UCLA Football's DeShaun Foster on Upcoming First Game as HC: 'Like Christmas'

The Bruins take on Hawaii Saturday.

Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

Nearly 26 years after he first stepped onto the field as a freshman running back for UCLA football, DeShaun Foster will take the field Saturday as the team's head coach for the first time at Hawaii.

"I kind of compare it to my first time playing varsity football, you're excited, you have a little bit of butterflies," Foster told reporters Wednesday of his upcoming first game. "That's it. I haven't had that feeling in a while ... it's like Christmas, I'm just anticipating and waiting for it to get here."

Foster has called becoming the head coach of his alma mater a 'blessing,' but this dream wasn't something he necessarily envisioned growing up.

It wasn't even his plan for this season.

Chip Kelly was expected to remain the head coach of UCLA for the 2024 season after leading the Bruins to their first Bowl Game win in nearly a decade. Meanwhile, Foster had taken a job as the Las Vegas Raiders' running back coach. He was prepared to leave for Las Vegas, but days later Kelly departed to become the offensive coordinator of Ohio State and UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond tabbed Foster as the program's next leader.

Before he got involved in coaching Foster was more focused on his NFL future as a running back than the possibility of becoming a coach. In 1998, Foster joined the Bruins after rushing for 3,398 yards and 55 touchdowns at Tustin High School. He recorded back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in his final two years in Westwood, before going on to play for the Carolina Panthers as a high second-round draft pick.

Foster had a promising career, but injuries to his knee and ankle caused him to quit prematurely after the 2008 season. It was after that point that Foster would consider coaching.

Foster first became a student assistant for UCLA in 2012 under Jim Mora Jr. and quickly moved to a graduate student. After one season at Texas Tech, Foster returned as the Bruins' running backs coach in 2017 and spent the last seven seasons coaching UCLA's rushers before receiving the promotion to head coach.

He has no experience as either a coordinator or head coach, but that doesn't deter Foster, who believes he has a "master's in football."

He will get that first experience Saturday when they take on the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors in Honolulu. On paper, Hawaii is a team the Bruins should certainly beat. The Bruins are nearly two-touchdown favorites over the Rainbow Warriors, but Foster is making sure his guys don't look past their opponent, though.

He knows that Hawaii will be 'fired up' for the game, and wants this first win badly.

"Hopefully my team gets out there and matches their intensity," Foster said before correcting himself. "They have to match our intensity."

“My players know how bad I want to win this game,” Foster said.

For Foster, this is hopefully the first game on his way to restoring UCLA's national relevancy. A program that featured a national championship-caliber team his freshman year, and once had the top recruiting class in the country.

UCLA has not been considered one of the top teams in the country in years. They haven't been bad either — the Bruins have won at least eight games in each of the last three seasons and have appeared in the AP Top 25 poll multiple times — but they are widely overlooked on a national level.

The expectations are low for the Bruins. Their over/under win total is set at just 4.5 or 5.5 by many oddsmakers and the large public opinion is that the Bruins will not be able to keep up in the Big Ten, especially after the losses they sustained defensively.

Foster believes his team can surprise people this season, but he doesn't let the outside noise get to him or his players. He's more interested in letting their performance on the field do the talking.

Foster has instilled his core values of discipline, respect, and enthusiasm in the team, believing that these three pillars can allow his players to play at their best, and in turn, lead the team to wins. Foster has not had a ton of time to take over and put his stamp on the program — he was hired late in February after the unusually timed departure of Kelly — but has managed to head into this season with confidence in himself and the team.

Ready or not, a new era begins Saturday.