UCLA coach DeShaun Foster said after Friday’s 35-10 loss to New Mexico that he is “most definitely” the right man for the job. But an abysmal start to his second year has sparked all kinds of questions about the Bruins’ trajectory under him.
The Bruins fell to 0-3 on the year with their Week 3 defeat. New Mexico, picked to finish 11th in the Mountain West preseason poll, racked up a 298 yards rushing against a defense that has yet to hold an opponent under 30 points. UCLA’s offense was not any better, as the lack of weapons around prized transfer quarterback Nico Iamaleava again looked glaringly obvious in a measly 10-point effort.
Discipline also plagued UCLA in its second-straight loss to a Group of Six opponent. The Bruins committed 13 penalties for 116 yards, and that concerning number was actually an improvement on the 14 flags for 129 yards they amassed in the Week 2 defeat at the hands of UNLV.
“You can just continue to do stuff to make people have discipline in the building, and they’re just going out there and not executing that,” Foster said. “It blows my mind. It’s something that I’ve never been around. We’re going to figure it out.”
The regression from Year 1 to Year 2 under Foster’s leadership is appalling. UCLA built quite a bit of momentum in the second half of 2024, and at one point rattled off three consecutive Big Ten victories — against teams in the upper half of the league, no less. One season later, the Bruins are now winless with an 0-2 record against teams outside of the power conference structure. For comparison, the Bruins went 2-0 against the Mountain West in Foster’s debut campaign.
Foster played four years as a UCLA running back prior to his NFL career and has been on the coaching staff since 2013, save for the one season he spent at Texas Tech. Is this the lowest point of his lengthy relationship with the program?
“It’s pretty low right now,” Foster said. “I’ve been around this program for a long time, and it’s just unfortunate what’s going on at this moment. Just not executing.”
Iamaleava helpless in UCLA’s 0-3 start
UCLA made one of the biggest moves in the 2025 transfer portal cycle when it picked up Iamaleava. Once considered the future of the Tennessee program, Iamaleava had a controversial exit from the Volunteers and moved closer to home in Southern California. The former five-star recruit arrived in Westwood as a potential savior for a Bruins squad that lost heaps of offensive talent from its 2024 roster, but through three games, it is clear that the cupboard is too bare for UCLA to maximize his talent.
That was a concern going into the year. CBS Sports’ Chris Hummer said last week that Iamaleava’s camp had questions about the supporting cast — especially along the offensive line and in the receiving corps — upon his arrival. The 0-3 start validated those hesitancies.
Iamaleava has been far from perfect in his own right, throwing an interception per game and completing a modest 63.9% of his throws. There is only so much one talented player can do on his own, though. The running game is essentially nonexistent, and Iamaleava leads the team in carries (30) and rushing yardage (139) by sizable margins. He also accounted for the Bruins only rushing touchdown through three games.
Foster’s buyout, contract details
Foster inked a five-year deal with his alma mater when he took the job in 2024 and is scheduled to earn $3.1 million this season. If UCLA fires him on or before Dec. 1, it will owe 70% of his remaining total salary. That buyout drops to 60% if the Bruins move on from Foster after Dec. 1. Overall, it is a relatively affordable sum compared to most Power Four buyouts.
UCLA signed Foster on a relative bargain and pays him nearly half of what Chip Kelly made during his tenure. Foster, a longtime running backs coach on the Bruins’ staff, was No. 58 among public school coaches in salary, according to the USA Today salary database, and the fourth-lowest-paid coach at the Power Four level.
Despite the fact that UCLA could move on from its coach with relative financial ease, and even in the face of a putrid start to the season, Foster instructed the Bruin faithful to trust the process as he works toward pulling the program out of the gutter.
“If you’re a real Bruin, you’ll still be a fan,” Foster said. “There’s plenty of programs that have had unfortunate starts and they’re able to turn stuff around. It’s either you stick with it or not.”
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