I’d take Kiffin

Mariucci has a .500 record (6 & 6) as a college head coach & a .513 record (75 & 71) as an NFL head coach. Why in the hell would anybody want this guy at UCLA?

Taken from Wikipedia:
Mariucci…was a three-time All-America (Division II) quarterback at Northern Michigan University in Marquette.

He began his coaching career at his alma mater (1978-79), and moved to Cal State Fullerton (1980-82) and Louisville (1983-84). He joined the USC staff in 1986 and then moved to the coaching staff at California in 1987. In 1990-91, he served as the Golden Bears’ Offensive Coordinator. Mariucci returned to Cal as Head Coach in 1996 where the team finished 6-6, including a loss in the in the Aloha Bowl.

Professional coaching career…Mariucci was hired to coach the San Francisco 49ers…Mariucci’s 1997 team went 13-3 during the regular season…San Francisco hosted the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game, but lost 23-10…In 1998, the 49ers posted a 12-4 record and returned to the playoffs as a wild card team, but lost 20-18 in the divisional round…Two losing seasons followed, but in 2001, the 49ers returned to the playoffs after a 12-4 season, once again to be eliminated by the Packers.

Mariucci’s final season in San Francisco was 2002. The 49ers won the NFC West with a 10-6 record and beat the New York Giants in a controversial wild-card game…However, they were crushed 31-6 by the eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the divisional round. On January 15, 2003, the 49ers fired Mariucci, reportedly after the coach lost a power struggle with general manager Terry Donahue…As San Francisco’s coach, he compiled a 60-43 (.583) record…

Mariucci was named the Lions’ 22nd head coach on February 4, 2003, and was fired on November 28, 2005. He compiled a 15-28 record…

mariucci fo shiz

Spurrier should be the next coach if they could get him. Imagine Spurrier as the head coach with all the recruits he could get!!!!????

No not Kiffin or old Spurrier we need a peterson, neuheisel, or Mooch.

why is mike riley’s name not in the mix? i think he has proven himself at OSU and is ready for a move.

and come on, mooch has 1 year of experience in college and (as noted above) has weak NFL credentials.

We need to look at someone who can
1. compete under the circumstances
2. build a program essentially from scratch
3. and recruit high school students to play for him.

bronco mendenhall and paul johnson can recruit to schools that are so difficult to recruit to, and mendenhall turned a byu program around. riley has a consistent program, and it is so hard to compete with oregon, yet he does.

what has mooch done? left cal after a year and compiled a .513 NFL winning percentage? PLEASE

Why is not Gruden on that list? And does anybody remember Mariucci’s win-loss record? And as for that other list of no-name NFL assistants - JUST SAY NO!
Stick with Rick (neuhisel) - we won’t be sorry.

Why is nobody mentioning Bobby Hauck? Google him. He attended school at UCLA, coached at Washington and Colorado (with Neuheisal) and was an assistant at UCLA 1990-1992. He’s on the ballot and is the current head coach for the Montana Grizzlies. His record as a head coach is 52-14. He went 9-4 his first year, than 12-3 leading them to the Div. II National championship game his 2nd year as coach. Seasons following, his records were 8-4, 12-2, and 2007 11-1. I think he’s a good candidate who no one is considering. I did here that he’s mentioned for Wazzu and Colorado State’s HC job.

Hauck is a good one too, better than most on that list.

Marriuci doesn’t want to do the recruiting
it takes to be a D1 winner.

NO!!!

Why don’t you ask Colorado about the
last great coach to come out of Boise
St….Hawkins!!! No on Peterson!!!

And I can’t believe you would put that pig-eyed numbskull, Terry Bowden on that list. He’s been riding on his dad’s fame for far too long. If he were so great why would he not be out there right now, turning programs around? And as an announcer he is nothing less than annoying. Take him off the list, replace him with Gruden. PLEASE. As for Norm Chow, great at what he does, but no HC experience…

Bring back Rick!!Bring back Rick!!Bring back Rick!!Bring back Rick!!Bring back Rick!!Bring back Rick!!Bring back Rick!!Bring back Rick!!Bring back Rick!!Bring back Rick!!Bring back Rick!!Bring back Rick!!

Hey Doug, how do you know that Mooch does not want to recruit? Can you show me were you saw that? Because if that is true then UCLA should not hire him.

