Nico Iamaleava, UCLA Football News: Draft Scout Player News

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09/15/25 - QB Nico Iamaleava, rSo/2028, UCLA

UCLA fired second-year football coach DeShaun Foster on Sunday after the school's first 0-3 start since 2019. Athletic director Martin Jarmond announced the move two days after the Bruins lost to New Mexico 35-10, their second straight loss to a Mountain West Conference opponent. "It's not a decision I made lightly, but it was important to take decisive action," Jarmond said on a Zoom call with media. "This serves as a message to our fans that the results we've seen so far are simply not acceptable." Tim Skipper will serve as interim coach for the rest of the season, which includes games against three highly ranked Big Ten Conference opponents. Skipper had been special assistant to Foster, and he served as Fresno State's interim coach last year. Foster was 5-10 since taking over the program from Chip Kelly in February 2024, after national signing day and relatively late in the recruiting process. "I regret putting DeShaun in that position as we were going into the Big Ten," Jarmond said. "Getting a start so late really disadvantaged the start of his coaching career."

Last year, the Bruins finished 5-7 after a 1-5 start in the school's first season in the Big Ten. Foster had been the program's running backs coach from 2017-23 and added the title of associate head coach in 2023 before being promoted to the top job by Jarmond. Foster spent one season on the staff at Texas Tech. The Bruins were beaten by Utah in their opener and by UNLV a week ago. They trailed at halftime in all three losses, two of them coming at the Rose Bowl, where attendance was sparse and tarps are used to cover wide swaths of seating. Foster was asked Friday if he was still the person for the job, and he replied: "Most definitely. Because I can get these boys to play." However, even the arrival of highly touted quarterback Nico Iamaleava via the transfer portal couldn't save Foster. The sophomore left Tennessee after leading the Volunteers to the College Football Playoff last season and didn't participate in spring camp. - AP College Football

rSo/2028