Setting reasonable expectations for DeShaun Foster’s first HC year

Can former UCLA standout, running back, running backs coach and now head coach DeShaun Foster make the Bruins relevant again in 2024?

That’s one of the big questions on the minds of Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times. In particular, Bolch wonders what success would look like for Foster this fall.

Bolch credits Foster for refusing to project a win total that would satisfy him during his Big Ten Conference media day press conference last week. Bolch notes that this essentially gives Foster enough “wiggle room” to essentially call any outcome a success.

So what number would satisfy Bolch? Keep in mind that last year’s iteration went 8-5 and won the LA Bowl matchup with the Boise State Broncos. That mediocre run would prove to be the team’s final season under current Ohio State Buckeyes offensive coach Chip Kelly, who left after yet another disappointing recruiting season, leaving Foster to scramble to bring in new additions and reshape his defense.

“Six wins and up — leading to a bowl game — should be universally hailed as a wild achievement considering Foster’s meteoric hiring spree in mid-February and the heavy personnel cuts on defense,” Bolch said. “Four or five promising wins amid a strong finish to the season — including a win over USC on Nov. 23 in the Rose Bowl — should please fans and the recruits Foster will need to compete at a high level in the Big Ten.”

For Bolch, there is a line below which real failure lies.

“Three wins or less, well, yikes. While some might consider this a written-off season for Foster given the circumstances and UCLA’s most challenging schedule since predecessor Chip Kelly’s 2018 debut, it’ll be tough to generate any buzz with wins over, say, Hawaii, Indiana and Minnesota offset by three times as many losses,” Bolch wrote.

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