Should UCLA Stop Stalling and Hire Tim Skipper Already?

The Bruins' interim head coach is making a case every week to drop the "interim" from his job title.

Oct 4, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins interim head coach Tim Skipper (left) and new offensive coordinator Jerry Neuheisel (right) on the sideline during second half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

After a 0-4 start to the season that cemented the UCLA Bruins as the preeminent laughing stock of the college football landscape, interim head coach Tim Skipper turned Westwood around and is now leading a darling Bruins team to an improbable turnaround.

Fresh off three-straight wins, not only is Skipper being overlooked by national media in favor of offensive play-caller Jerry Neuheisel, but maybe the regular interim coach is being overlooked by UCLA brass as they continue to search for a permanent head coach.

What Skipper has done to this UCLA program since being promoted to interim head coach in place of DeShaun Foster nearly four weeks ago has been astonishing. It's got to beg the question -- should Tim Skipper be at the forefront of UCLA's head coaching search?

Between established names like James Franklin, Mike Gundy and even Nick Saban, and some of the hottest risers like G.J. Kinne, Kenny Dillingham and Alex Golesh, the Bruins might just have to look in-house for their next lead man.

UCLA's interim head coach Tim Skipper celebrates after a Bruins touchdown against Michigan State during the third quarter on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

UCLA's season outlook was dreadful when Skipper took the reins. But now, the sky's the limit for what the program can accomplish.

Skip is Ready

Oct 4, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins interim head coach Tim Skipper (left) and new offensive coordinator Jerry Neuheisel (right) on the sideline during second half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Soon after Skipper was named Westwood's interim head coach, he expressed his desire to be a head coach in the future.

• "I'm one of those people [where], if I'm doing something, I want to get to the top," he said in his first media availability as UCLA's interim. "So, if that's the top of the mountain in this profession, I want to do that. Whatever job it is, I'm going full speed ahead. That's just my nature.

Sep 27, 2025; Evanston, Illinois, USA; UCLA Bruins interim head coach Tim Skipper talks to a official during the first half against the Northwestern Wildcats during the first half at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

• "I actually experienced this last year, a full season. I enjoyed it. Wish you win some more games and things like that, but when you become a head coach, it's a lot less about the ball and more about the off-the-field stuff. So you either like it or you don't, and I rather enjoyed it. We're going to keep on building from that."

Despite coaching just 18 games overall as an interim coach over the last three seasons -- which is 18 more than DeShaun Foster had before being hired -- Skipper's resume speaks for itself. He has an 10-8 overall record; his first being a bowl game win and some of his latest coming against the likes of No. 7 Penn State, Michigan State and Maryland.

Oct 11, 2025; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; UCLA Bruins interim head coach Tim Skipper looks up at the video board in the fourth quarter at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Mullin-Imagn Images | Brendan Mullin-Imagn Images

The culture and belief system he's built in such a short time at UCLA is undeniable. Skipper will almost certainly be a head coach sometime in the near future.

Why not in Westwood?

Skipper and his Bruins prepare for their toughest test yet. A road matchup against No. 2 Indiana on the main stage -- FOX's Big Noon Saturday Kickoff at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday.

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