DeShaun Foster, UCLA Agree to Contract as New HC After Chip Kelly's Exit for OSU

Former UCLA running back DeShaun Foster is the school's new head coach.

"We are looking for a coach with integrity, energy and passion; someone who is a great teacher, who develops young men, is a great recruiter and fully embraces the NIL landscape to help our student-athletes," UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond said in a statement.

Foster—who also served as the team's running backs coach between 2017-23—will take over for the departing Chip Kelly, who is reportedly off to Ohio State to serve as Ryan Day's offensive coordinator.

He had taken a position with the Las Vegas Raiders last week as running backs coach before returning to UCLA as head coach.

According to Thamel, the Bruins interviewed 11 different candidates for the job before choosing Foster.

"This is a dream come true," he said in a statement. "I always envisioned being a Bruin ever since I was young, and now being the head coach at my alma mater is such a surreal feeling, and I'm grateful for this opportunity. The foundation of this program will be built on discipline, respect and enthusiasm. These are phenomenal young men, and I'm excited to hit the ground running."

The 44-year-old Foster spent four seasons at UCLA as a running back (1998-01), accumulating 3,049 rushing yards, 57 catches for 535 yards and 43 total touchdowns. The Carolina Panthers selected him in the second round of the 2002 NFL draft and he went on to play six seasons with the Carolina Panthers (2003-07) and the San Francisco 49ers (2008), putting up 3,570 rushing yards and 16 total scores.

Following his playing career he returned to UCLA as a student assistant (2013) and graduate assistant (2014-15) before heading to Texas Tech for one season as their running backs coach (2016). He then returned to UCLA to coach running backs.

His ascension to head coach comes at a pivotal time for the school's football program, as UCLA heads to the Big Ten next season alongside USC, Washington and Oregon. He'll look to build on the progress Kelly established, as UCLA has posted three straight winning seasons and went 8-5 in 2023.

The school last won a conference title in 1998, however, and getting back to those heights will be all the more difficult in a conference featuring defending national champions Michigan, to go along with Ohio State, Penn State, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan State and the Pac-12 defectors.