WATCH: UCLA interim head coach Tim Skipper meets with reporters before practice
Tim Skipper is now the man in charge at UCLA. The former special assistant to the head coach is now the interim head coach following the program’s dismissal of DeShaun Foster over the weekend. Skipper finds himself in familiar territory after stepping in as an interim head coach at Fresno State last year.
The Bulldogs went 6-7 under Skipper, and his hope is to help guide the Bruins through the period of transition with a renewed energy. His focus will be on a return to basics following UCLA’s 0-3 start.
The team is in a bye week, and he is treating his first days of practice as the interim head coach as a second training camp. There are still plenty of decisions that will have to be made, including deciding who will run the defense following Ikaika Malloe and the Bruins parting ways Wednesday.
However, Skipper has a clear plan for what he wants to see when UCLA returns to the field against Northwestern next week.
“We’re gonna reset, we are completely reset,” he said Wednesday. “We are in training camp right now. We’re not gonna dwell on the past, and we’re not gonna dream about the future. We’re gonna worry about right now. So, we’re in training camp right now. And, then once we finish this week off and get done with training camp, we’re gonna get into Week 1 of the season. That’s how our mindset is.
“We’ve gotta move on from all the sadness and things that are going on. We have to get ready to play a game. Nobody is feeling sorry for us. We understand that. So, it is time to get through training camp, and then we’ll get ready for Week 1.”
Roster all accounted for Wednesday
As of now, Malloe is the only staff news Skipper had to report Wednesday. More importantly, he indicated that every available player was accounted for ahead of Wednesday’s practice. That included starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava.
“What I’ll say to that is I’ve had very positive conversations with our guys,” he said. “There’s nothing to announce or report that way. We’re gonna practice today. The squad’s here, and the healthy bodies will be out there working. That’s a day-to-day fluid situation. This university, this campus, this coaching staff has a lot to offer to these guys. You remind them of that, and they see it. They see how our energy is every day.
“We’re just gonna take it one day at a time and keep on working. The work never stops. We’ve already checked in. … There’s a lot of stuff going on before we actually hit the field, so I already know who’s here and who’s not. Obviously, you have guys, it’s the season and we’ve played three games, that aren’t healthy that gotta do rehab and things like that. But, everybody’s checked in.”
Watch Skipper’s first media session with reporters from Wednesday’s practice below:
