UCLA Fires Coach DeShaun Foster After 0-3 Start, Citing Upset Loss to New Mexico

UCLA fired football coach DeShaun Foster on Sunday after the Bruins fell to 0-3 with a 35-10 loss at home to New Mexico, the athletic department announced. The decision came amid rising expectations surrounding a controversial transfer quarterback and frustration over sloppy play in the season's first three games.

Athletic director Martin Jarmond thanked Foster for his long association with the program, noting Foster's service as a Hall of Fame student-athlete, assistant coach and head coach. "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," Jarmond said in a statement. "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."

The firing punctuated a turbulent offseason for UCLA, which had attracted national attention by landing Tennessee transfer quarterback Nico Iamaleava. Iamaleava, who helped lead Tennessee to the College Football Playoff last season, drew scrutiny in Knoxville over his name, image and likeness (NIL) arrangements; his NIL deal with Tennessee prompted an NCAA probe and a lawsuit by the attorneys general of Tennessee and Virginia in January 2024 that was later settled by the NCAA. Reports surfaced this year about Iamaleava seeking a substantial raise — possibly up to nearly $4 million — before he left Tennessee, and reporting also said he missed practice and abruptly departed Knoxville.

Iamaleava has said his decision to leave Tennessee was driven largely by a desire to be closer to family in Long Beach, California, and to escape what he described as "false stuff about whether it was a financial thing or not" that left him uncomfortable at Tennessee. "My driving factor to come back home was my family, and I hope every Tennessee fan understands that," he said.

On Saturday, Iamaleava completed 22 of 34 passes for 217 yards and one touchdown in a game that exposed broader problems for the Bruins. UCLA was flagged 13 times for 116 yards, struggled to sustain drives and failed to contain New Mexico's balanced attack.

New Mexico took control early, getting a 1-yard touchdown run from Humphrey late in the first quarter after the Lobos established success on the ground. A fourth-down toss to tight end Simon Mapa from Layne produced an 8-yard touchdown that made it 14-0 before UCLA answered on Iamaleava's 12-yard scoring pass to Titus Mokiao-Atimalala.

UCLA narrowed the gap to 14-10 in the third quarter when Mateen Bhaghani booted a 51-yard field goal after recovering a muffed punt. New Mexico responded with a 13-play, 75-yard drive capped by Bankston's 2-yard touchdown run, a march that put the Lobos ahead for good. "Once we got to halftime, and we realized that we had a lot of mistakes and we still had the lead, it was like, let's go ahead and, like, try to pull away from these guys," Bankston said.

Foster, a former NFL running back who returned to UCLA as a coach and rose through the program, acknowledged the team's shortcomings after the loss. "Yeah, it's pretty low right now," he said. "I've been around this program for a long time, and it's just unfortunate what's going on at this moment. Just not executing."

The Bruins' missteps on special teams and penalties compounded offensive inconsistency and defensive lapses, and those issues swayed the early decision by the athletic department to change leadership. The statement from Jarmond did not immediately name an interim or permanent successor.

Foster's dismissal comes as UCLA navigates a period of transition, including a conference move and heightened scrutiny tied to high-profile roster additions. The program will now begin a search for a new head coach as it attempts to salvage the season and steady expectations raised by offseason recruiting and transfers.