SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Cal Poly Athletic Director Carter Henderson announced today that Tim Skipper, most recently the interim head coach at UCLA, has been named the 19th head football coach in program history.
Skipper arrives in San Luis Obispo with 25 years of collegiate coaching experience and a ton of 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.
“Tim’s experience and accomplishments in college football speak for themselves, and I am thrilled to welcome him as our new head football coach,” said Henderson. “I believe deeply that our student-athletes will benefit greatly from the culture he develops, his deep football knowledge and his infectious enthusiasm, and I look forward to partnering with him.”
“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.”
In 2024, Skipper served as interim head coach at Fresno State, leading the Bulldogs to a 6-7 record and a bowl appearance. He had previously served as acting head coach for Fresno State’s 2023 bowl game, a 37–10 victory. The Bulldogs produced 11 All-Mountain West selections in 2024, their most in a season since 2022. Skipper was named Mountain West “Head Coach of the Week” three times by 247Sports, the most of any coach in the conference.
Skipper rejoined Fresno State in 2022 as linebackers coach and assistant head coach. That season, the Bulldogs became the first program in FBS history to start 1–4 and finish with 10 wins, ending the year on a nine-game winning streak that included the Mountain West Championship and a victory in the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl. The Fresno State defense ranked No. 2 in the Mountain West in scoring defense (19.4 points per game) and No. 4 in total defense (338.9 yards per game), with the linebackers’ unit playing a central role.
