The Bruins got off to a rough start, opening the season with a 0-4 record. Their 35-10 loss against New Mexico happened to be the moment of enlightenment. Already, the Bruins have lost twice against Group Five opponents, and they pulled the trigger on DeShaun Foster. Since then, Tim Skipper has been the interim head coach. And looks like his gamble of assigning 33-year-old Jerry Neuheisel, with the playcalling duties, paid off. But looks like Neuheisel has some bigger aspirations. 

On October 13, The Athletic reporter Ira Gorawara posted a clip featuring Neuheisel. The caption read, “In 2013, UCLA Alumni did an “8 Questions” video with Jerry Neuheisel. They asked about his dream profession.” In the comment section, the analyst rectified her statement, saying, “Typo on my end: should be *2023.” Talking about Neuheisel’s coaching skills?

One week after its stunning 42-37 upset of Penn State, UCLA earned a 38-13 road victory against Michigan State on Saturday, Oct. 11. Now, that’s considered to be one of the most unexpected turnarounds in recent years in college football. Dominance was on full display. The Bruins steamrolled the Spartans, outgaining 418-253 and controlling the clock by 13 extra minutes. In the casual interview, Neuheisel passionately spoke, “I wanna be the head coach here. So if you guys are Bruin fans and you’re crazy enough one day to give me a hire, I would love to eventually be the head coach here.” After all, who knows the Bruins better than the 33-year-old UCLA alum? 

So, it indeed was worth the wait for the Bruins fans. A UCLA lifer through and through, Neuheisel never strayed far. His journey in the Bruins camp began as a walk-on quarterback in 2013. It did not take him long to spread his rage. Neuheisel completed 23 of 30 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns, including the 33-yard game-winner to Jordan Payton with three minutes left, against the Longhorns. With this came the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week fame. 

Wrapping up his quarterback chapter, he took up coaching. Neuheisel left his mark as Texas A&M’s offense quality control coach in 2017. But his heart was somehow stuck in UCLA, and he made a return as the Bruins’ Graduate Assistant. Neuheisel then kept on climbing the ladder. UCLA wide receivers coach from 2021-23, then held honors as the Bruins’ tight end coach in 2024. But oftentimes, the colorful resume is not enough to win the trust as a head coach.

Jeff Faris, the Austin Peay head coach and Neuheisel’s mate, with whom he coached as assistants during the Chip Kelly experiment in Westwood, shared his take. “He is like Mr. UCLA. Everyone on that campus knows Jerry. He’s a very good recruiter and he’s got great personal skills, but it’s his passion for that university that shines through,” said Faris. Neuheisel’s head coaching dream? It looks like a marathon, not a sprint, before he reaches the throne.

Who might come in between Jerry Neuheisel and his UCLA Bruins head coaching dreams?

Right now, it’s Skipper who is in the limelight. The Skipper-Neuheisel chemistry has been a grand hit. It’s the duo who uplifted UCLA from a team that struggled to score even 40 points in the first four games of the season. And after they took over, their points shot to 80 in the next two. Not just this. 

UCLA climbed the charts by 11 spots. Unbelievable! As per ESPN’s updated Football Power Index, the Bruins now sit at No. 68 from No. 79. Skipper poured his heart out in a conversation with UCLA beat writer Ben Bolch. “I guess it’s good that I don’t get on social media and all that stuff right now because I don’t feel that way,” said the Bruins interim head coach. “But I don’t really know what’s happening in the outside world [because] I’m in this [practice] building so much.”

He accepted that he “loves” what he is doing. Plus, Skipper has proved himself. So, the Bruins already have good enough reasons to continue with him. While Neuheisel’s fate hangs in the balance when it comes to head coaching chances, someone else is making the most use of the situation, coming up with a sly plan.

That’s none other than Washington Huskies head coach, Jedd Fisch. On October 9, On3 dropped the big update: “NEW: Washington’s Jedd Fisch is a name to know in UCLA’s head coach search, @PeteNakos_ reports👀” Why Fisch? Well, he, too, has some UCLA connection. Fisch served as the Bruins’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2017. Just like Skipper, he served as the interim head coach, too. 

However, looks like in the long run, Jedd Fisch is not considering a big leap to the UCLA Bruins. As he said, “Yeah, I’m focused on the fact that we’re playing a team that beat us 24-19 and that is literally the only thing that I’m thinking about. We had a really tough game against [Washington State] a year ago. We got stopped on the 1-yard line. My mind is strictly on that.” However, fans stir up a theory stating that it’s Fisch’s way to pick up the buzz and squeeze in some more dollars from his present squad. So, even with potential on the horizon, Jerry Neuheisel may have a long wait before his dreams come true.