Insider: UCLA 'Couple Breaks Away From a Run'

DeShaun Foster and the UCLA Bruins have a lot to prove going into their second season in the Big Ten.

After finishing their inaugural season in the conference with a lowly 5-7 record, the Bruins acquired redshirt sophomore quarterback Nico Iamaleava after he departed from Tennessee.

Bill Connelly, college football writer for ESPN, previewed the upcoming Big Ten and UCLA season and where the Bruins are projected to end up. According to ESPN's football power index (FPI), UCLA is projected to win 5.2 games this season, but Connelly thinks they are closer to a run than that.

"UCLA began 2024 horribly in alumnus Foster's first season, barely beating Hawai'i, then losing five straight," he wrote. "But starting with a respectable Week 6 performance at Penn State, the Bruins figured some things out. They overachieved against SP+ projections by an average of 10.7 points in their last eight games and won four of their last six. They finished the season a genuinely intriguing team.

"None of this matters because Foster has an almost completely different team. The defense was responsible for a lot of that overachievement, but only two of 15 players with 200-plus snaps return, and Foster added 15 transfers. The offense discovered a decent, efficient passing game but lost quarterback Ethan Garbers and most of his skill corps. Foster brought in App State quarterback Joey Aguilar for the spring, then basically traded him to Tennessee for Nico Iamaleava.

"New coordinator Tino Sunseri was part of the Great Indiana Revival, and while Iamaleava takes a while to throw and takes a lot of hits because of it, he still has a five-star arm and solid rushing ability. That's a pretty good start on offense. Plus, running back Jaivian Thomas (Cal) averaged 6.3 yards per carry, and receiver Kaedin Robinson (App State) averaged an excellent 2.5 yards per route. The line was poor, but it's experienced and has four new transfers, at least. It doesn't feel as if there's enough depth here, but improvement over last year's No. 103 offensive SP+ ranking is likely.

"I liked how defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe problem-solved his way to improvement last year, but I have no idea what to expect from this defense. Foster is hoping that quantity produces quality with 10 new DB transfers, though from a statistical standpoint only nickel Benjamin Perry (Louisville) and maybe corners Jamier Johnson (Indiana) and Andre Jordan Jr. (Oregon State) stand out. The front six has solid size but only one player who produced even five TFLs last year: sophomore linebacker Isaiah Chisom (Oregon State).

"It's like a second first year for Foster. The Bruins will have about 18 new starters and will face seven projected top-40 opponents. Just hope for another year with late-season improvement, I guess."