DeShaun Foster Reportedly Fired as UCLA HC After 0-3 Start with QB Nico Iamaleava

DeShaun Foster's tenure as the head football coach of UCLA is reportedly over just three games into his second season.

ESPN's Pete Thamel reported Sunday that the Bruins fired Foster following an 0-3 start to the 2025 campaign despite the high-profile addition of transfer quarterback Nico Iamaleava.

They lost Friday's home game against New Mexico by 25 points.

UCLA's decision to hire Foster was a homecoming for the coach considering he played for the program from 1998 to 2001 as a running back. He had 43 touchdowns during his collegiate career and was a second-round pick of the Carolina Panthers in 2002.

He played six years in the NFL for the Panthers and San Francisco 49ers.

Foster's homecoming as a head coach did not go according to plan, though, as the Bruins were 5-7 overall and 3-6 in Big Ten play during his first season. That included a 1-5 start and loss to rival USC.

Any hope for a turnaround in 2025 quickly dissipated with a blowout 43-10 loss to Utah in the opener before losses to UNLV and New Mexico exacerbated the immediate concerns. Losing 35-10 at home to New Mexico is not where a Big Ten program wants to be, so it comes as little surprise UCLA made a change.

That UCLA had to pay New Mexico $1.2 million to come play in front of a sparsely attended crowd only made matters worse.

Things might get worse before they get better, though, as the team still has to face Penn State, Ohio State, Indiana, Washington and USC, among other challenging conference games.

UCLA's addition of Iamaleava drew plenty of headlines this offseason and perhaps set the stage for higher expectations, but he has just three touchdown passes to three interceptions through three games.

Everything seems to be trending in the wrong direction for the Bruins, and they didn't hesitate to make a change and move past Foster early into his tenure.