The college football season is winding down, but that means the coaching carousel is about to rev up, and one of the officially open jobs on the market is UCLA, which fired Jim Mora at the start of the week. The Bruins need a boost in their attempt to compete with USC. A huge name in the college coaching business is reportedly giving them consideration, but if that big target says no, UCLA has to be ready with its second, third and fourth options. Here are the top four, starting with the superstar option and continuing through the next-best choices in preferred order.
Chip Kelly
The former Oregon and Philadelphia Eagle coach is said to be weighing the UCLA and Florida jobs. If he does choose UCLA, it would be a coup for the Bruins and their athletic department. Florida and Kelly have been linked for weeks, but Kelly is familiar with the Pac-12 and might find life in the West more enjoyable than the withering scrutiny and intense expectations he will face at Florida. Kelly would instantly spice up the rivalry with USC, partly because of his own swagger and confidence, but also because his offensive concepts would turn USC-UCLA into a battle of contrasting styles. USC would run a lot of its traditional pro-style plays, but UCLA would turn into Oregon South with Kelly’s spread- and read-based ideas. This is the hire UCLA fans are desperately hoping for. Kelly should make a decision early next week.
Kevin Sumlin
If Kelly says no, this is probably the best fallback plan for the Bruins. Reports say that Sumlin will be fired at Texas A&M after the team’s game at LSU this Saturday, win or lose. Sumlin was placed into the SEC West with LSU and Auburn and big, bad Nick Saban at Alabama. That is not an easy place to win, having to climb past several powerful teams. At UCLA, Sumlin would have to beat one team each season – USC – in order to win a division title and compete for conference championships in the Pac-12. He probably could recruit at a high level. The Pac-12 might be a better fit for him than he ever imagined. Assuming he goes on the market, UCLA could snap him up if Kelly bolts or Florida.
Alex Grinch
This is where things begin to get really interesting. If Kelly goes to Florida and Sumlin takes another job outside the Pac-12, UCLA might need to get creative with its hire. Grinch is young – he is in his 30s – but he is familiar with the Pac-12 due to being the defensive coordinator at Washington State under Mike Leach. If UCLA values youthful energy in a head coach and a strategist who can keep USC’s offense in check, the Bruins might make the under-the-radar splash hire of the coaching carousel cycle. Grinch, though, is unproven as a head coach, and UCLA would need to know whom he would hire as offensive coordinator. There is an element of risk here if Sumlin says no.
Scott Frost
The UCF coach has been frequently tied to Florida and Nebraska, so if Chip Kelly turns down Florida, Frost would probably be next in line to take the job if he wants it. However, Frost might prefer to go to Nebraska and turn down Florida.
Frost becomes a realistic candidate for UCLA if Kelly does take the Florida job. Frost would be pressured to go to Nebraska, but the Nebraska native might say that it is too early in his career to take on a dream job. Frost might think he needs to wait a few more years before the time is right to go home and save the Big Red, helping out old mentor Tom Osborne. If Kelly goes to Florida, Frost could reasonably turn down Nebraska but say to himself that he needs to prove himself at the Power 5 conference level. UCLA would give him that opportunity. Since Frost had been an assistant at Oregon, he knows the lay of the land in the Pac-12. He could coach UCLA for several seasons and set up a move to Nebraska some time next decade, when the timing is better and Frost could command a mega-deal on the open market.
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