UCLA Fires Head Football Coach DeShaun Foster After 0-3 Start
Tim Skipper named interim head coach as Bruins, outscored 108-43, begin national search amid upcoming Big Ten move
UCLA has dismissed DeShaun Foster as its head football coach three games into the 2025 season, the school announced Sunday. The Bruins began the season 0-3 and were outscored 108-43, including a lopsided home loss Friday to New Mexico at the Rose Bowl.
Foster, 45, went 5-10 over two seasons at his alma mater after being promoted to head coach following the resignation of Chip Kelly in 2024. A former UCLA running back who played six NFL seasons with the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers, he had spent six seasons on the Bruins' staff as running backs coach under Jim L. Mora and Kelly.
"I want to extend my sincere appreciation to DeShaun for his contributions to UCLA Football over the course of many years, first as a Hall of Fame student-athlete, then as an assistant coach and finally as head coach," athletic director Martin Jarmond said in the release. Jarmond noted Foster had taken the role at a difficult time, with the program preparing to move into the Big Ten conference, and praised his commitment to the university.
The school announced special assistant Tim Skipper will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season and that a comprehensive national search for a permanent head coach will begin immediately. The announcement did not provide a timetable for the search or identify possible candidates.
In a statement released by UCLA, Foster said leading his alma mater had "been the honor of a lifetime" and expressed disappointment that the results did not meet expectations for players, fans and the university. "While this chapter ends differently than I had envisioned, UCLA Football has a bright future ahead," he wrote.
Foster's tenure as head coach began amid significant program change. He was elevated to the top job after Kelly's resignation and inherited a roster and staff navigating the transition to the Big Ten, a move Jarmond referenced as part of the context for Foster's appointment.
UCLA's on-field struggles this season included a defense that yielded more than 100 points across three games and an offense unable to keep pace. The New Mexico game at the Rose Bowl intensified scrutiny after the home defeat on Friday, which prompted the school to act before the season's fourth game.
Skipper, who was appointed special assistant earlier in the offseason, will assume coaching duties immediately. The Bruins will play under his direction for the remainder of the 2025 schedule while the athletic department conducts its national search.
UCLA did not disclose financial terms of Foster's departure. The program will enter the search period with the immediate priority of stabilizing the team on the field and preparing for conference play as it approaches the program's move to the Big Ten.