As the UCLA Bruins hit the last four games of their season. We take a look at five head coaching candidates that could start gaining steam to be the next head coach. Will UCLA continue the trend of looking for an offensive minded guy to lead the team. Or could they shift back to the defensive side of the football where their last most successful head coach was in Jim Mora? There will be a lot of decisions made once the season concludes and it needs to be done with the full thinking of bringing winning football back to Pasadena.
1. Tony White
Tony White is a top notch defensive coordinator in the NCAA. He is also a two time winner of the Broyles award that goes to the top assistant coach. UCLA has gone offense oriented with their last two hires in Chip Kelly and Deshaun Foster. Could focusing on defense now be the key to flipping the script? White started his career as a graduate assistant in 2007 at UCLA and played for the school form 1998-2002. Still waiting for his first head coaching gig, this could make sense to add grit to the defensive recruiting. Jim Mora 2.0 for first college head coach gig to transform the defense?
2. Kenny Dillingham
If UCLA is looking to go with a young and upcoming coach. Kenny Dillingham could be a great solution to that puzzle. After guiding Arizona State to the College Football Playoff in 2024, Dillingham's name started to be thrown around in the rumor mill. Dillingham could provide a spark that UCLA needs, one to motivate players and be a player's guy. He will protect his players and always put them first. But the question is how big of a step would he believe the UCLA job actually is for him?
3. Jedd Fisch
Jedd Fisch continues to have his name thrown in the mix of being the next UCLA head coach. It makes a ton of sense, and he has ties to the Bruins already. In 2017 he was hired to run the offense under Jim Mora. After Mora was dismissed from his coaching duties. Fisch helped coach the last game of the year which was a 30-27 win getting UCLA bowl eligibility. Before losing to Kansas State in the Cactus Bowl. Fisch has a well-paying gig at Washington so it will not be easy to lure him to Pasadena. But if they can it could prove to pay off.
4. Jonathan Smith
Jonathan Smith has been in the headlines quite often recently with Michigan State spiraling out of control this season. It is looking more likely that Michigan State will be letting him go sooner rather than later. Smith could emerge as a candidate for UCLA. He has an uninspring 42-48 record with Oregon State and Michigan State. But he is still a great play caller and if he can recapture the magic of his 2022 season at Oregon State he can help elevate the offense.
5. Justin Wilcox
If UCLA wants to move their head coaching focus to the defensive side of the ball. Similar to Tony White, Wilcox is a good guy to have on your defense. He has a career record of 47-54 at California and his job security hangs in the balance with the last four games of the season. The last game UCLA played against them was November 25, 2023, and in that game, California won 33-7. Wilcox defense shut down Dante Moore and the UCLA offense.