UCLA Football: Bruins Hire Akron Offensive Coordinator As Quarterbacks Coach

The Bruins continue to round out their coaching staff.

The UCLA Bruins decided to retain Chip Kelly, much to the chagrin of fans and pundits. However, the coaching staff was hit hard when defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn left for the USC Trojans. 

Lynn's departure was followed by tight ends coach Jeff Faris, who was hired by Autin Peay's head coach. Kelly quickly decided on interim options in Ken Niumatalolo as tight ends coach and Ikaika Malloe as defensive coordinator. Both have since been promoted to full-time coaches at this position. 

Ryan Gunderson was the former quarterbacks coach but left to take an offensive coordinator position with Oregon. Now, the Bruins have announced that they have hired Billy Fessler from Akron as the new QB coach. 

UCLA announced the hiring of Akron offensive coordinator Billy Fessler as its next quarterbacks coach.

He played quarterback at Penn State.

— James H. Williams covers UCLA football (@JHWreporter) January 12, 2024

Fessler played at Penn State before he transitioned into a coaching career. His first few opportunities were as a Graduate assistant for Slippery Rock (2018), Mississippi State (2019), and Ohio State (2020-2021). Akron would bring him on as their quarterbacks coach in 2022. 

During the 2023 season, Fessler was promoted from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator, while simultaneously coaching the QBs. 

He now joins UCLA as quarterbacks coach and has the opportunity to potentially get the best out of Ethan Garbers in the 2024 season. We imagine Kelly could hit the transfer portal for additional QB help. 

Either way, Fessler is a welcome addition, and he has the tall task of getting the QB to play up to a high level for the Bruins to compete in the Big Ten next season.