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Cal Poly hires new head football coach

December 4, 2025

Tim Skipper

By KAREN VELIE

Cal Poly announced Wednesday that Tim Skipper, most recently the interim head coach at UCLA, has been named the 19th head football coach at the San Luis Obispo based university.

Skipper arrives in San Luis Obispo with 25 years of collegiate coaching experience and positive momentum following the job he did this past season at UCLA. He began the 2025 season at UCLA as special assistant to the head coach before being elevated to interim head coach following the Bruins’ 0-3 start.

Under his direction, the Bruins went 3-6 the rest of the way with victories over Penn State, Michigan State and Maryland.

“I am extremely excited to become the next head football coach at Cal Poly and want to thank Carter Henderson and President Armstrong for entrusting me with this opportunity,” Skipper said. “The ‘Learn by Doing’ approach and the academic excellence that has been achieved at Cal Poly have been inspiring to me for many years, and I look forward to pursuing the same type of excellence on the football field. It will take the full support of our community coming together to win championships, and I can’t wait to engage with the Mustang family to chase our fullest potential together.”

A New Orleans native, Skipper earned his bachelor’s degree in communications from Fresno State in 2001.

A formal introductory press conference will take place Monday, Dec. 8 at 10:30 a.m. in the lobby of the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center.

 


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As a LONG time North County resident, Can someone tell me briefly why very successful former Atascadero High School football coach Larry Welsh was such a dud during his brief time as Cal Poly head coach1997-2000?


2

Welsh was indeed a great coach. I believe he won four or five CIF titles. At the beginning of each school year he would go through the boys’ PE classes and personally pick out the beefier young men and send them to the weight room, which is what they did every day for PE. He always had the best offensive line and he played smash mouth football. He came to Poly and tried to build that kind of program, but college football was in the middle of a transition from primarily RB oriented offenses to wide open play where the field was spread and the QB had options to run or pass. Coaches such as Mike Leech and Chip Kelly were revolutionizing the game with more wide open offenses. I don’t think Welsh really understood that, but, let’s face it, Poly is just never going to be a football power. Hoping maybe Skipper can bring back some winning.


-1

Love this hire. As a Poly alum who was in the stands in 1980 in Albuquerque when we beat Eastern Illinois in the NCAA Division II championship game, I have seen a lot. Was hoping the Army coach (forget his name) we got a few years ago was the answer, but he struggled. The problem Skipper will face is losing good players to the transfer portal where they can go to a higher profile program. But, even in my dotage when I don’t go out much, I think I’ll look into season seats.


-1

Well, let’s see if all that Swim Team money is well spent.


-1

Is this 1957? Nobody could find a color photograph?


-1

That comment retort is teed up high…


0

Tim Skipper is an excellent coach, and his experience at Colorado State and Fresno State demonstrates his ability to build strong, disciplined programs. With that background, he should be well-equipped to develop a successful and competitive program at Cal Poly. This is a good person and good hire.


11

Agreed, he sounds like a good guy. But Poly needs to finally give it up on football. It is a money pit that cannot compete with top FCS schools. Lets build other sports that are affordable, Title 9 compliant, competitive at the D-1 level nationally, and compatible with Poly’s high academic standards.. Football has never sold out the stadium, soccer has. Gonzaga is the size of a large high school and is a national basketball power.


0