My son goes to Cal, was at parents weekend
when they lost to Oregon St., sat with ex-football
player who said they hated Mooch at Cal. Said he
didn’t like the politics of the university, smoozing
the Alums or recruiting. It was just a conversation
with an ex-Cal player, just one man’s opinion.

But why can’t we bring back an Alum with a proven
track record…Rick!!! I can’t believe all these
people who want Trojans as our next coach..No Way!!

Rick Neuheisel is 61-35 as a college coach. I would not mind Rick.

nobody has coach hill at fresno state, he could be a strong possibility

Rick…ex-Bruin, went from walk-on to Rose Bowl QB.
Understand UCLA, recruiting in SoCal/Calif, could match
PomPom Pete for carisma.

Forget the U of W basketball pool…remember he was
fired by an Ex-Trojan Barbara Hedges who ended up resigning
after Rick won his wrongful termination suits against the
NCAA and U of W. He brought back the Colorado progam
after McCarthy almost killed the program. DG could probably
get him for a reasonable salary with a lot of performance
incentives.

Thats Skippy

OK, then it’s settled.
Doug and agree it should be Rick.

Neuheisel…………..it’s in the stars.

I think we should get an offensive-minded coach like a norm chow or rick neuheisel, than do whatever it takes to keep dewayne walker. could you imagine a team with great schemes on both sides of the ball. if not, id be happy giving walker a shot. he can obviously recruit, and he knows how to make adjustments already at least on one side of the ball. peterson would be very sensible but it does worry me that he has a lot of the last regimes players, but who knows, he could be the second coming of urban meyer.

Somebody mentioned Mike Price.
Nice guy, but he wasn’t vindicated
like Rick was. Too much emphasis on baggage.
What about PomPom Pete and the unsettled
Reggie Bush scandal that could cost them
their championship season?
Don’t tell me Pete hasn’t been involved in any of it.

Maybe we should hope for Paul Johnson from the Naval Academy. He did what Dorrell couldn’t do the last 2 years, beat Notre Dame and he always beats his rival Army. You have to be a good coach to go 8-4 at Navy. Dorrell could not win 8 games in 4 out of 5 seasons with a lot more talent. Of course Dorrell couldn’t win 8 games if he had 22 five star player’s starting for him. Why is he still our coach? He should have been fired last night right after the debacle against SC.

My choices would be 1- Terry Bowden 2- Chris Peterson 3- Paul Johnson or 4- Bobby Hauck.

Paul Johnson is a program reviver who can match his offensive system to whatever talent he has available. He runs the triple-option at Navy, has run the spread and a spread-option at Hawaii and Georgia Southern. In other words, he maximizes his players’ talent by putting in the right system for the players that he has (he’s the anti-Doofus).

Here’s his very impressive complete resume from cstv sports:

When college football experts around the country talk about the best college football coaches in America, the conversation should begin with Navy head coach Paul Johnson. After all, what he has accomplished at the Naval Academy in five seasons has been of historic proportions.

Johnson took over a program that had posted a 1-20 record the previous two years before his arrival in 2002. After a 2-10 mark in his first year, the Navy football program has achieved what many thought was no longer possible at an Academy, as Johnson has brought the Midshipmen back into the national spotlight with a 35-15 (.700) record over the last four years and has led Navy to a school-record four-straight bowl games and a school-record four-consecutive Commander-In-Chief’s Trophies. The 35 wins are the second most in program history over a four-year time span.

Johnson has dominated the other two Service Academies like no other coach in the school’s annals posting a 9-1 (.900) overall record, including a perfect 5-0 mark against rival Army. Last year’s senior class was the first in school history to post a perfect 8-0 mark against Army and Air Force.

Johnson’s .744 career winning percentage (99-34) ranks 10th among all active coaches, while a win over Temple in the season opener this fall would make him the 26th-fastest coach to reach 100 wins in NCAA history.

Like a fine wine, Johnson’s teams are better as they age. Over the last four years, Navy has posted a 10-2 (.833) record over the final three games of the season and has outscored the opposition, 464-246, in those contests. And if you give him time to prepare for an opponent, he is pretty tough to beat as well, as the Mids are 13-5 (.722) over the last four years when Johnson has more than a week to break down the other team’s defense.

