Change is the theme across the college football landscape in 2024. There may be no more considerable change than UCLA and USC, two West Coast staples in college football, joining the Big Ten conference.
The change at UCLA goes deeper as former head coach Chip Kelly has departed to lead the offense at Ohio State, and UCLA Hall of Fame running back Deshaun Foster takes over head coaching duties.
So, what are the three big takeaways from Foster’s Big Ten Media Day?
What Did DeShaun Foster Say at Big Ten Media Days?
Foster is a Man of Few Words
Conference media days are a big deal in college football. It’s a way for the head coaches to give an opening statement, which acts as a bit of a “state of the program” moment for the media before opening it up for questions.
Coaches often give updates regarding coaching changes, the health of returning players, or facility upgrades within the program. New head coaches will often talk about their excitement about joining the program while touching on the relationships they’re building and how they’re settling in.
But not Deshaun Foster.
The former UCLA running back grew up in Southern California and is a member of the UCLA Football Hall of Fame, so he is familiar with the program and the area.
Foster’s opening statement at the Big Ten Media Days at Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis was short and, well, a bit awkward.
Foster addressed the media by interestingly describing UCLA to the Big Ten media.
“You may know about UCLA. We’re in L.A. Us and USC,” said the first-year head man. Following a long pause as he looked around, Foster ended his brief opening statement and opened it up for questions.
“I’m just basically excited. Any questions?”
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While we learned Foster may be a man of few words when addressing the media, we’ve also been learning how much his new players enjoy playing for him. Various videos shared by UCLA and Foster himself have shown that the Bruins football team has had a ton of fun during spring practices.
2025 UCLA commit Jadyn Hudson even commented on how obvious it is that his players love him.
“Coach Foster is changing things. I like who he is, and he is going to turn UCLA around. The players love him.”
It’s evident that Foster’s sole focus is on his players and improving UCLA football.
Hiring Eric Bieniemy Was a Major Offseason Focus For Foster and UCLA
For the last few seasons, one of the hottest names for potential NFL head coaching jobs has been Eric Bieniemy.
Landing Bieniemy is the first win of Foster’s tenure at UCLA.
“Having Eric Bieniemy, that was perfect for me because he’s an established offensive coordinator,” Foster said. “And just the type of experiences and all of the knowledge that he has, I can lean on him and really use that.”
Bieniemy, like Foster, started his career as a star college running back before moving into coaching. Bieniemy played at Colorado before a nine-year NFL career.
He began his coaching career at the collegiate level, serving as the running backs coach at UCLA. Bieniemy then transitioned to the NFL and became the Minnesota Vikings running backs coach from 2006-10. After one year at his alma mater as the offensive coordinator, Bieniemy returned to the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs as a running backs coach before being named offensive coordinator in 2018.
During his tenure with the Chiefs, Bieniemy was instrumental in Patrick Mahomes’ development into the NFL’s top quarterback. As a result, his name appeared in seemingly every conversation when an NFL organization was looking for their next head coach.
In 2023, Bieniemy took on new roles as the offensive coordinator and assistant head coach for the Washington Commanders. After one year in Washington, Bieniemy returned to where his coaching career had begun.
It is difficult to measure the importance of a first-year head coach such as Foster adding an assistant with the amount of experience Bienienmy possesses. These two can lead an elite offense at UCLA as they navigate the Big Ten.
Coach Foster Loves His Running Back Room
With two legendary college running backs in Foster and Bieniemy leading the offense, it only makes sense that they have developed a love for their running backs group.
Foster was happy to answer questions about his running backs at Big Ten Media Day, and gushed over the depth and quality of the Bruins’ backfield.
The Bruins return big, physical power-back T.J. Harden and versatile option Keegan Jones as ball carriers in 2024.
In 2023, Harden logged 156 carries for 827 yards and eight rushing scores. According to Foster, Jones lined up as both running back and slot receiver for the Bruins in 2023 but will mainly be featured in the backfield in 2024.
“I’m really excited about my running back room. We have T.J. Harden, Keegan Jones coming back. T.J. is a bigger power back, going into his junior year, played a lot as a freshman. Really came out of his shell last season,” Foster said. “Keegan was used as a utility player last season, but he played running back leading up to that. He’s going back to running back this season as well. So I’m excited for that. Explosive kid. When he gets the ball in his hand, you can really see a difference in his speed and just how he plays the game.”
Just before Big Ten Media Day, The Bruins landed a significant transfer in former Michigan State and four-star recruit Jalen Berger.
Berger is well-acquainted with the Big Ten, as UCLA will be his third school in the conference. He began his college career at Wisconsin in 2020. After entering the transfer portal during the 2021 season, he moved to Michigan State, where he spent two full seasons.
Over four college seasons, the former four-star recruit has amassed 1,165 rushing yards. His best season came in 2022 with the Spartans, recording 683 yards and six touchdowns on 148 carries. Foster believes Berger is an excellent depth piece for his already dynamic running back room.
“Then we’re just excited to add depth with another player that’s been in the Big Ten. He’s (Berger) been at two other schools, and we’re just excited to have Jalen in our program and get him up to speed once he gets into training camp,” Foster explained.
With a variety of quality backs and two of the better running back coaches in football on the staff, it can be expected that UCLA will produce a big-time running game and fit right in with Big Ten football.
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