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UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster quite possibly didn't trust anyone during his playing days as much as his lead blocker and fullback Ed Ieremia-Stansbury.
A quarter of a century and two separate paths later, the tandem is bracing to potentially combine its powers once again -- but not in the way that you think.
Stansbury's son, West, a quarterback recruit out of the class of 2028, received an offer from Foster and the Bruins after attending their summer prospect camp in Westwood on Tuesday.
“I was so happy," West told UCLA Bruins on SI about getting the offer. "UCLA’s always been my dream school so it was an honor to get an offer from them.”
Stansbury was recruited as a quarterback to UCLA in 1997 and didn't see the field much in his first season. That sparked a position change and the Irvin High School (El Paso, Texas) product played his next two seasons at linebacker.
Stansbury wound up finding a home at fullback as a fourth-year junior, blocking for foster in his last two seasons and laying the foundation for a relationship that would span decades past.
“UCLA for me was a great experience," Stansbury told UCLA Bruins on SI. "Academically, athletically, it was the total package. I fell in love with Los Angeles. Even after UCLA we’ve been very close to the program, even closer now with DeShaun as head coach. It’s been a direct line for West to get visibility. It’s been nice to have that connection with UCLA right now.”
Stansbury has remained attached to the program from afar. After a brief stint with the Houston Texans in the inaugural season in the NFL, he moved back to El Paso where he and his family reside.
Although @WestStansbury wasn’t around to see me play, he’s certainly grown up around UCLA and my teammates. Thank you @DeShaunFoster26 & @UCLAFootball #Sunbowl #elpaso #uclafootball pic.twitter.com/pg3QNI6qQC
— Ed Stansbury (@EdStansbury) December 27, 2022
He, along with everyone in the nation, has seen first hand how Foster is making UCLA a hotbed for future recruits.
“Seeing the family aspect that he’s bringing to the program has really been a game changer for him recruiting wise," Stansbury said. "A lot of kids are decommitting from other schools to commit to UCLA, and I think it’s because of that family environment that DeShaun and his team have created there. You can really feel it, just walking around the last couple of days on campus and being in the Wasserman facility, you can really feel that family vibe.
"DeShaun truly cares about the kids. Going to his program, you know he’s going to develop you, being a former NFL guy, being an alumnus of the program. He’s checking all the boxes.”
Stansbury fell in love with the Bruins and Los Angeles as a player, but experiencing what he did through the eyes of his son couple with what Foster and his staff are brewing in the program just reassures the future he wants for West.
“Being a parent now with West," he added, "both my wife and I are like, ‘that’s the type of program we want to send West to,’ and it just happens to be there at UCLA. I can't say enough great things about the culture shift that has happened since he’s taken over as the head coach.”
West still has a long ways to go. Coming off his freshman season, the Coronado High School quarterback is poised to make west Texas shake for years to come. But Stansbury just can't shake the thought of his son dawning the Bruin Blue.
Still raw from his son receiving the offer, Stansbury felt chills when asked what it would mean to watch his son in a UCLA jersey.
"It would mean everything for me. Just for him to have the opportunity to play football at the next level, and he still has a long way to go, but to see him run out onto the Rose Bowl in that UCLA uniform… man… that would be one of my top experiences next to him and his brother being born… I’d have a box of tissues by my side, no doubt.”
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