Navy’s appearance in last year’s Meineke Car Care Bowl was the Mids’ fourth-straight bowl appearance with a different quarterback, marking just the fifth time in NCAA history that a team has made four or more bowl appearances with a different starting quarterback each season.

Johnson’s teams have been successful off the field as well, as Navy ranks No. 1 in the country in graduation rates.

Johnson’s triple option offense has been the backbone to the program’s success as the Mids have led the nation in rushing three of the last five years. Last year, the Mids averaged a school-record 327.4 yards per contest. In 2005, despite returning the fewest starters in the country, Johnson led the Midshipmen to an 8-4 record, a third-consecutive bowl game and a school-record second-straight bowl win.

The Mids were led by the No. 1 rushing attack in the country, piling up 318.7 rushing yards per contest, and a hard-hitting defense that made plays when it had to. The 2005 campaign also marked the second time in the previous three years that Navy led the nation in rushing. The Mids have never finished lower than third in the nation under Johnson.

In 2004, Navy posted a 10-2 record, tying the school record for wins set in 1905. The Mids defeated New Mexico, 34-19, in the Emerald Bowl, giving Navy just its fifth bowl win in school history.

Johnson was recognized for his coaching exploits when he was named the 2004 Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year.

Navy finished third in the country in rushing in 2004, averaging 289.5 yards per contest. The Mids also improved by leaps and bounds on defense. In 2004, the Mids finished 44th in total defense and 26th in scoring defense.

In 2003, Johnson led Navy to an 8-5 record and brought the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy back to Annapolis for the first time since 1981, propelling Navy to a bowl game (EV1.net Houston Bowl) for the first time since 1996.

The eight wins equaled Navy’s win total for the previous four years combined and the six-game improvement was the second-best turnaround in the country. The Mids also became just the sixth team in NCAA history to go from a winless season to a bowl game in two years or less.

Johnson’s potent triple option offense led the nation in rushing, averaging a then school-record 323.2 yards per contest. The Mids also set school records for rushing yards (4,202), yards per rush (5.5), rushing touchdowns (44), total offense (5,506), total offense per game (431.4) and yards per play (6.0).

Not to be overlooked is the defense, which made a dramatic improvement thanks to improved speed and the switch to a 3-4 defense. The Mids’ most significant improvement came against the pass, as Navy ranked 14th in the country (180.23 yards per game) after ranking 61st in 2002. The defense also made major improvements in pass efficiency defense (from 116th to 42nd), total defense (100th to 42nd) and scoring defense (108th to 34th). Johnson was recognized nationally for his coaching performance, as he was a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award, the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award and the Associated Press Coach of the Year Award.

The seeds for 2003 were actually sewn at the end of the 2002 season as the Midshipmen showed great improvement throughout Johnson’s initial campaign, which was capped off by a 58-12 rout of Army in the season finale.

The 58 points scored against the Black Knights were the mostin the annual Army-Navy game and the 46-point margin of victory was the second-biggest blowout in series history. Quarterback Craig Candeto rushed for an Army-Navy game and school-record six touchdowns in helping Johnson become the first coach from either school to win his first Army-Navy game as a head coach since 1982.

The Navy offense finished third in the nation in rushing, averaging 270.8 yards per game. The Mids scored 30 or more points on four occasions and nearly pulled off one of the biggest upsets in school history, losing to 10th-ranked Notre Dame in the final seconds, 30-23.

Johnson took over a program that was coming off the worst two-year span in its 123-year history (1-20) and had recorded just two winning seasons the last-20 years.

“The program didn’t get the way it is overnight, and it’s not going to change overnight,” said Johnson. “But I am confident that you can win here. If I didn’t believe that, I would have never accepted the job.”

Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk tabbed Johnson as Navy’s 36th head football coach on Dec. 9, 2001. It was an announcement met with great fanfare from Naval Academy football fans around the world.

Johnson came to Navy from Georgia Southern, where he posted a 62-10 (.861) record, won two-straight I-AA National Championships (1999 and 2000), five-straight Southern Conference Championships and was named the Division I-AA National Coach of the Year four-consecutive times (1997-2000).

