One recently let go coach will not be UCLA's next head football coach

Here are some of the social media posts that some UCLA and college football fans are sharing, liking, and reposting.

Here are some of the reasons why UCLA will not and should not hire Mike Gundy to be their next head football coach.

With 18 straight winning seasons and many bowl berths, Gundy enjoyed a lengthy and fruitful stint at Oklahoma State, but his final years there were characterized by a sharp downturn. Before his dismissal, Oklahoma State had a dismal start to the 2025 season and finished 0–9 in conference play in 2024. This includes a run of 11 straight losses to FBS teams. His willingness to adjust to the present collegiate football environment may be called into question given this recent setback and some would argue stubborness.

Given his past contentious public remarks and comments, Gundy might not be a good fit for UCLA's culture and image. His legendary "I'm a man, I'm 40!" tirade is among them, as are more recent occurrences like sporting a T-shirt from a political news network, making remarks that seemed to minimize the arrest of one of his athletes, and calling irate supporters "weak" and accusing them of not being able to support themselves. Off-field problems and public disputes of this nature could be seen as a burden for a prestigious university such as UCLA.

Rather than always attracting elite, five or four-star-rated players, Gundy's success at Oklahoma State was frequently based on cultivating three-star prospects. Although this demonstrates his teaching prowess, it might not be the recruiting model UCLA is looking for, especially in a cutthroat recruiting environment like Southern California. UCLA's location and brand may draw top recruits, and the administration may look for a coach who has experience luring that caliber of recruits to Westwood. Recruiting is even becoming more important in the NIL/Transfer portal era in order to compete to make the College Football Playoffs.

Gundy has little coaching experience on the West Coast and has played and coached in the Big 12 for the greater portion of his career. The media market, cultural quirks, and recruiting environment of the Big Ten and West Coast are very different from what he is used to. He would more than likely face difficulties as a result of this unfamiliarity.

Now one is doubting that Mike Gundy with the right circumstances can coach football and have his teams do well. However, coaches like him that were able to develop talent are struggling these past two seasons as the transfer portal makes it easier for players to transfer and retain players that have started with the school they began at. Coaches like Gundy in recent years have struggled with the new NIL landscape and have had difficulity putting together a roster to complete with other power four conference teams. These two main reasons is why Gundy going to UCLA is just not the right fit at this time.