When the Utah Utes beat the UCLA Bruins 43-10 in the teams’ 2025 season opener on Aug. 30, it left many wondering if the result was more because the Utes would be great this season or if the Bruins would be bad.
While the jury is still largely out on how good Utah might be, it has become quite clear that UCLA is bad, as it is winless with losses to Mountain West Conference foes UNLV and New Mexico.
On Sunday, Bruins head coach DeShaun Foster was fired.
Foster, 45, finished his head coaching tenure at his alma mater with just a 5-10 record, having gone 5-7 in his first season in 2024.
One of the best running backs in UCLA history, Foster was the Bruins’ running backs coach from 2017 until February of 2024, when he was hired as the head coach after Chip Kelly left to become the offensive coordinator at Ohio State (Kelly is now the offensive coordinator of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders).
Several outlets have already identified names as potential replacements for Foster, with ESPN and The Athletic putting BYU Cougars head coach Kalani Sitake on its lists.
“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,” ESPN wrote, adding that Sitake “knows the West Coast and California recruiting scene.”
ESPN’s blurb on Sitake concluded, “Sitake is 74-43 as an FBS coach and would bring an identity of physicality and toughness to Westwood.”
Meanwhile, The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman wrote of Sitake that he, “has done a terrific job leading the Cougars. Last year, Sitake’s team went 11-2. He is a proven winner, with strong West Coast ties, and knows how to build tough teams — something that will make him attractive.
“Would he leave a good job in the Big 12 with strong resources and a lot of momentum for what appears to be one of the shakier situations in the Big Ten? I’m not so sure.”
Also on Sunday, Virginia Tech fired head coach Brent Pry after an 0-3 start, with the final loss being a 45-26 defeat Saturday at home to Old Dominion.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel observed that while college football coach firings have been happening earlier in recent years than they traditionally had, the two following Week 3 this year are particularly early.