UCLA's quarterbacks coach Dana Bible announced his retirement on Friday, and Bruins head coach Chip Kelly is moving quickly to fill the vacancy.
Sources tell FootballScoop on Saturday that Kelly is targeting San Jose State quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator Ryan Gunderson to fill the role and a deal, while not complete at this time, could happen soon.
Gunderson has been on Brent Brennan's Spartans staff for the past three seasons. The 2019 campaign saw San Jose State lead the Mountain West in passing offense and post its highest passing efficiency rating since 2013. Quarterback Josh Love was named the MW Offensive Player of the Year, throwing for nearly 4,000 yards and 22 touchdowns.
The Spartans bested that number again in 2020, as transfer Nick Starkel hit 64.2 percent of his throws for 8.6 yards per attempt with 17 touchdowns against seven interceptions in eight games.
San Jose State won its first Mountain West title and finished No. 24 in the AP poll, the program's, the second AP Top 25 finish in school history.
San Jose State represents Gunderson's first on-field job in college football. The Oregon State grad began as a GA at his alma mater, then served as director of player personnel under Mike Riley at Oregon State and Nebraska.
At UCLA, Gunderson would inherit a quarterback room led by Dorian Thompson-Robinson. The former 4-star recruit is set to be a fourth-year starter in 2021 and has seen his passer rating steadily improve in three seasons behind center, from 122 as a freshman, to 135 as a sophomore, and then to 156 as a junior in 2020.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.
Friday update>
This deal is now complete. Gundy is UCLA's quarterbacks coach.