UCLA names previous player Foster as new coach

Pete Thamel, ESPNFeb 12, 2024, 11:14 AM ET UCLA worked with previous star player and longtime assistant coach DeShaun Foster as the school’s next head coach Monday.Foster, who had actually

taken a job as the Las Vegas Raiders’ running backs coach previously this month, is in the UCLA Hall of Popularity as a player, served ten years in numerous functions at the school and played seven seasons in the NFL. He emerged amongst a pool of 11 candidates spoken with by UCLA, many of whom were sitting head coaches.Foster impressed the

UCLA brass with his capability to lead and command a room. Per sources, school authorities think Foster can resonate in the Los Angeles market and emphasize recruiting and fundraising, part of the paradigm shift college football is undergoing in the age of name, image and likeness offers. DeShaun Foster, who was an assistant at UCLA for 10 seasons and starred at running back for the Bruins, was named the school’s new coach Monday. Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire”This is a dream become a reality,”Foster said in a statement.”I always envisioned being a Bruin ever since I was young, and now being the head coach at my university is such a surreal sensation, and I’m grateful for this chance. The structure of this program will be constructed on discipline, respect and enthusiasm.” Foster was likewise the frustrating choice of the present players, who think in him

as a connecter and leader, sources said. The players” went bananas”upon hearing the news in a team conference Monday morning, according to sources. Foster has actually worked under coaches Kliff Kingsbury, Jim Mora and Chip Kelly, and he played in a Super Bowl with the Carolina Panthers under John Fox. UCLA sees him as a contemporary CEO coach who can recognize and develop players. “We are searching for a coach with stability, energy and passion; someone who is an excellent instructor, who establishes young men, is an excellent recruiter and completely accepts the NIL landscape to help our student-athletes, “athletic director Martin Jarmond stated in a statement. “DeShaun checks all of those boxes and then some. He is a leader of guys and a true Bruin. “Foster replaces Kelly, who left to end up being the offending coordinator at Ohio State recently. UCLA cast a wide web in its search, but the Bruins eventually chose to choose a coach who has comprehensive regional experience and has constructed a lot of trustworthiness in the program and on campus.Editor’s Picks

1 Associated Foster has been a standout assistant coach at UCLA as his running back space has actually regularly produced NFL tailbacks: a Bruins tailback has been picked in the previous 4 NFL drafts. That list features Zach Charbonnet (2023 ), Brittain Brown (2022 ), Demetric Felton Jr. (2021) and Joshua Kelley (2020 ).

Foster invested a years in numerous roles on the UCLA personnel, including running backs coach from 2017 through this year. He’s also among the school’s greatest stars.As a Bruins tailback, he ran for 44 touchdowns and 3,194 backyards and earned second-team All-America honors in 2001.

His playing career in the NFL was spent with the Panthers (2002-07) and the San Francisco 49ers (2008 ). With the Panthers, he scored a goal in Super Bowl XXXVIII.