As has always been the case, it starts with the head coach. Those who say that coaches don't matter anymore and that it's all about NIL are looking at it from the standpoint of the big football schools. Those schools can sign who they want, hire/fire coaches on a dime, and be relevant every year. The money is already on the table such that they are always just one portal class away from being "back".
Like ASU and Indiana, UCLA needs to scrap together something it can sell to donors. No big NIL is coming to carry Foster to success, and it's silly to think there would be. He will have to show something (even 8 wins or so might do) before the big money comes in to buy significant talent.
Suddenly now, ASU and Indiana are raising a lot of NIL money for football. Far more than UCLA. Success, then NIL, not the other way around.
As always, coaching matters and it always will. We have a completely revamped staff (I think we only retained Foster, Malloe, and Jerry), an experienced QB who has thrown for nearly 7000 yards, and a softer schedule in 2025. Gotta get to at least 7 wins to keep some hope alive.