DeShaun Foster to do list as UCLA football head coach

Whether you like the move or you don't, the hire by UCLA football of DeShaun Foster is one of the most interesting hires of the 2024 college football hiring cycle.

It would have been hard to predict former UCLA football head coach Chip Kelly leaving the Bruins to be the offensive coordinator but that's what happened. UCLA responded by hiring DeShaun Foster after a search that included a slew of experienced head coaches.

UCLA made the best of a bad situation. Sure, Jedd Fisch or Jonathan Smith would have been a great choice, but the Bruins were going to pay those buyouts. Also, convincing those coaches to leave their new jobs wasn't realistic, especially for a Power-4 program that prioritizes basketball.

There are plenty of issues with UCLA football. One of them was Kelly. He didn't want to recruit and for a program with some things to sell, like a great stadium, envirornment and top conference, Kelly didn't take advantage of what the Bruins have to offer.

The hope is that Foster can do that. He's been the running backs coach since 2017 and used to play in the NFL. He's also a Bruins hall-of-famer.

DeShaun Foster to-do list

In order for UCLA to not completely fall off the map, Foster needs to prevent a mass exodus via the transfer portal and it appears that his hire has effectively done that. The second task is hiring an offensive and defensive coordinator and making the right hires.

Foster needs experienced guys in both positions, which would allow him to simply be the head coach. That's a good model, but it requires hiring good assistant coaches. With his professional background, Foster should be able to make some quality hires.

That's step one. But for UCLA to reach its potential, as a Big Ten program, the Bruins need to hit the recruiting trail hard.

Foster will be key to that and much of that is going to be about effort. Chip Kelly didn't make an effort to recruit and it showed -- just take a gander at his recruiting classes. It was a joke. He lost interest in building a roster, which is the most important job of a college football coach.

Even if UCLA did lose a blue-chip coach by name, the Bruins are better off without Kelly and if Foster can hire a quality coaching staff, the Bruins will be much better off than people realize.