National Media grades for Foster as the new head coach of UCLA football

DeShaun Foster, as many Bruin fans know is an UCLA alumnus and well respected running back in his playing days, was a surprise hire some, was named the new head coach of the Bruins football team yesterday. This came just days after the previous head coach, Chip Kelly, left to become offensive coordinator at Ohio State.

Foster's appointment was swift, taking approximately, less than 3 days after Kelly's departure. While unexpected, it wasn't entirely out of the blue as some media outlets that cover UCLA athletics had said it was a possibility. Foster spent the past 7 years as an assistant coach at UCLA, most recently as associate head coach and running backs coach. He led the Bruins to have one of the top rushing offense in the Pac-12 for two consecutive seasons and was nominated for the Broyles Award in 2022, given to the nation's top assistant coach.

Despite his strong coaching performance and UCLA ties, Foster had just recently accepted a position with the Las Vegas Raiders as their running backs coach before returning to his alma mater. This quick type of turnaround has happened at multiple places this off-season but generally speaking, does not happen so quickly.

Overall, Foster's hiring is a bold move by UCLA, showing confidence in a relatively young coach with deep Bruins connections. Whether it pays off remains to be seen, but it's certainly a development that has generated significant buzz and excitement among many in the UCLA fanbase.

Let's take a look at the media outlets who have given UCLA a letter grade for the hiring of Foster as their new head coach.

Barrett  Sallee of CBS Sports gives UCLA a B- for the hire of Foster as the new coach of UCLA.

Stewart Mandel of the Athletic gave the Bruins a favorable grade of a B for the hiring of Foster who replaced Chip Kelly.

Adam Rittenberg and Paolo Uggetti of ESPN had good things to say about the hire of Foster and like the Athletic, gave the coaching hire a B for a grade.