After Johnson took over as head coach at Georgia Southern in 1997, he returned the Eagle program to national prominence statistically and in the won-lost ledger. In addition to Georgia Southern’s 62-10 mark, the Eagles scored 2,855 points (39.7 points per game), picked up 25,941 rushing yards (360.3 yards per game), 7,816 passing yards (108.6 yards per game) and 33,757 total yards (468.8 yards per game). GSU scored 380 touchdowns in the Johnson Era, an average of 5.3 per game. The Eagles’ scoring margin under Johnson was +21.5 (39.7-18.5).

Johnson picked up a milestone victory in the 2000 I-AA National Championship Game against Montana. Not only did the 27-25 victory give Georgia Southern its second-straight national title, but it was Johnson’s 50th-career win in four seasons. Only three other coaches in the history of Division I football have won 50 or more games in four seasons, as Johnson joined Walter Camp (1888-1891, 54-2 at Yale), George Woodruff (1892-1895, 53-4 at Penn) and Bob Pruett (1996-99, 50-4 at Marshall) on the exclusive list.

Johnson took over a Georgia Southern program in 1997 that was 4-7 the previous year and orchestrated a turnaround which ranks among the NCAA’s best, directing the Eagles to a 10-3 record, equaling the school’s best mark since 1989. His peers and media members justly rewarded his rebuilding efforts as he earned Southern Conference Coach-of-the-Year honors while also picking up national tributes from the American Football Coaches Association and American Football Quarterly.

In 1998, Johnson guided the Eagles to a perfect 11-0 regular-season record and the school’s sixth NCAA Division I-AA National Championship Game appearance before finishing with a 14-1 mark. He directed a high-powered offensive unit which tied or broke 100 records during the campaign, and again earned the league’s top coaching honor and received national praise as the recipient of The Sports Network’s Eddie Robinson Award — symbolic of the division’s national coach-of-the-year selection.

In 1999, Johnson brought Georgia Southern back to the national championship game and this time won it, as the Eagles finished 13-2, broke 197 records and won the school’s fifth national title. For his efforts, Johnson was honored as the 1999 American Football Coaches Association and Chevrolet I-AA National Coach of the Year.

The Eagles came back in 2000 and won their second-straight national championship, posting a 13-2 record. Johnson was named the American Football Coaches Association I-AA Coach of the Year.

In four-plus seasons, Johnson’s squads broke or tied 389 individual and team school, conference, playoff or stadium records, ranked in the top 10 in 21 statistical categories and produced 31 All-Americans. The Eagles won an NCAA I-AA record 39-consecutive games at home, breaking their own mark of 38. Meanwhile, their 52 wins over those four seasons were the most in all of Division I.

Georgia Southern produced 300 yards or more of total offense in 53 of its last-59 games and picked up 400-plus yards of total offense in 45 of the last-59 contests. Fullback Adrian Peterson rushed for 6,736 yards in his career, the most in the history of Division I football.

Although lost at times in the glitz and glamour of Johnson’s explosive offensive unit, Georgia Southern also had an excellent defense. The 2001 Georgia Southern defense ranked as one of the best at the school as it ranked in the top 10 nationally in scoring defense (fourth), total defense (sixth) and pass defense (second). The defense allowed a school-record 12 points per game.

Johnson was Navy’s offensive coordinator in 1995 and 1996 and his spread offense made an immediate impact, breaking five school records during the Mids’ five-win season in 1995, equaling the most wins by a Navy team since 1990.

Navy came back in year two under Johnson and exploded, posting a 9-3 record, including a 42-38 victory over California in the Aloha Bowl. It was Navy’s first winning season since 1982 and one of only two winning seasons the Mids had during a 19-year span (the other being in 1997 when Navy went 7-4 running the spread offense under the direction of Johnson protégé Ken Niumatalolo). Navy’s appearance in the Aloha Bowl was the Mids’ first bowl appearance since 1981 and just their ninth in school history. Navy finished the ‘96 season ranked fifth nationally in rushing offense (283.6 yards per game), 31st in total offense (407.7 yards per game) and 22nd in scoring offense (31.8 points per game). Quarterback Chris McCoy rushed for 1,228 yards and a school-record 16 rushing touchdowns, while fullback Omar Nelson rushed for 857 yards.

