Coaching Carousel: James Franklin should not be the next head coach for UCLA

The UCLA Bruins are currently riding a wave of emotions after starting the season 0-4. They have now won two straight games to put them at 2-4 with impressive wins over Penn State and Michigan State. The win versus the Nittany Lions triggered the beginning of the end for James Franklin at head coach. After their embarrassing loss to Northwestern, they relieved Franklin as head coach amid an 0-3 start in Big Ten play.

Franklin had an impressive run at Penn State with a 104-45 record, but it was often overshadowed by not being able to win the big game despite having the talent. With him now being out of a job, it has been floated around as an idea to bring him in to coach the Bruins. This can be seen as a surprise since UCLA was one of the reasons that led to his dismissal. At 0-4, they knocked off the seventh ranked Nittany lions 42-37 at home in the Rose Bowl. In a game that Franklin openly credited UCLA and the staff after the game for the way that they played.

UCLA is in need of a shift in their landscape of football. They have battled declining attendance over the years and at times mediocre at best football being played. But there is now a level of hope seen throughout the team over the last few weeks as they start to win. Tim Skipper, Jerry Neuhesiel, and Kevin Coyle have UCLA playing at an elite level on offense and defense and it should be recognized. This is a team who couldn't move the football on offense or stop the football on defense in weeks 1-4.

The coaching rumors will continue to spark as the season goes on because there is excitement that comes with the word "rumors". Skipper has the team playing well and has promoted the right coordinators around him that have breathed life into the locker room. They say "if it is not broke, do not fix it" and that rings true to this situation. Ride the high wave right now and see where it leads, players had chances to hit the transfer portal and chose not to. That speaks volumes to culture and where things could head. It also opens up new opportunities for a 2026 recruiting class for any players that decommitted.

Franklin is a shiny name that will attract a lot of interest this year and even into the offseason. That doesn't always lead to success. With UCLA now having time to make their next move and do so methodically, it will allow them to better position themselves to return back to a double-digit winning team. A feat that they have not accomplished since Jim Mora Jr, was head coach and selling the Rose Bowl out every weekend.