UCLA has found the head coach who will lead it into the Big Ten. The Bruins are set to hire running backs coach DeShaun Foster, the school announced Monday.
Foster, who was hired as the Las Vegas Raiders' running backs coach less than two weeks ago, served as the Bruins' RBs coach for the last seven years and was a 2022 nominee for the Broyles Award, which is given to the top assistant coach in college football.
He will replace Chip Kelly, who left the head-coaching job at UCLA to take the open offensive coordinator role at Ohio State.
"This is a dream come true," Foster said in a release. "I always envisioned being a Bruin ever since I was young, and now being the head coach at my alma mater is such a surreal feeling, and I'm grateful for this opportunity. The foundation of this program will be built on discipline, respect and enthusiasm. These are phenomenal young men, and I'm excited to hit the ground running."
The Bruins led the Pac-12 in rushing the past two seasons under Foster and have had a running back selected in the NFL Draft in each of the past four seasons.
Foster started his career at UCLA as a star running back from 1998-2001, scoring at least 10 touchdowns in three of his four seasons while running for over 900 yards in each of his final two years.
The Carolina Panthers selected Foster in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft, kick-starting a six-year career in the professional ranks. After suffering injuries in his first two seasons, Foster posted three straight 800-yard seasons in Carolina before playing one season with the San Francisco 49ers.
Foster first joined UCLA as a volunteer coach in 2012 and became a graduate assistant one year later. After serving as the director of player development and high school relations at UCLA and the running backs coach at Texas Tech under Kliff Kingsbury, he returned to Westwood to lead the RB room.
UCLA athletics director Martin Jarmond said the Bruins were looking for someone who could develop players and embrace the new era of college football.
"While undergoing a comprehensive search for our new head coach, DeShaun resonated from the start and throughout the whole process," Jarmond in a release. "We are looking for a coach with integrity, energy and passion; someone who is a great teacher, who develops young men, is a great recruiter and fully embraces the NIL landscape to help our student-athletes. DeShaun checks all of those boxes and then some. He is a leader of men and a true Bruin. I am excited to partner with him as we usher UCLA Football into an exciting new era."
UCLA will need Foster to help it improve in the recruiting world. The Bruins own the 88th-ranked recruiting class in 2024, according to 247Sports. That's not ideal for the program, considering it also lost quarterback Dante Moore to Oregon via the transfer portal.
Playing in the Big Ten for the first time, UCLA enters the new season with +15000 odds to win the 2025 CFP National Championship at BetMGM.
