DeShaun Foster has spent at least three decades around the game of football, but the 2024 season was unlike anything he had experienced before.
Foster was tasked with taking over the reins as a first-year coach at his alma mater, UCLA.
“I was scared,” Foster told reporters on Aug. 27. “I was pure nerves and I’ve never been scared out on the football field, but it was a nervous feeling because it was brand new and I had never been in that position.’
The former second-team All-American was hired in February 2024 to take over as the 19th head coach in UCLA football history. But his February hire date gave him a late start to the offseason.
Foster went through his share of growing pains in Year 1, including a Big Ten Media Day blunder and a running game that was lackluster — especially considering that’s his specialty that helped him land the job.“I’m nowhere near where I was last year,” Foster said. “I feel pretty good. It’s just completely slowed down. Last year, you were learning on the run and all of this has been familiar territory. It’s been pretty easy from this point.”
He’s already demonstrated improved confidence with his second attempt at media day, and with how he has handled the program’s efforts in recruiting at both the high school level and through the transfer portal.
UCLA’s 2026 recruiting class is ranked 24th in the country on On3’s Industry Rankings. UCLA’s previous two classes were ranked 40th (2025) and 68th (2024).
UCLA brought in 31 transfers, which was among the top 10 in the FBS. The transfer class includes 14 players who had played high school football in the state of California, including quarterback Nico Iamaleava and his brother Madden.
“I’m just excited for the season,” Foster said. “We got a good group of guys. We brought in some good players, brought in some good coaches and everybody’s been aligned. I just like the trajectory of this program right now. It’s going in the right direction.”
The Bruins’ newly-acquired talent and depth will be tested as UCLA opens the 2025 season at the Rose Bowl against former Pac-12 foe Utah, led by coach Kyle Whittingham.
While a lot of the attention will be on the debut of Iamaleava, Foster believes he has a lot of other players in his locker room who are looking to make a name for themselves this season.
“We’re just going to play ball,” Foster said. “We know what type of team we have, and I think these boys are pretty excited about this situation.
“I think there are some guys out here that want to let them know there’s more than just Nico out here.”
There’s a lot of unknown about the Bruins’ defense after its most talented players were selected in the early rounds of the NFL draft each of the last two years.
Defensive tackle Gary Smith III and defensive back Key Lawrence could be among the defenders who will attempt to reach the potential of edge rushers Laiatu Latu (Indianapolis Colts) and Carson Schwesinger (Cleveland Browns).
When is UCLA football’s home opener?
Foster and UCLA will host Utah at the Rose Bowl on Saturday, Aug. 30, at 8 p.m. local time (11 p.m. ET).