Joy in the Chaos - College Football thoughts from the Sky
Belief, Joy, Rivalries and the Return of Jerry Neuheisel
I can remember being a young broadcaster, meeting Rick Neuheisel for the first time when he was the head coach at UCLA. He gathered Samantha Ponder (then Samantha Steele) and me around on the floor of the Rose Bowl during a Pac-12 Media Day and took us through the Pistol Offense, diagramming how he planned to use this unique scheme to win games for his Bruins.
That was Rick–a teacher, competitor, connector. And if you spent five minutes with him, you likely met his wife Sue and his sons.
That’s how I met Jerry Neuheisel.
He was a high school quarterback then–bright-eyed, curious, always smiling. You’d see Jerry, and somehow you’d leave feeling better about the world. He followed the family path to UCLA, where his dad had been a Rose Bowl MVP. He was literally born in UCLA’s hospital, a few hundred yards from the practice field.
When he finally got his shot as a Bruin, he made the most of it—leading a memorable comeback win over Texas and getting carried off the field. That was Jerry. Good things seemed to find him, though anyone who knows him knows it was never luck. It was work.
Years later, when I started broadcasting at Pac-12 Networks, Rick became a colleague and a friend. And whenever Jerry was around, we couldn’t resist putting a mic in front of him–he had great energy, great stories, great sound. But even then, he’d say:
“Yogi, I just want to coach. My dream is to be the head coach here at UCLA.”
He said that while he was still playing.
Since then, he’s coached all over the world—yes, even while being a player-coach in Japan—chasing experiences and perspective. But always, always with his compass pointed back toward Westwood.
This week, a version of that dream became reality.
No one could have predicted what this season would bring for UCLA: early losses, the dismissal of one of their own in DeShaun Foster, and a reshuffling of both coordinators before October.
Then Penn State came to town, still recovering from its White Out loss at home to Oregon. What followed wasn’t revenge—it was revelation. UCLA and interim head coach Tim Skipper didn’t just hang with a national contender; they often dominated the line of scrimmage. They played free, connected, joyful.
And at the center of it all was quarterback Nico Iamaleava.
His path makes yesterday’s game so wild. Amid the changes, Nico could have left. It’s fair to say that in today’s game, plenty would have.
But instead, he chose to galvanize his team. Rushing for 128 yards and throwing for 166 helped the cause.
His teammates echoed his belief and met the moment with energy that felt contagious. It was a statement—not just from a program in transition, but from a locker room that decided it wasn’t done yet.
Jerry Neuheisel was carried off the field again, this time as the play-caller, surrounded by the same belief and joy that once carried him off as a player.
It reminded me that belief is contagious. Competing with joy is powerful. And sometimes all it takes is an opportunity, however it arrives, to show who we really are.
Some Truths from the Sky
Flying home around midnight last night it hit me–this weekend was full of reminders that the script in college football is always being rewritten. Florida took down Texas. Cincinnati beat Iowa State. UCLA toppled a National Champion favorite. In the game I was at, Purdue and Illinois went back and forth for the Cannon Trophy, a rivalry game that delivered exactly what you hope for–competition at a premium and players leaving it all on the grass.
Maybe that’s the new normal.
Maybe upsets and 1 score games will become a typical weekend in college football.
Maybe not at all.
Either way, I have a feeling that all of us lovers of this great game are leaning in.
What’s Next
This week I’ll be on the call for UCLA vs. Michigan State—a Pasadena native in Jonathan Smith facing a program reborn under a familiar name.
But before the prep starts, I’m taking Sunday slow. A walk on the beach as the waves are up. Lounging with my boys while we talk about Dillon Gabriel’s first start in London and a deep breath before another week that’ll move too fast.
Because college football gives us joy in the chaos—but life gives us the stillness to feel it.
🎧 Coming Monday: The Process with Dan Lanning
Tomorrow, we drop a conversation unlike any you’ve heard from Oregon’s head coach. Dan Lanning shares a weekly exercise he asks his players to do that Rhett Lewis and I have never heard another coach mention. It’s raw, reflective, and worth your time. If you haven’t subscribed to Y-Option, please do, as all of our content will go directly into your inbox.
Here’s a little teaser:
Much love, and stay steady.
Yogi
Give Jerry Neuheisel a shot at head coach! Or at least OC. That was a play-calling performance for the ages, and his love for UCLA runs as deep as any. Nice insight here on his upbringing!