It’s been a little over a week since Chip Kelly left UCLA to become Ohio State’s offensive coordinator.
Kelly had been UCLA’s head coach for six seasons before bolting for Columbus. He took over for Bill O’Brien, who was the program’s offensive coordinator for only a few weeks before he left to become the head coach at Boston College.
After Kelly left, UCLA named running backs coach DeShaun Foster as its new head coach.
ESPN’s Paul Finebaum recently shared his thoughts on the UCLA gig and thinks it’s really challenging for several reasons.
“I think it’s a really challenging job,” Finebaum said, (first transcribed by Athlon Sports). “That (Los Angeles) is a tough town. I read an article today titled ‘Is Jim Harbaugh big enough for LA?’ That’s the kind of town it is. You win a national championship in college football and you’re trying to get attention.”
“You got two pro football teams. You got the Dodgers, who along with the Yankees are the biggest franchises in Major League Baseball, and right now probably the biggest franchise. You got the Lakers, who on their worst day are still the biggest franchise in the NBA and you got USC, who again even on its worst day is a big story in town. And you have UCLA, who is never a story in football, and occasionally in basketball.”
It’s also about to be an even tougher gig because UCLA is set to play in the Big Ten starting this year. The program will be facing stiff competition every week.
UCLA finished the 2023 season with an 8-5 record after going 9-4 in 2022.