UCLA Running Back Reflects Fondly on Foster Relationship

"I'm grateful for coach Foster and everything he's done for me," Frias said. "I'm grateful to be in the position I am, him believing in me when I was in the portal at Kansas State. Like, I have nothing but respect for him and it's been a great relationship with him while I've been here.

"And so, you know, it hardens me that he's gone, but also just knowing that he would want us to keep moving forward and to keep doing and to prove him right on the decisions he made and the room that we have."

Foster's belief ran through every single player in the locker room, and it bled through to recruiting, where he conjured up one of the best recruiting classes in UCLA's recent history. It's part of the reason why some believe he wasn't give enough time.

Matt Rhule Defends DeShaun Foster's Short UCLA Stint

Since second-year UCLA Bruins head coach DeShaun Foster was relieved of his duties a week ago, players, fans and coaches have come to his defense despite an abysmal 0-3 start to the season.

The latest coach speaking up on Foster is Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule, who reflected on his time with Foster as a graduate assistant in Westwood on his House Rhules podcast.

"“I’m sad about that,” Rhule said on his latest episode. “You know DeShaun was a player at UCLA when I was a young graduate assistant. I stayed in touch with him over the years, just here and there, and I was so happy for him when he got that job. Martin Jarmond, the Athletic Director there, is a good friend of mine. You know, I was a GA at UCLA, like I said, and I finished my Master’s Degree at Buffalo, but I love, love UCLA.

“And I love Westwood. It’s just an amazing place. It’s an amazing place and they even beat us last year. It was a devastating loss for us. In some ways, it was good for me to take a step as a head coach like ‘I need to take a step up.’ But I was happy for him. I remember texting him after the game like ‘I’m not gonna let it happen again, but proud of you for what you did.’ He got his team ready to play."

Rhule then suggested that maybe Foster didn't have enough time to truly build something at UCLA. After all, he was fired after just 15 games.

"Just disappointed that he only got a year and three games," he said. "In this new era, to me, we can make emotional impulsive decisions like ‘hey, this is not working for the fans.’ But do we have all the things we need to be successful? Is our NIL right? Is our roster right? I know he’s a good man and he’s a family man. Obviously, I hate that. It’s one thing when you’ve had enough time and it hasn’t worked out, but it’s just a short amount of time.”