UCLA Football: Are Bruins Poised for Letdown Season in 2024?

Matt Levine | Jul 19, 2024

The UCLA Bruins' move to bring in head coach DeShaun Foster following Chip Kelly's decision to leave the team has been seen as a bright change. Foster has brought new life and energy to the program since his arrival, something Kelly was never able to really accomplish.

Foster has seen buy-in from players throughout the offseason and the hype around the team has never been stronger. With UCLA heading for the Big Ten this coming season, the addition of Foster has been a strong sign of positivity for the program.

However, not everyone believes that the Bruins will be successful this coming season. Even with the new coach and energy, UCLA still has less talent than most teams in their new conference.

Carter Bahns of 247 Sports listed teams in college football that are expected to regress this coming season. UCLA made the list despite a strong offseason of hype around the entire program.

"There is not much continuity in the UCLA football program this year from both a roster and coaching staff perspective. The Bruins lost most of the top performers on last year's monster defense, including first-round pick Laiatu Latu, and sustained a head coaching change when Chip Kelly left for the offensive coordinator job at Ohio State. New head man DeShaun Foster has no head coaching experience, making him a total wild card atop the Bruins program. One of the few areas of optimism is the return of quarterback Ethan Garbers, who has the potential to flourish in his first full year as the starter."

As Bahns mentions, Foster has never been a head coach so it's a gamble to see how he will be. All signs indicate that he will do a good job but until he's on the sidelines, nothing is guaranteed.

UCLA will be looking to establish themselves in this new conference but it won't be easy. The Big Ten has some of the better teams across the country, so the Bruins have a lot to do if they want to avoid any regression in 2024.

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