DeShaun Foster is entering Year Two in Westwood, but it already feels like a make-or-break campaign. The spotlight won’t just be on the field either. It will be on Foster’s closed-door policy that has media and fans scratching their heads.
During Wednesday's practice session, Foster exchanged words with reporters about shutting down the idea of open practices. When asked why there was a lockdown in place, the former NFL vet explained the process.
Head coach DeShaun Foster (@DeShaunFoster26) meets with the media 10 days out from the start of the 2025 season 🎙️⤵️https://t.co/CFN8k6gX4D pic.twitter.com/JhSetVHBg9
— UCLA Football (@UCLAFootball) August 20, 2025
"You guys film our practice and put it online," Foster said. "If I was an opponent for another team, I’d look right at your guys’ stuff and see what’s going on. So for them not to get a beat on Tino (Sunseri) or depth or anything that’s going on, that’s why it’s closed.”
That might explain practice, but what about simple interviews? Foster doubled down on his rebuttal. “That’s the same thing. Because if they come over and interview, then you guys are gonna ask me, 'Are they a starter? Are they this? Are they that?’”
When asked if he worries about the marketing fallout, Foster brushed it aside. “I’ll let you guys handle all of that. And I’m not worried about the marketing. Because what marketing does, if you win games, you’re marketed.”
It’s a neat line, but it places all the weight on results. If Foster wins, he looks like a hard-nosed coach who put football first. If he loses, he looks like the young, perhaps even naive head coach who shut out the media and wondered why fewer than 50,000 fans showed up to a 100,000-seat stadium.
The attendance was better than years prior, but nowhere near the numbers UCLA brass would like to see. Foster, meanwhile, has introduced a media strategy that seems almost allergic to exposure.
Utah will be the first chance to prove whether Foster’s gamble is brilliance or just bad business. UCLA opens the season at the Rose Bowl on Saturday, August 30, against Utes (11 p.m. ET on FOX).
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