Tim Skipper has been appointed as the new head football coach for Cal Poly, becoming the 19th person to hold the position in the program’s history. The announcement was made by Cal Poly Athletic Director Carter Henderson.
Skipper brings 25 years of collegiate coaching experience to San Luis Obispo. Most recently, he served as interim head coach at UCLA, where he took over after a difficult start to the season and led the Bruins to three wins against 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.”
Before joining UCLA in 2025, Skipper held several coaching roles at Fresno State. In 2024, he served as interim head coach there as well, leading Fresno State through a bowl appearance after posting a 6-7 record. He had previously acted as head coach during Fresno State’s 2023 bowl game victory. Under his leadership in 2024, Fresno State had its highest number of All-Mountain West selections since 2022.
Skipper rejoined Fresno State in 2022 as linebackers coach and assistant head coach. That year saw significant success for the Bulldogs’ defense; they ranked second in their conference for scoring defense and fourth for total defense.
His coaching career also includes time at Central Michigan (where he was assistant head coach), Colorado State, Florida, UNLV, Sacramento State (as defensive coordinator), Western New Mexico (as defensive coordinator), among others.
As a player at Fresno State from 1997–2000, Skipper started four years at middle linebacker and finished with one of the highest tackle totals in school history.
A formal introductory press conference is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 8 at 10:30 a.m. in the lobby of the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center.
