Foster Channeling Super Bowl Experience in 2nd UCLA Season

UCLA Bruins head coach DeShaun Foster took the stage at the 2025 Big Ten Media Days ahead of his second season at the helm.

Despite an infamous blunder last season, Foster came into this year's press conference with confidence and, most importantly, more things to say.

Entering the second year of any profession, you're expected to improve on what you learned in your first year. And Foster wants to do that. In fact, the former Carolina Panthers running back is hoping his second season with the Bruins goes just as well as his second season in the NFL did.

"Hopefully, this season goes as well as my second year in the NFL," Foster said on how he's going to lean on his second year with the Bruins as a player and his second year in the NFL to help him in his (you guessed it) second year as UCLA's head coach. "We went to the Super Bowl that year. Ended up losing to the Patriots, but it was a great run and we played really well. So, I'm looking for that type of success this year for our players, and I'll probably be mentioning [those] types of things next season."

Foster entered the NFL as a backup in 2003 for the Panthers. The next season, though, his opportunity to break into the starting lineup was cut short after he broke his collarbone in four games. He started the last three games he played and missed the last 12 games of what became a Super Bowl run for Carolina.

The Panthers lost to the New England Patriots 32-29 in Houston.

What ultimately became a lost year for Foster turned into motivation over two decades later. Through the same progress and fortitude it took for the former Bruins running back to earn a starting spot before getting injured, Foster intends to lead and improve UCLA ahead of their second season in the Big Ten.

Foster finished his debut coaching season with a 5-7 record but has since changed the trajectory of the program in his first full offseason, conjuring up UCLA's best recruiting class in over a decade. This upcoming year is highlighted by an overhauled and reworked roster via the transfer portal, headlined by redshirt sophomore transfer quarterback Nico Iamaleava.

Foster may have his work cut out for him, but UCLA's trajectory as a program is looking up.