UCLA Fires DeShaun Foster After 0-3 Start
The Bruin legend coached just 15 games for his alma mater.
UCLA announced this morning that head football coach DeShaun Foster has been relieved of his duties, effective immediately. Former Fresno State interim head coach Tim Skipper will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
Here is the full statement that was issued by UCLA:
UCLA Football Head Coach DeShaun Foster has been relieved of his duties, effective immediately, Martin Jarmond, The Alice and Nahum Lainer Family Director of Athletics, announced today. Tim Skipper will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
“I want to extend my sincere appreciation to DeShaun for his contributions to UCLA Football over the course of many years, first as a Hall of Fame student-athlete, then as an assistant coach and finally as head coach,” said Jarmond. “He was named to this role at a challenging time of year, on the cusp of a move to a new conference, and he embraced it, putting his heart into moving the program forward. His legacy and love for this university are firmly established. He is a Bruin for life, and we wish him, his wife, Charity, and their family the best.”
Foster was named head coach on February 12, 2024 and guided UCLA to a 5-10 overall record, including wins in four of the last six games in 2024. He had spent the previous 11 seasons in the collegiate coaching ranks, including 10 years at UCLA and one at Texas Tech. Foster was UCLA’s running backs coach from 2017-23 and added the title of associate head coach in 2023. An All-American at UCLA in 2001 and a UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame inductee in 2022, Foster enjoyed a seven-year NFL career, scoring a touchdown in Super Bowl XXXVIII.
The terms of Foster’s contract will be honored by UCLA Athletics, exclusively using department-generated funds.
A comprehensive national search for a new head coach will begin immediately. Jarmond and Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director Erin Adkins will be aided in the search by a committee composed of accomplished sports and business executives and UCLA greats. Committee members will be announced when finalized.
Skipper will move from his current role as Special Assistant to the Head Coach into an interim head coach role. Last season, he became Fresno State’s interim head coach in July of 2024 and guided the Bulldogs to a 6-7 record and a bowl appearance. Skipper was also the acting head coach for Fresno State at the 2023 New Mexico Bowl, which the Bulldogs won over New Mexico State, 37-10. His career head coaching record is 7-7. Skipper’s previous coaching experience includes stints as defensive coordinator, most recently at UNLV from 2018-19, and assistant head coach responsibilities at Colorado State, Central Michigan and Fresno State. He also coached running backs at Florida from 2015-16 and linebackers from 2017-18.
The university also included the following statement from Foster:
Serving as the head coach at UCLA, my beloved alma mater, has been the honor of a lifetime. While I am deeply disappointed that we were unable to achieve the success that our players, fans, and university deserve, I am grateful for the opportunity to have led this program.
I want to thank Chancellor Julio Frenk, Athletic Director Martin Jarmond, and Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director Erin Adkins for entrusting me with this responsibility and for their support throughout my tenure.
To our student-athletes: you have been the heart of this program. Your dedication, resilience, and character - both on the field and in the classroom - have been inspiring.
Even in our most challenging moments, you stayed united and gave everything you had for your teammates and this university. You embody what it means to be a Bruin, and I am proud to have coached each of you.
I extend my deepest gratitude to our coaching staff and support personnel. Your tireless work, professionalism, and genuine care for our student-athletes never went unnoticed. You are exceptional at what you do, and any program would be fortunate to have you.
To Bruin Nation… While this chapter ends differently than I had envisioned, UCLA Football has a bright future ahead. This program, with its rich tradition, will return to prominence.
Once a Bruin, always a Bruin.
Thank you, UCLA.
This is a developing story and we will update as needed.
Go Bruins!!!
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I feel bad for Deshaun. I don’t fault him. I think he poured his heart and soul into a job he wasn’t yet qualified to do. The fault lies with Martin Jarmond and I can only hope that he is not allowed to hire the next coach.
Foster was giving a broken toy, this is all on Jarmond. The only solace I take from this episode is that Julio Frenk is the Chancellor and will have a hand in selecting the next head coach and AD (hopefully). As a Bruin alumn currently living in Miami I am seeing fruits of Frenk's decision making first hand.