It’s been a whirlwind week for UCLA Football.
Just days after a midseason coaching shakeup sent shockwaves through Westwood, the Bruins pulled off a stunning 42–37 upset over nationally ranked Penn State on October 4 — guided in large part by the steady hand of offensive play-caller Jerry Neuheisel, a proud graduate of UCLA’s Transformative Coaching and Leadership (TCL) Master of Education program.
According to ESPN, with the win, the Bruins became the first 0–4 team to defeat a top-10 opponent since 1985, when UTEP knocked off BYU.
Neuheisel, who has spent the past several seasons mentoring UCLA’s tight ends and coordinating the Bruins’ offensive pieces, stepped up amid the tumult to help lead the program through one of its most turbulent stretches in recent memory.
In a David-versus-Goliath matchup, the former Bruin quarterback was locked in, shepherding a surprisingly energized offense that was unrecognizable from UCLA’s first four weeks of the season. The Bruin game plan featured trick plays, a committed aerial attack, and risk-tolerant play-calling.
“I love UCLA more than anything,” Neuheisel said, addressing the media postgame. “We had two days to practice a new game plan and all they did was believe. To see their excitement and their emotion in that locker room after… it was special.”
For Neuheisel, the week’s events offered another reminder of the lessons that have shaped his coaching journey — lessons rooted in adaptability, empathy, and authenticity. All three are hallmarks of the TCL program, which emphasizes personal growth and transformational leadership both on and off the field.
“I’ve worked under a lot of different leadership styles,” Neuheisel reflected in a previous interview with the School of Education and Information Studies. “But from all of them, I’ve learned to be who I am.”
That authenticity was on full display Saturday, as the Bruins rallied behind Neuheisel’s leadership and precise play-calling to knock off the Nittany Lions. The Bruin faithful on hand at the Rose Bowl showed their appreciation for UCLA’s play-caller, chanting his name following the win, while players doused him with a Gatorade bath and carried him off the field.
Informed he would be leading the offense on Tuesday evening, Neuheisel joked that he’d slept about three hours total across the next three days leading into the game.
“I’d love to take a lot of credit — that I am some voodoo magic tool,” Neuheisel added. “But that’s who [our quarterback Nico] is and what this team is capable of.
“We wanted to put together a game plan where the guys could feel confident — that no matter what look they gave us, we’d know that with how special [Penn State] is on defense and as a team, we were going to have to do different things to try to throw them off.”
A member of TCL’s inaugural cohort, Neuheisel has long credited the program for expanding his perspective on coaching — not just as a competitive endeavor, but as a deeply human one. From classroom discussions with legendary coaches like Sue Enquist and Valorie Kondos Field to collaborative projects with student-athletes and educators across sports, Neuheisel says the program pushed him to rethink what it means to lead.
“TCL prepares you to have conversations with people with whom you don’t agree,” he said. “You’re forced to take their perspective and collaborate.”
Now, in the midst of the Bruins’ uncertain transition, those skills are proving invaluable — both to Neuheisel and to the young men looking to him for guidance.
As UCLA Football charts its next chapter, one thing remains clear: Neuheisel’s grounding in transformative leadership continues to shine through, reminding Bruins everywhere that authentic connection and calm under pressure never go out of style.
“Going in, this was the most enthusiastic 0–4 team you’ve ever seen,” Neuheisel added. “It’s very hard because if you’re not in that environment, it seems like it’s doom and gloom. But in that building, everyone believed.”
Neuheisel is one of several TCL program graduates on the UCLA Football coaching staff, including defensive analyst Ramsen Golpashin, special teams/offensive analyst Anthony Goliver and graduate assistant Shea Pitts. Nearly a dozen TCL alumni currently serve as NCAA football coaches.
Read MORE about Neuheisel and the impact of TCL on his coaching journey.