Though Johnson left for Georgia Southern after the 1996 season, his offense remained in tact for two more years, as McCoy became just the 10th quarterback in NCAA history to rush and pass for 1,000 yards in a season in 1997. McCoy had 20 rushing touchdowns in ‘97, an NCAA record for quarterbacks.

Prior to joining the Navy staff, Johnson spent eight seasons as the offensive coordinator at the University of Hawai’i (1987-94). He helped guide the Rainbows to their first Western Athletic Conference title and their first bowl appearance coordinating an explosive offense that broke or equaled over 160 school records.

While at Hawai’i, Johnson developed a successful offensive unit which earned top-20 I-A statistical rankings in scoring offense, total offense and rushing offense during six of his eight seasons. He earned Top Offensive Coach honors in the WAC and was named one of the top-10 assistant coaches in the country by The Sporting News.

Arriving at Georgia Southern in 1983 as defensive line coach, Johnson was promoted to offensive coordinator in 1985. Under his tutelage, record-setting quarterback Tracy Ham and the Eagle offense rewrote the school record book 75 times while averaging 435 total yards and 36 points per contest. Georgia Southern rolled to a combined 26-4 (.867) record while capturing a pair of I-AA titles in 1985-86.

Johnson’s coaching career began when he was offensive coordinator and line coach at his alma mater Avery County (N.C.) High School in 1979-80. He accepted the offensive coordinator’s position at Lees-McRae Junior College in 1981, leading his offensive unit to a sixth-place national standing among NJCAA total offense leaders.

Johnson, a native of Newland, N.C., earned his Bachelor of Science degree in physical education from Western Carolina in 1979 and a Master’s of Science degree in health and physical education from Appalachian State in 1982. He and wife, Susan, are the parents of a daughter, Kaitlyn (14).

My gut and heart tell me Skippy. There just seems a destiny about his leading Ucla.

My head tells me Leach.

*BRIAN KELLY!!*

If Meriucci gets the job, please register “DumpMooch.com” now, so after the 2010 season you can start calling for another coach. The guy is so overrated as a head coach it’s disgusting. As a Lions fan, I got to see first hand how the guy handles adversity.

Paul Johnson would be a very, very good hire. He understands how to move the ball…is better at the passing game than you would believe…he is used to working w/ tough academics and he can beat his archrival…

Neuheisal will win…but don’t think that’s all that football admin wants. But he’s a UCLA original and natural and will get team in to third of conference each year (elite level). What more should we expect?

Sources say that Petersen is the top candidate. Follow by Leach and Mariucci. Neuheisel is not being consider. UCLA is trying to keep walker as the DC.

And now for something completely different

Who are the geniuses running the Las Vegas bowl? I mean, scheduling UCLA (fans don’t travel) against BYU (they played on 9/07 and UCLA won).

About the only interest in this game will be to see if Dorrell is still at the helm and if Bronco can rip him a new “A”. That’ll really seal the deal about Dorrell’s second-half capabilities.

..however, it won’t matter because Chris Ptersen will be hired and recruiting by 22 December anyway.

o.k. guys! all these choices are good! but we need a proven head coach like Pete Carroll. look at what he did in just a few years! Spurrier is a hell-of-a-coach! Neuheisel? well look at what he did at Co. and Wash. not too impressive. Mariucci? we know what happened when Dorrell tried the same thing and word is that Mariucci likes the W.C. Offense. Peterson sounds nice too! We need a coach who can recruit,win vs. top 25 teams,have a great offense and crushing defense! Oh,and we need to start winning Natln. championsips too! Who-ever it is,i hope they keep D.W. as coordinator and usher in the new-era of U(Championship)LA! Go Bruins!

Very clever pseudonym, Mrs Paul Johnson! Tommy Bruin..but aren’t you confusing it with Tommy Trojan? That was such a glowing and verbose recommendation for Paul, it’s like, well, only a mother, or a wife, or even an agent could have written it. I don’t doubt he’s a good coach, but is he the best choice. Several of those coaches have not been exposed to the Big Leagues. I still say give Neuheisel a crack at it.

For those who missed it…On the ESPN BCS Selection show, they announced that Dorrell will be let go as soon as tommorrow and Dwayne Walker will be the interm head coach for the Vegas bowl.

