Expect a different UCLA this season

Las Vegas, NV (News4usOnline) – The UCLA Bruins opened the DeShaun Foster era last season with a win against Hawai’i. The Bruins then lost their next five games, falling short of the expectations of the 2024 college football season. 

Though UCLA rallied to end the season with a respectable 5-7 record, the slow start basically derailed Foster’s initial season as head coach. 

It’s Year 2, and the expectations and stakes have gone up a little higher for Foster and the Bruins as they enter Big Ten Conference play for the second consecutive year. 

That’s because the Bruins now have a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate in Nico Iamaleava sitting at the quarterback position. 

When you have a superstar quarterback like Foster and the Bruins do, the bar for success and winning is going to go up a notch or two. 

“When I took on this job, I inherited a program with tremendous tradition and immense opportunity,” Foster said during a press conference at the Big Ten Media Days event in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

“We’re not just committed to restoring UCLA football. We’re committed to evolving in this new era of college athletics. Our recruiting has been outstanding, and I mean outstanding right now. We’ve brought in young men who understand what it means to be a Bruin, academically excellent, athletically gifted and committed to being bigger than themselves,” he went on to say. 

This year’s Bruins figure to be different all around. Foster and the Bruins laid down the groundwork for the approach that has been successful with the team going after and getting Imaleava, one of the top-rated signal-callers coming out of high school. 

Iamaleava played one season with the University of Tennessee and led the Vols to a College Football Playoff spot. Last season, Iamaleava passed for 2,616 yards and 19 touchdowns with just 5 interceptions. 

It’s been a while since UCLA has had “That Guy” behind center. Iamaleava, who played and starred at Warren High School before going off to Knoxville, Tennessee, gives the Bruins the superstar talent at the quarterback position they have lacked for years. 

With Iamaleava leaving Tennessee for UCLA, the move automatically gives the Bruins immediate currency as a darkhorse contender in the Big Ten Conference race. 

Foster said his team is ready to prove they belong in the Big Ten Conference. 

“This year we’re ready to show the Big Ten what L.A. football looks like when it’s firing on all cylinders,” Foster said. “That moment speaking to you last year taught me a valuable lesson. Authenticity resonates more deeply than perfection.”

Keeping it real is cool. The Bruins don’t need to do anything to prove their authentic selves to anyone. However, they need to win ballgames. Foster knows this.  

“Entering year two, I expect to see significant improvement,” Foster remarked. “Not just in my team, but in myself as a head coach. Growth is part of the process, and we’re all committed to being better than we were last season. I know there are questions about our progress, expectations, and how well we’re performing in this conference. That’s totally fair. We’re here to earn respect, not demand it.” 

Getting that respect may come easier for Foster and the Bruins with a high-profile talent like Iamaleava now being the face of the football program.   

“We’re just excited to have a playoff quarterback, somebody that was able to lead his team to the playoffs,” Foster said. “They might not have gotten the outcome that they wanted, but he still was able to play. He showed how tough he was in that game. Just being able to come back home and be comfortable and being in a familiar environment, I think the sky is the limit. We’re excited about this.”