A year ago, UCLA was on the verge of Hawaiian humiliation in its season opener.
The offense plodded. The defense was a blooper reel, committing three penalties on the same play. The special teams failed to put enough players on the field, leading to a busted punt coverage.
Shakiest of all might have been the coach.
Having starred as a running back and assistant coach, DeShaun Foster stumbled in his head coaching debut. Appearing as disorganized and unprepared as his team, Foster didn’t know the proper way to address reporters after his team rallied to beat Hawaii, asking a media relations staff member for help.
Yeah, you could say he was a mess.
A year later, on the verge of his second season, Foster acknowledged as much.
“Oh, I was scared, you know?” Foster said this week. “And I’ve never been scared on the football field. It was a nervous feeling just because it was brand new and I’d never been in that position.”
And now?
“I’m not nowhere near where we were last year,” Foster said, “so I feel pretty good.”
The coach and his team will need to be at their best Saturday night at the Rose Bowl when they open the season against Utah, a trendy pick to become a College Football Playoff contender.
UCLA’s roster features 57 new players — including two who arrived after the start of training camp — and eight new assistant coaches, including offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri.
How will Foster fare in this second chance to make a first impression after his team went 5-7 in 2024? Here are five things to watch when the Bruins face the Utes:
The Nico Show?
Quarterback Nico Iamaleava’s arrival as a former five-star high school prospect who helped Tennessee reach the CFP in 2024 generated some much-needed buzz for a humdrum operation.
National college football reporters swarmed Iamaleava at Big Ten media days. His presence has kept UCLA in the headlines for several months.
But Foster wanted everyone to know that UCLA football is not a one-man show.
“There’s more than just Nico on our team,” Foster said, “so I think all our guys are pretty excited to get out there and show a national audience what we can do.”
Other candidates to emerge as stars include wide receiver Kwazi Gilmer, running back Jaivian Thomas, defensive tackle Gary Smith III and safety Key Lawrence.
Tino’s debut
A stirring subplot Saturday will be UCLA’s new offensive coordinator.
Once considered a rising star as quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator, Sunseri now gets to run his own offense. What will it look like?
Predictably keeping things as vague as possible to protect his scheme, Sunseri said it would be balanced and physical while stretching the defense to make it cover “every blade of grass.”
It could also mix in some fun. Spotted at a recent practice were giant poster boards featuring symbols, logos and faces. The boards were similar to what Oregon used under coach Chip Kelly before his UCLA teams became a lot less entertaining.
Making a run for it
Foster called this the deepest group of running backs he’s had at UCLA.
Thomas and Jalen Berger are the favorites to get the most carries, followed by Anthony Woods and Anthony Frias II. Woods will be playing against his old team after sitting out last season at Utah while recovering from a torn knee ligament. He had been electric before that at Idaho, leading the Big Sky Conference in 2023 with 1,155 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns.
Thomas has the potential to top 1,000 yards this season and Berger is eager to show his potential after being hobbled by an ankle injury over the final four games of last season.
An early test
UCLA’s defense won’t be able to ease its way into the season.
It will face a Utah offensive line that includes five returning starters and a pair of tackles — Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu — who are projected first-round NFL draft picks.
The question is how productive transfer quarterback Devon Dampier can be playing behind that line. Dampier had more success running the ball (1,166 yards and 7.5 yards per carry with 19 touchdowns) than he did passing (57.9% accuracy with as many interceptions as touchdowns) last season at New Mexico. Offensive coordinator Jason Beck came over with Dampier from Albuquerque, which could ease their transition.
The names to know in Utah’s run game are Wayshawn Parker, a transfer from Washington State, and NaQuari Rogers, a transfer from New Mexico. Beck’s offense is expected to spread the field with an up-tempo attack, amplifying the challenge facing the Bruins.
Stepping up
The search for playmakers on a defense replacing every full-time starter begins up front.
Smith and fellow defensive tackle Keanu Williams are both coming off significant injuries but could provide an immediate roadblock for opposing run games if they can return to form.
In addition to his veteran interior defensive linemen, Foster also identified defensive tackle Siale Taupaki, edge rushers Anthony Jones and Kechaun Bennett and linebackers Scott Taylor and JuJu Walls as the most consistent pass rushers in training camp.
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