UCLA vs BYU rematch, I think I shall forget to watch that one. Most disapointing was the rose bowl selection of Illinois with Georgia available, I get so sick of hearing about how the SEC is superior to PAC10 that game would of been the best of the bowls for sure, Illinois the losingest team in the pool of available teams terribly dissapointing. As far as the coaching replacement there seems to be a lot of good options outthere I just hope they make there decision quickly enough to avoid losing this incoming recruiting class, was just checking the top 300 on scout, and UCLA looks strong according to that site.

What about Jim Mora? He would love to get into college coaching, in fact, his comments about wanting to coach at U of WA were a factor in his firing as the coach of the falcons…good football guy, has the experience.

Mooch was 6-6 at Cal. Let him stay in the nfl. Peterson should be the man. Check out his bio. They also have his phone number posted in case any of you want to beg him to come here.

http://www.broncosports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=54307&SPID=4061&DB_OEM_ID=9900&ATCLID=578844&Q_SEASON=2007

yooklafan,

9 of the TOP TEN BCS teams are in BCS bowls. (sorry Mizzou)

You can’t put ASU in the Rose bowl, nor Florida since 2 SEC teams are already in BCS bowls, so who else but Illinois!! You can’t just look at Illinois 9-3 record. (Umm, USC is 10-2 BTW)

The team finished 2nd in the Big 10, beat the #1 team in the nation, OSU, plus they are peaking, just like USC. Juice Williams (their QB) and stud running back Rashard Mendenhall are hitting on all cylinders. They will give USC their biggest challenge this season.

Gruden, Riley, Spurrier, Mora and Kelly are NOT on the list because their names have not been talked about at all with regard to UCLA. For all we know they may be in the mix, but no reporter we have talked to have mentioned them. That is why they are not on the list.

spurrier would be good. I like Terry Bowden also. Should Dewayne Walker be considered?

I’m just hoping for somebody who will let Olson and successors open up the game by throwing the ball down the field.

The reports regarding DG’s interest in Petersen are encouraging; I slightly favor Paul Johnson if he makes himself available, but would be glad to have Chris Petersen take the job. Not as sold on Mooch, but am open to being persuaded.

Fred I posted that when I thought that the rose bowl was aloud to pick Georgia as an at large team I really was hoping for at least one Pac10 vs SEC matchup this year, for I am thinking ahead for PAC10 needs to get as much respect as possible for next time UCLA is in the hunt for a BCS they dont get screwed like ASU just did, or Oregon and Cal in the past… I agree though u cant take them in the rose bowl but they should of got in somewhere. I don’t think Illinois will put up anything on USC, I know this is a UCLA site but USC is the most talented team in the nation and healthy there is no chance Illinois gives em a game. As far as the bowl season really no exciting matchups for any pac10 teams at all so the PAC will just take more crap from other conferences because the worst teams here arent as bad as there records as usual.

Johnson, Petersen, and Rick…in that order. Mooch…come on people!

In order for the Bruins to get Steve Spurrier they would have to man up and pay him what he is worth. I don’t think he is happy at the other sc. I know this that spurrier has never had an nfl caliber qb before. He would be great with olson and chris forcier. I saw Forcier combine video he has a live arm. The bruins are going to need a head coach to help develop him. As for KD its to bad it took hime this long to realize the WCO doesn’t work. If he had went to a spread offense this season we wouldn’t be here talking about looking for another coach. If indeed KD is fired on monday and D Walker is the interm HC then he should be the front runner if the bruins waxes byu.

Tommy Bruin you have my vote as next AD. Great story on Johnson.If he is as good as you say he is I hope he is on the list. Johnson definately has an impresive resume

yooklafan,

I think it’s a bit of a stretch to suggest USC’s 2007 bowl assignment is going to negatively effect UCLA!! C’mon! I’m a Bruins fan, but that’s taking it way too far.

UCLA probably won’t be in the hunt for a BCS bowl for at least 2 or 3 years, if lucky, so I don’t see the logic in your assertion.

Regarding Illinois -v- USC. Anyone who knows anything about the Big Ten knows Ohio State is as talented a football team as USC or any team in the country (remember, they’re ranked #1) and Illinois put it to them. O.State may not have as much hype as the Trojans, but they are the real deal.

