DeShaun Foster was introduced as UCLA’s new football coach Tuesday, one day after the school completed a surprisingly swift search and announced that its running backs coach and former backfield star will replace Chip Kelly.
“I’ve always dreamed about being a head coach, and being at UCLA and being the head coach here at UCLA,” Foster, 44, said during a late-morning news conference at Pauley Pavilion’s Pavilion Club.
“You guys have no idea,” he added before he was overcome with emotion.
Foster brings 11 years of college coaching experience, including 10 at UCLA, into his new role. In 2022, he was a nominee for the Broyles Award, presented annually to college football’s top assistant coach.
He also brings a pedigree of on-field success with the Bruins.
Foster was a star running back for UCLA from 1998-2001, finishing his Bruins career second in school history in touchdowns (44), third in rushing yards (3,194) and fifth in scoring (266 points).
He also was a second-team All-American in 2001 after leading the Pac-10 in rushing (138.6 yards per game), scoring (9.75 points per game) and all-purpose yards (154.75 per game). Against Washington at the Rose Bowl, Foster recorded a then-school record 301 rushing yards, along with four touchdowns, on 31 carries.
A native of Charlotte, North Carolina, and an alumnus of Tustin High School, Foster also played five seasons for the NFL’s Carolina Panthers and one season with the San Francisco 49ers.
The Los Angeles Times reported that UCLA’s search for a new coach included 11 interviews, as well as correspondence with more than 20 candidates — all in the three days since Kelly resigned to become the offensive coordinator at Ohio State.
“While undergoing a comprehensive search for our new head coach, DeShaun resonated from the start and throughout the whole process,” Director of Athletics Martin Jarmond said in a statement Monday.
“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 (name, image, likeness) 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,” Jarmond said.
Foster’s ascension comes as UCLA is preparing for its first season playing in the Big Ten Conference, where he will coach against Kelly. The teams are next scheduled to meet in 2025.
A UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame inductee in 2022, Foster spent the past seven seasons as the Bruins’ running backs coach and served as associate head coach in 2023. Earlier this month, he had accepted the position of running backs coach for the Las Vegas Raiders — a gig he abandoned when the top job at his alma mater opened up.
“This is a dream come true,” Foster said in a statement released Monday by the school.
“I always envisioned being a Bruin ever since I was young, and now being the head coach at my alma mater is such a surreal feeling, and I’m grateful for this opportunity. The foundation of this program will be built on discipline, respect and enthusiasm. These are phenomenal young men, and I’m excited to hit the ground running.”
Kelly informed UCLA on Friday morning that he was bolting the Bruins after an 8-5 record in 2023 and a victory over Boise State in the L.A. Bowl.
Kelly amassed a 35-34 record in his six seasons with the Bruins. He was hired at the end of the 2017 season, following the firing of Jim Mora.