLV, and then New Mexico on Friday night. Now, ESPN has looked ahead to five candidates who could be possible hires in the eventual coaching search for the Bruins.

In an article this afternoon, ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg, Max Olson, and Eli Lederman previewed where the program stands following Foster’s firing on Sunday. That included the five names by Rittenberg, all of which have former or current ties out west, who could be considered for the job that’s now open in Hollywood.

On3’s Pete Nakos also posted his own hot board this afternoon. That’s with plenty to be covered in the coming days, especially the names on the respective coaching carousels with the firings of Foster in Los Angeles and Brent Pry in Blacksburg.

Here was ESPN’s list of candidates to replace Foster at UCLA per Rittenberg:

Florida State DC Tony White

Tony White has proven himself as one of the best coordinators in the country, currently coaching defense at Florida State after stops at Nebraska and Syracuse following nearly a decade and a half of his career out on the West Coast. What makes him an obvious option for them again, though, is White, like Foster, played at UCLA before then being a graduate assistant for the Bruins, with him maybe now having a chance to take over his alma mater.

“A UCLA alum, White’s name has gained steam in coaching searches, and he spoke with UCLA before the team hired Foster,” Rittenberg wrote. “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’s Kalani Sitake

Kalani Sitake is the most-established head coach on this list, as he’s currently 74-43 (.632), with three double-digit win seasons just in this decade so far, over ten years spent at BYU. Brigham Young being his alma mater could complicate his candidacy if he wants to remain with what he’s built in Provo, but Sitake “would bring an identity of physicality and toughness” if he were to leave for elsewhere out west in this instance.

“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,” wrote Rittenberg. “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.”

Cleveland Browns OC Tommy Rees

Tommy Rees is another coordinator who has earned acclaim of late, now coaching offense for the Cleveland Browns in the NFL after stops at Alabama under Nick Saban and his alma mater at Notre Dame under Brian Kelly and Marcus Freeman. He also has ties to this program too with his dad having been an assistant there for a decade and a half at UCLA.

“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,” wrote Rittenberg. “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’s Spencer Danielson

Spencer Danielson is entering his second full season of what’s been a successful three-year span at Boise State, as he took over as the Broncos interim and then full-time head coach in 2023 and is 16-4 (.800), including two wins in the Mountain West Championship and an appearance in the College Football Playoff, ever since. Now, Danielson, with his own career-long ties to the west coast, could be an option after this fall in Idaho.

“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,” wrote Rittenberg. “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 DC Tosh Lupoi

Finally, Tosh Lupoi is a defensive coach who has made stops in Cleveland, Atlanta, and Jacksonville in the NFL as well as his alma mater at California, Washington, and Alabama under Saban in college, with him currently being the defensive coordinator at Oregon for Dan Lanning with the Ducks having had one of the best units on that side of the ball each of the last three years. His resumé, on the field and on the recruiting trail, would make him quite the hire away from Eugene and down to Los Angeles.

“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,” Rittenberg wrote. “UCLA has been too quiet for years, and Lupoi would definitely increase the volume in Westwood.”