Rick Neuheisel should be the # 1 choice of UCLA, hands down. HE bleeds BLUE and GOLD, and he has a very innovative offensive mind. Our offense had sputtered under KD each season. It is not our defense.

Betting in an office pool on the NCAA March Madness does not mean anything. We all bet on the Final Four. So what. He was fired by a former Trojan, and he was vindicated with a large settlement. Reminds me of The Innocent Man by John Grisham. An innocent man was sentenced to death, and then exonerated and settle for $ 5 million.

Rick has a great football mind, and should have gotten the job last time around. If he is not chosen, I would go with a proven offensive mind– Norm Chow. If he had stayed at USC, they would still be undefeated, but Pom Pom Carroll could not stand all the accolades he received.

Leach beat OU when the # 1 QB went down. They were lucky. Chris Petersen beat OU on great trick plays in the Fiesta Bowl. Where is BSU going this year?

Rick and Norm Chow together would be fantastic. A Dream Team.

Before one wonders if Paul Johnson has the necessary pedigree to be UCLA coach remember what Tressell as Div 1AA coach has done at Ohio State.

If a guy can coach, he can coach.

He gets Navy to bowl games (they were 1-20 the two years before he came)…his teams score.

He won’t be cheap..He is in 7 figures at Navy now…

It’s a shame we don’t hear his name being discussed.

I’d be surprised if Pederson comes…Mariucci would be a mistake (more style than substance)…

If the Times article is right, the AD is already beginning to settle…

Mariucci? Why? What has he done to warrant consideration? Nothing as far as I can tell. Forget him.

Lane Kiffin and Terry Bowden have some definite positives. They are relatively young guys who have tons of appeal for potential recruits to consider. Bowden has a nice recruiting base in SEC country and, with Daddy Bobby’s retirement probably happening after next year, he would more than likely have in-roads into Florida States pipeline. He is a knowledgable coach with the proper profile to lead UCLA’s bid to become a power player. And, if successful, Bowden would probably stay at UCLA instead of bolting for the NFL.
Kiffin is the younger of the two coaches and has a huge upside potential. He has experience under Carroll’s regime at SC, has recruiting appeal, and, more than likely, would like nothing more than to supplant his crosstown rival as the headline coach in LA.
Neuheisel has some appeal as well. He was the classic overachiever during his career at UCLA and he has a reputation as a bulldog recruiter. In fact, part of the reason he was hated by other coaches is that he would trump their recruiting efforts with 5* high school kids by making personal visits and wooing the parents along with the recruit. The fact he was involved in some stupid fantasy pool is of no concern. It was overblown from the get-go and pushed along by his rival coaches….most noteworthy, Bellotti at Oregon. Bellotti hates Neuheisel for running up the score in a bowl game when Neuheisel was at Colorado.
When compared to Bowden, Kiffin, and Neuheisel, Mariucci pales. If Guerrero hires Mariucci, I predict there will be a “Dump Mooch” site in the very near future.

neuhisal has also gotten every scholl he has coached at on ncaa probation. thye guy is unethical.

Dump DG will be more appropriate.
I agree with Pat M - Leach is an ok coach who’s been lucky,
and where is Boise St this year? If they have this great aversion to Neuheisel, then consider the Navy and Montana coaches first…

Yooklan- Illinois has Juice playing QB. USC, like all other teams in the country, struggle mightly against a running QB (that was the only way we were able to beat them last year with those hilariously clumsy Pat Cowan runs). Illinois runs a spread offense with some speed on the outside. They run sets like Oregon, although their execution isn’t at Oregon’s level.

The key to that rose Bowl game will be Illini’s ability to defend USC’s running game. If they can’t, their offensive threats will be rendered moot.

I like this healthy discussion of replacements for KD.

It appears we have arrived at our final destination!!! My phone just rang. Two sources at UCLA have informed me that DG met with KD this morning and told him he was being let go. There is a team meeting scheduled for Noon.

my 2 cents - Peterson is the obvious favorite but I think he’s a total long shot which leaves Nueheisel and Mariucci and then Leach. Of the 3 I’d take Rick hands down. Is there any way Rick can mount a charge - was DG’s “no way” comment a smoke screen? This job would be Rick’s if it wasn’t for the gambling BS.

