Accompanied by the school’s fight song, new UCLA football coach DeShaun Foster walked across a stage inside Lucas Oil Stadium on Wednesday morning to take his spot behind a lectern … only to stumble his way through the next minute.
“How are you guys doing?” Foster asked the horde of media seated below him, going on to note in roundabout fashion that UCLA and the Big Ten were a good fit because of their shared championship pedigree.
“Football-wise,” he continued, appearing increasingly uncomfortable and often pausing between thoughts, “we’re just excited. I’m sure you guys don’t know too much about UCLA, our football program, but we’re in L.A. … It’s us and USC, and we, um …”
Finally, after another long, awkward pause in which he shifted uneasily, Foster turned to look at several school and conference officials standing near the stage and chuckled.
“I’m just basically excited, really. That’s it,” he said. “Any questions?”
And with that, Foster composed himself like the high school sophomore who fought through terrible nerves before gaining five yards during his first carry for the Tustin varsity. He spoke passionately about running backs TJ Harden and Keegan Jones before going on to address the travel challenges associated with playing in a coast-to-coast conference and the importance of hiring an experienced offensive coordinator in Eric Bieniemy.
Later, in an interview with The Times, Foster drew parallels between the nerves he felt in pressure situations growing up and those related to his first public speaking on such a large stage.
“It’s the first time you’re doing something — sort of like the press conference, I guess,” Foster said. “Get through the first one, and then I’m good to go.”
While Foster may not face much pressure in his debut season — his team was picked to finish 15th in the 18-team Big Ten by a media poll conducted by Cleveland.com — he has no intentions of easing his way into the job. Having won UCLA’s starting tailback job before the end of his freshman season and scoring a touchdown on his first preseason NFL carry, Foster said he also expects early success as a head coach.
“I’ve always hit the ground running and been successful,” he said, “and I don’t see that not happening this year.”
What’s a successful first season for Foster? He said it will hinge more on how his team plays than its record.
“The No. 1 thing that I’m focused on is making sure that my team shows up to games,” Foster said, “and I think if we show my pillars and we’re able to play with discipline, play with respect and play with enthusiasm that the wins will take care of themselves. So I haven’t really set a [win] number goal or an amount, but I just want to be successful.”
With eight starters returning on offense and star defensive lineman Jay Toia resisting transfer portal overtures from Texas, Foster said the Bruins possessed enough talent to win at a high level. He said Ethan Garbers would be the starting quarterback when the team opens fall training camp July 31 on campus and was excited to welcome transfer running backs Jalen Berger (Michigan State) and Anthony Frias II (Kansas State).
Foster also unveiled the framework of a name, image and likeness arrangement that will provide tiered deals for every player on the team, with dollar amounts based on his standing as a first-stringer, second-stringer or developmental player. The amount will be on top of any individual NIL deals the players can obtain.
“It just evens the playing field,” Foster said, “because if other schools are giving bases, we want to do the same thing.”
About five hours after his opening remarks, Foster appeared far more comfortable as he met with a small group of reporters. Asked about his performance on the big stage, Foster said he was more interested in getting to the question-and-answer session than delivering a lengthy spiel. Besides, nothing he said would help the Bruins win a game.
“How many points did we get out of that?” Foster asked. “Has there been some really great speakers up there that haven’t been able to coach? There you go.”
Foster acknowledged that he probably would absorb some ribbing on social media but insisted it wouldn’t bother him because he was a veteran at taking shots during a lengthy playing career.
“That’s how I can have this personality and that’s how I can have this demeanor and that’s how I can be this type of person, because I played,” Foster said. “I don’t have to try to trick you with words, I don’t have to try to grab you with some kind of … I played. If you want to go to the NFL, this is a place that you can do that.”
