UCLA Football: HC DeShaun Foster 'Keeping Receipts' Ahead of 2024 Season

Foster believes the Bruins can surprise people this season.

Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

Across the media and college football landscape, the expectations are not high for UCLA football heading into their first season as part of the Big Ten conference. The Bruins, who went 8-5 a year ago as part of the Pac-12, have undergone numerous changes throughout the offseason that have many believing they will finish with a losing record this season.

Following the late departure of former head coach Chip Kelly, the Bruins hired DeShaun Foster as the new head coach. Foster took the job without having prior experience as a coordinator or head coach at either the college or high school, leading to many doubts surrounding the team.

Furthering those doubts were the defensive losses for the team. The Bruins lost much of their defensive talent from a season ago, including defensive linemen Laiatu Latu, Darius Muasau, Gabriel Murphy, Grayson Murphy, and defensive backs John Humphrey and Kamari Ramsey.

Most significantly, UCLA lost defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn, who departed for USC in the offseason.

Lynn was the mastermind that turned UCLA into a top-10 defense in just one season after they ranked outside of the top 80 just one season prior. With Lynn, the Bruins ranked top ten in yards allowed per game, sixth in sacks, and second against the run.

Even with these changes, Foster is confident in both the roster and coaching staff UCLA has and believes they can prove many wrong this season. When asked if the Bruins will surprise people this season, Foster said, "Most definitely."

"I don't get too caught up in that [the public opinion]. I keep my players level-headed, they're not worried about that, but we're fired up," Foster said while speaking with reporters on Saturday. "It is a little light underneath you. We just take it in stride. You just better hope that you didn’t say something and I beat you because it’s going to be bad."

When asked if he keeps receipts, Foster added he has kept receipts since his freshman season at UCLA in 1998.

"Trust me," Foster said, "I’ve got receipts from ‘98. There’s a few people on the list I’m looking for."

Foster and the Bruins will get the chance to prove the public opinion wrong when they begin the 2024 campaign on Aug. 31 at Hawaii. They will face Big Ten competition for the first time two weeks later when they host Indiana.

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