The next coach doesn’t need to build a winning program from scratch. The talent is already here, the only thing lacking is a coach who can take the players to another level. The only thing keeping The Bruins from competing for a NC is offense offense offense and more offense. DG needs to give D Walker another signfigant raise to keep him in the Bruin Fold.

EXCESS BAGGAGE? What does Guerero think UCLA is, an airline. It’s a program struggling to succeed in major college football. He made the wrong choice in the first place and he’s reluctant to admit it. There is no second choice. Rick Neuheisel. Now! Bob Stiles

I agree with Bob Stiles. With a name like that, straight out of UCLA’s glory days (remember the tackle on Michigan State’s Bob Apisa in the ‘66 Rose Bowl?) how can he be wrong?
Rick Neuheisel is the guy.

Stage 1 of 2 is over….
Now - Will we get a respected/experienced coach or will DG go with his ‘gut’ again?

No way to Neuheisel, trouble follows were ever he goes.

With all the troubled past Neuheisel brings to the table, I can’t see why anyone would want him. Also, if we lose Walker too, we lose out on a few good recruits. So it will be another 3-5 yrs of hell. But the so-called “true-blue” can’t see that. They will when they are asking for the next guy to be fired. Or will they? I know I don’t want to hear anything about injuries…LOL

Also - I offer good luck to KD & his family….

Agree.

Lets hire Peterson… get some exciting offense in the Rose Bowl to create some excitement and keep Walker to keep the good defense so we can win some championships!!!!

Next coach?
One of the few pluses UCLA AD Guerrero cited in hiring an untried end coach with the Denver Broncos as UCLA’s head coach five seasons ago was that he was an ex-bruin. If that is any criteria, what about Rick Neuheisel, now of the Baltimore Ravens coaching staff? Neuheisel has a 66-30 record with the Universities of Colorado and Washington. As for betting in neighbor pool, the courts have exonerated him. End of that saga. Mariucci seems a good choice. Look at USC’s luck with a head coach fired by the Boston Pats.

I don’t know about Neuhieisel, he’s a great coach, but it’s true he does carry a lot of issues. After being involved in a betting pool, and doing some shady stuff @ Colorado, is it worth it to take that risk of him doing it again and putting our program on probation? I’m all about giving a guy a second chance, after all he is a Bruin and I don’t think he would do anything to hurt the school. That’s my only concern. But if they do hire him, then I’ll welcome him with open arms. Like I said b4, other than that, he is a great coach. But I would still like to see Mariucci in Blue and Gold. I’m sure DG will make a smart choice this time. Just don’t get DW!!!

Neuheisel a great coach? Isn’t he offensive coordinator for Baltimore? How’re they doing this year?

Thanks to the good people at “dump” for providing alumni, season ticket holders, and fans a venue to voice their opinions. I know administrators, coaches, and mainstream media look down on you but you truly are the voice of the people. We don’t get our tickets for free. We pay for them. We buy the merchandice. As such, we demand to be heard!

As for a new coach, it should begin and end with Rick Neuheisel. Why?

Head coach experience
Took Washington to the Rose Bowl
Helped develop QB’s like Kordell Stewart(Ben and Patrick could benfit)
Can get him cheap
His dream job
Will not leave if he has success
Popular with Alumni and fans
Needs redemption
Perception of his misdeeds are grossly overstated

Can you start a campaign hirerick.com?

it would have been Rick’s in 1996 had Donahue not been so insecure. He hire Toledo to be offensive coordinator over Rick. A real slap in the face.

Da Bear, you idiot. Neuheisel has not “gotten” every program on probation. Do your research before you slander someone. Now, Pete Carroll–he’s unethical.

Neuheisel is doing about what might be expected of a coordinator for a team with no QB, no RB and no receivers. Nothing.

Heard from a source that Dan G’s job is in some jeopardy. Chancellor is unhappy with the firing, thought the contract extension was absurd and that another season was necessary. We’ll see.

Be careful. Petersen does not want this job! There is something creepy about him and I think he hates L.A.

Someone have a good link to the video from the press conference? The one on the UCLA page won’t work for me, apparently I need to DOWNgrade my software.

Anyways, I like Petersen(California/UC guy), or Mendenhall for the new coach, I think they are more realistic than the others mentioned. Mendenhall would be funny though, because win or lose in the Las Vegas bowl, we got your coach suckers!