UCLA Football: Martin Jarmond Says New HC DeShaun Foster 'Checks All Boxes" For Bruins

UCLA AD says DeShaun Foster 'checks all the boxes.

The UCLA Bruins announced that DeShaun Foster will become the next head coach of its football team, just three days after Chip Kelly left to become the offensive coordinator of Ohio State.

Prior to announcing Foster as the Bruins' next coach, UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond shared the Bruins plans to conduct a thorough but quick head coaching search. They did just that and announced Foster as their coach on Monday.

Following the announcement, Jarmond explained why Foster was the ideal selection for UCLA.

"While undergoing a comprehensive search for our new head coach, DeShaun resonated from the start and throughout the whole process," Jarmond said. "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."

via UCLA Communications.

Foster is a UCLA Hall of Fame athlete, having previously played for the Bruins as a running back from 1998-2001. During his illustrious Bruin career, Foster was a second-team All-American in 2001, after rushing for 1,109 yards, 12 touchdowns, and six 100-yard games during his final collegiate playing season.

Beyond his time as an athlete for the Bruins, Foster was an assistant coach for UCLA from 2013-2015, and then again from 2017-2023 as the running backs coach. Foster has proven to be a great teacher, with four UCLA running backs having been drafted during this span, including Joshua Kelley and Zach Charbonnet. 

He is also already respected by the Bruin players, which was evident by the players' beyond enthusiastic response to Jarmond announcing Foster as their coach. All in all, Foster appears to possess all the qualities that UCLA needs in their new head coach.