BREAKING: UCLA Hires New Running Backs Coach

UCLA's coaching staff is officially set for the 2025 season.

Jul 29, 2022; Los Angeles, CA, USA; A detailed view of UCLA Bruins helmet during Pac-12 Media Day at Novo Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

UCLA has completed the hiring process for its 2025 coaching staff.

On Wednesday, Bruins coach DeShaun Foster announced the hiring of the program's new running backs coach, A.J. Steward, per a release.

Steward spent last season with his alma mater, Kansas, where he served as an offensive analyst for the program. Prior to that, he had served as the assistant head coach and running backs coach at Baylor for the 2023 season.

Before joining the staff at Baylor, Steward had spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons as Oregon State's running backs coach. There, he helped develop running back Damien Martinez, who won the Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year Award and was named to the All-Pac-12 First Team for the 2022 season. He rushed for 982 yards and seven touchdowns on 161 carries.

The Beavers went 10-3 that season, which was capped off with a victory in the Las Vegas Bowl.

In 2021, Steward coached former Oregon State running back B.J. Baylor, who led the conference in rushing with 1,337 yards and was named to the All-Pac-12 First Team. The team set a program-record 5.3 yards per carry that season.

Steward had served as the running backs coach at Arizona for the 2020 season and, before that, was the running backs coach at BYU for the 2019 and 2020 seasons, where he was part of back-to-back trips to bowl games.

Prior to BYU, Steward began his coaching career at Rice, where he started as a graduate assistant in 2012, which he remained for the 2013 season. He then became the program's running backs coach, a role he held for four seasons.

"I am really excited to complete my staff with Coach Steward," Foster said. "He always gets the most out of his backs and it shows in how they play. They approach every down with discipline and intent and that is a reflection of their coach."

UCLA had the worst run offense in the Big Ten this past season, rushing for just 86.6 yards per game. Last month, the program lost its starting running back, T.J. Harden, who entered the transfer portal.

Bruins fans can only hope Steward will help turn things around in the run game.

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