2024 UCLA SEASON PREVIEW : Can the Bruins COMPETE in DeShaun Foster's 1st Season?

The UCLA Bruins are often the overlooked team of the 4 teams coming over from the Pac 12 to the Big Ten, but DeShaun Foster has some pieces to work with in his first season as head coach of the Bruins.
Can UCLA surprise people in Big Ten country? Will Ethan Garbers be a great QB? What will the defense look like after losing D'Anton Lynn?
Will Decker of the Bruin Bible at the LA Football Network joins me to chat all things UCLA!

[@joshbazon2764]

I'm a Penn State fan, who can't wait to watch their matchup against the UCLA Bruins in October in Beaver Stadium (Happy Valley)! This will be there first matchup since 1968, which the Bruins hold a 4-2 record against the Nittany Lions.

[@skylermummert24]

Lions by 20

[@justingarcia4314]

BRUINS BY 10!!

[@richardtremblay7634]

We’re looking forward to it too. State College is iconic. It’ll be a good one

[@joshbazon2764]

@justingarcia4314 Which Bruins team will show up since they are a Jekyl and Hyde team historically?

[@bluesraincancun9217]

As a Bruin fan, I look forward to having a beer with Penn St fans.

[@davidmorrison5186]

@bigtented seems like you are the only Big10 caster who is actually honest about the new incoming teams. But others saying UCLA is on par with Indiana is just crazy lol.

[@jordansocha6932]

IU comparisons are accurate; both are basketball schools with very little recent football success. UCLA will not do well at football in the B1G, especially with Foster as head coach.

[@jordansocha6932]

UCLA has a new coaching staff including a head coach who has never, ever been a head coach. They are a warm weather school entering a new, cold-weather conference. Their conference schedule appears to be brutal (vs Indiana, vs Oregon, at Penn State, vs Minnesota, at Rugers, at Nebraska, vs Iowa, at Washington, vs USC) and their non-conference schedule is too (at Hawaii, at LSU, vs Fresno State). If you want to talk last year, then 9/13 of their top tacklers from last year are gone, their only elite defensive player from last year's team left for the NFL and their defensive coordinator was never been an outright defensive coordinator at a Power 5 school; the last time he was a coordinator was as a co-defensive coordinator at Washington in 2021. Their offensive coordinator hasn't coached at the college level since 2012 and was the beneficiary of Andy Reid, Patrick Holmes and the NFL refusing to call holding penalties on the Chiefs offensive line. Their offensive line coach is nearing the end of his career and hasn't coached at the college level since 2019. Their defensive line coach was a graduate assistant last season. A mix of older coaches at the end of their careers returning to college and young, inexperienced coaches creates a cohesion challenge; especially considering most of the coaches on the staff have never coached together. Lastly, they had 17 players leave in the transfer portal. That is a lot to overcome in a single year.

[@davidmorrison5186]

Losing Chip was the addition that was needed. He had zero passion or willingness to actually coach from day 1. I tried to explain to my bruin brothers it was a horrible hire from the announcement of Chip. I figured it was a retirement scheme and clearly I was right. It was very hard to support the program under Chip.
So yes the program is improved already by leaps and bounds.
Our defensive scheme will stay the same. Sadly the DC chip brought in died (rip) which gave way to Chip hiring Lynn. I think the team just needed someone else leading the charge on defense. The Dline wes the key to success and we still have the architect of that, just now he is running the whole defense.

[@dave.c42]

UCLA doesn’t have an easy schedule. New coach, new coordinators and their second game is a Big conference game. IU is a more talented team than last year and will have two easy games to adjust to their new coaching. Really looking at that game as a season tone setter for both teams.

[@Midnitediy]

After this video aired we also picked up Jalen Berger from MSU/Wisconsin. This will give us a formidable backfield for the ground game. If the OL are improved then we should be a surprise to many of our opponents and naysayers. The players are calling Bienemy’s offense as being explosive. Let’s hope that they can put a good team on the field this year!

[@BigTenTed]

Berger's days as a #1 back have passed him after getting surpassed at Wisconsin and Michigan State, but he provides some good depth behind TJ Harden for sure. I like the skill positions on this offense (more than most) , the OL concerns me. Quick concepts could be needed to neutralize the OL possibly.

[@Paolo1964]

Agree. I think Garbers will be one of the best QB's in the Big 10 this year.

[@jeffreybeltran96]

I really feel like people are sleeping on UCLA. Don’t think they’ll win more than 8 games but I think 7 wins is a strong possibility

[@GeeDee103]

Go Bruins…

[@hattershouse710]

Go Bruins! Necver undersetimate the heart of UCLA!

[@johnjacobs5766]

Wow the title to this video is shockingly wrong. Indiana 42, UCLA 13. I give Foster 3 years max as UCLA Head Coach. Once the losing starts (which it already has) the recruits will not want to come to UCLA.

[@PhilNeiman]

I seriously doubt ucla is bowl eligible this year. Tough schedule, loss of personnel and coaches. 8-4? They didn't win 8 regular season games last year. They lost to ASU and Cal. As for then players loving Foster, USC players were thrilled when Clay Helton took over.
How did that turn out?

[@windu2472]

UCLA is top 25 in returning production so the “losing personnel” angle is not wise considering relative to ucla you can say that about every single school in the country which makes that point worthless

[@tonydemonroy]

8-4 - Coach Foster is going to be Prime 2.0 this year, but actually get wins no one sees coming. This is a heavy run first team that you'll have to stop in the trenches because Coach Foster will not stray from the path that got him here. TBD

[@Lfg117]

'24 Ucla qb play=>Illini, Nrthw, IU, Minny, Md, Pur, Rutgers & Iowa. If Ucla's edges on d' hold up, Bruins can win 6 games (vs 1 of tuffest skeds in18-team b1g).
- Aug. 2024

[@jonwasilewski8226]

Usc and Ucla will struggle

[@samdroid559]

Fresno State WILL BE 5 AND 0 against UCLA IN THE
Coliseum

[@Wizzy2001]

Stop

[@wizardoflawz]

Big 10 is a joke. I wont ever spend a nickel on this travesty. Bring back the Pac 12

[@TheTrojanBlade]

No