UCLA Football: How DeShaun Foster Should Fill Out Remainder of Staff
New UCLA Bruins Head Football Coach DeShaun Foster has hit the ground running over the last few days.
He's been highly involved in the arena of NIL. Essentially, over the last week, he's done more to promote the program and its NIL collective than Chip Kelly did in more than six years.
While recruiting is also of the highest priority, Foster must address his coaching staff moving forward.
As currently constituted, here are the current staff members under contract:
HC: DeShaun Foster
QB coach: Billy Fessler
WR coach: Jerry Neuheisel
OL coach: Tim Drevno
DC: Ikaika Malloe
DL coach: Tony Washington Jr.
AHC/DB coach: Brian Norwood
Corners coach: Kodi Whitfield
Tight ends coach Jeff Faris is now the Head Coach at Austin Peay State. Linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr. is now with the Washington Commanders. DC D'Anton Lynn left for a job with crosstown rival USC.
Foster was the team's RB coach before taking his new position. Malloe did coach the DL before being promoted by Kelly in the offseason.
Now, it'll be interesting to see what Foster does with preexisting coaches on the staff. Fessler and Washington Jr. were hired by Kelly shortly before his departure. The team does not have an Offensive Coordinator at this point. It's also lacking someone to coach linebackers, tight ends, and running backs (unless Foster takes that role).
It appears as if Malloe will stay on as the team's Defensive Coordinator. However, with the team eventually slated to bring in a new Offensive Coordinator, what does that mean for Drevno, Fessler, and Neuheisel?
Let's break down who Foster could look to hire for these open spots.
Offensive Coordinator
UCLA is projected to return 10 starters from last year's offense. While the unit was a bit inconsistent at times, there's a lot of returning talent in this group -- namely RB TJ Harden, WR J. Mike Sturdivant, and QB Ethan Garbers.
You can expect the Bruins to further address their offensive line depth with a couple more transfers.
In terms of what to look for in a potential candidate, one immediately sticks out as a perfect candidate: UNLV OC Brennan Marion.
The 36-year-old is said to have one of the more innovative schemes in the sport today. He has been directly influenced by Steve Sarkisian, Mike Norvell, and Gus Malzahn both as a player and as a coach.
He loves to utilize tempo, misdirection, and -- above all else -- exploit the opponent's weak spots with regularity. UNLV ranked in the top 20 nationally in points per game (34.4). The team also ranked in the top 60 nationally in both rushing and passing.
Now, this isn't usually the hire UCLA makes. Marion is an inexperienced up-and-comer with tons of hype. He likely will be a head coach sooner than later. However, UCLA would provide Marion with a stepping stone as a play-caller in a major conference. He should be vetted thoroughly by Foster, and ultimately I believe him to be the best choice for the job.
Running Backs Coach
This is a position where UCLA needs to hire a recruiter. In essence, someone who can sell the vision of the school with some real gravitas. Why not hire an ex-Bruin who was among the best at the running back spot in school history?
Maurice Jones-Drew makes all the sense in the world here. For one, he brings some real cachet to the table in terms of name recognition and respect. He's constantly on television talking football, and it's assumed most recruits/their parents know who MJD is.
Jones-Drew lives in LA, has experience working with 7-on-7 programs, and by all accounts is a great guy. Don't overthink this, DeShaun...hire him immediately.
Linebackers Coach
This is another position where hiring a strong recruiter would behoove UCLA.
In recent years, the Bruins have churned out a host of NFL linebackers. Among them include Myles Jack, Eric Kendricks, Jordan Zumwalt, Krys Barnes, Jayon Brown, Anthony Barr, Kenny Young, and Akeem Ayers.
Former San Jose State coach Scott White has been rumored. He previously coached at UCLA and is known as a strong recruiter. We could also see Foster tap into his connections on the NFL level for a potential hire.
As it stands, this staff is relatively inexperienced. Nabbing a coach with 10+ years as an assistant could be a prudent move.
Director of Leadership
Longtime head coach Ken Niumatalolo held this position before leaving to take the job at San Jose State.
As has been chronicled, former UCLA player Johnathan Franklin would be the ideal fit here. He understands the unique nature of UCLA and has built a very strong post-playing career away from the field.
Franklin is one of the nicest and most respected people in his field. Having someone like this around the program can only be a benefit.
