Foster eager for opportunity to improve Bruins program
LOS ANGELES » UCLA’s decision to place its trust in DeShaun Foster as its football coach was met with excitement and brought a level of comfort and “relief” to the football program Monday.
While players on the current roster made it clear to athletic director Martin Jarmond and the administration Friday that they wanted Foster, there was still a level of shock when he appeared in front of the team Monday.
“It was a surprise,” running back TJ Harden said. “My heart was racing . ... I couldn’t explain the relief I had when Coach Foster walked in the room.”
Harden and linebacker Kain Medrano were among the players that swarmed around Foster as he returned to campus after departing from the program last week to become the Las Vegas Raiders running backs coach.
“It’s what everyone was asking for and hoping for,” Medrano said. “I couldn’t ask for any better coach.”
Current players, alumni and staff packed the Pavilion Club inside Pauley Pavilion to support Foster and his family as he was formally introduced during a press conference on Tuesday.
“I’ve always dreamed of being a head coach and being the head coach here at UCLA,” Foster said before fighting back tears. “This is something I’ve built for. I can do this. I’m going to put all my passion into this. I am here for these boys.”
The Tustin alum introduced his three pillars that will serve as the foundation for the program: “Discipline, respect and enthusiasm.”
Foster also declared that he would help guide the program in a direction and bring a level of excitement back to the program that will draw fans back to fill the stands for home games.
“We are going to get this Rose Bowl back to how it needs to be,” he said. “We are in L.A. We are UCLA. We win banners in every sport and I just have to get football back.”
UCLA hit a record low with its home game attendance at the Rose Bowl twice during Chip Kelly’s sixyear tenure as head coach.
The university finished the 2019 season with an average attendance of 43,848, their lowest since moving to the historic venue in 1982. The record was set again in 2022 with an average attendance of 41,593 fans.
Foster does not have experience as a coordinator but that didn’t deter Jarmond’s belief that Foster was the right candidate Sunday night after spending the weekend interviewing 11 of the 20 candidates the university had vetted through the process.
“I just felt that his presence and his time in this moment that he was the right man at the right time,” Jarmond said.
Jarmond and Foster covered several topics including donor relationships and NIL (name, image and likeness).
“We need a modern-day CEO,” Jarmond said. “Someone who embraces NIL, helps our student athletes and embraces recruiting. It’s a 24/7 thing. You have to fight to win recruiting battles and we are going to partner and we’re going to give him all the resources.”
Foster is expected to “hit the ground running” today and start meeting with donors and the university NIL collective, “Men of Westwood.”
“I’ve had conversations,” Foster said. “I’ve got to get in front of everybody and let them know my direction. Just my vision. How I see this. Getting in front of everybody, let’s give them the vision, if they’re onboard, let’s go.”
The Bruins have struggled to recruit at the high school level throughout Kelly’s tenure. UCLA is currently 88th in the nation and last among the 18 teams in the Big Ten in the recruiting rankings by 247sports.
San Juan Hills linebacker Weston Port became the first commitment before Kelly’s official departure last week.
Foster will have to continue to re-recruit his current roster and retain several players for the 2024 season. The players were given a 30-day period to enter the transfer portal after a coaching change.
The decision to hire the former running backs coach is said to have helped mitigate a mass exodus.
Jarmond stated that no players have entered the portal as of Tuesday morning. The transfer window started Friday but Jarmond had asked for a 96hour window to go through a coaching search.
Foster will also have to attend to the coaching staff with four vacant roles: offensive coordinator, running backs coach, tight ends coach and inside linebackers coach.
The head coach indicated during the press conference that he would not resume his role as the running backs coach.
Foster’s biggest hole to fill will be offensive coordinator, where he will likely have to hire someone with enough experience at the position to help make up for the lack of play-calling experience among the coaches on staff.