UCLA’s considering USF’s Alex Golesh to replace Deshaun Foster may be a massive Nico Iamaleava clue originally appeared on The Sporting News
The UCLA Bruins could have USF Bulls football coach Alex Golesh on their radar to take over for the recently fired Deshaun Foster. And it may be a hint at what the program thinks about quarterback Nico Iamaleava.
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The Sporting News’s Bill Bender linked Golesh and Iamaleava from their time together on the recruiting trail when the former was the Tennessee Volunteers’ offensive coordinator and the latter was UT’s future prized recruit.
“Golesh, 41, is on everyone’s hot list. He had a four-year stint at Iowa State as an assistant coach before serving as an offensive coordinator at UCF and Tennessee. He was among the top recruiters for Iamaleava with the Volunteers, too. Golesh has an up-tempo offense that is quarterback-friendly. He could be in play because of that relationship with Iamaleava,” Bender wrote.
Iamaleava caused an unprecedented stir on Rocky Top after the 2024 season. He enrolled for the 2023 season, but Golesh was already hired by the Bulls after Deion Sanders passed on the opportunity. The two were familiarized when Iamaleava committed to the Vols in March 2022. They were never part of any friction or drama. That was all on Josh Heupel and his coaching staff.
That opens the door for the two to finally unite in Los Angeles. If Iamaleava wants to stay at a school where he’s 0-3 under center with losses to the New Mexico Lobos, UNLV Rebels, and Utah Utes, of course. Iamaleava is coming off of a College Football Playoff appearance with the Vols and is going backwards in his career. But he is in native Los Angeles, something his family stressed was vital in his decision.
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Iamaleava may need Golesh to walk through that door in Westwood. Not every head coach will want to justify his seven-figure NIL price tag given the results of the Bruins’ season so far and the media hysteria that preceded them.
We’ll see if Golesh will want to continue being underfunded in Tampa, or if he wants to build a new culture in L.A.
There’s a higher ceiling with the Bruins, but the scrutiny is tenfold compared to staying with the Bulls.
