UCLA's Jarmond Praises Foster's Growth From Year to Year

UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond made the rounds at last week's Big Ten Media Days and made sure he took time to share how impressed he is with football head coach DeShaun Foster.

Among other hot athletics topics Jarmond touched on, the second-year head coach's year-to-year improvement stood out to him the most when he sat down with UCLA's Wayne Cook and Nick Koop.

"You saw him at the podium," Jarmond said of Foster's Big Ten season introductory press conference. "When he came off, I said, 'Dude, what was that? You crushed that, man.' I have seen so much growth. DeShaun is an unbelievable person, first of all. And the thing that I've seen is he has put his imprint on this program more this year than last year.

Jul 24, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster speaks to the media during the Big Ten NCAA college football media days at Mandalay Bay Resort. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images | Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

"Last year, he came in late. So, you got to kind of adjust on the fly. He's hired seven or eight new assistant coaches, talented coaches. You see that in the recruiting and relationship-building. A strength of his is how he relates to the players and people. He's a very likable person, a genuine person. You see that showing up in the program now, kind of him putting his imprint on it.

"And I think the mark of a good leader is surrounding yourself with good people. He's done that in his hiring. He's made good decisions there. And also, as a leader, you've got to know when to pivot. You can't stay too long on a decision. And so, he's made changes quickly instead of letting them linger. And that's the mark of a good leader, and he's done that. He has done an excellent job with getting this program on a trajectory that is up."

Foster Reciprocates Appreciation

Foster took the stage at Big Ten Media Days and gave fans a promising trajectory ahead of his second season at the helm at UCLA.

Of the many topics he discussed, one of the people he was most thankful for in his journey was Jarmond.

"I'm just fortunate to have an athletic director that's been at the highest level and been to schools that produce at the highest level," Foster said of Jarmond. "The expectations that he has they're very high, and I trust everything that he says and I hold on to a lot of the words that he tells me.

"We have a great relationship. I'm just fortunate that I have somebody that is in my corner and supports me the way that he does."

The alignment goes beyond just Foster and Jarmond's relationship, though. UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk is a huge advocate for the success of UCLA athletics and how that can translate into overall success for the university.

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