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UCLA football coach DeShaun Foster is taking no chances when it comes to a potential film leak of his new-look offense under transfer signal caller Nico Iamaleava. He limited media access during preseason practice to keep his secrets safe.
Foster spoke on the restrictions after the fact, which also included nixing player interviews. He is doing everything in his power to win Week 1.
The Bruins will kick off the season in Los Angeles with a big-time matchup against Utah. Given that strong opening opponent, Foster wants to play everything close to the vest in terms of his preparation.
He does not want video of his strategy being made public. He wants the unknown to play to his advantage when facing the Utes in late August.
UCLA football has a new offense.
Tino Sunseri was hired as the teams’ play caller last December. This will be his first time holding the keys to an offense.
Previously, he was on staff at Indiana as the co-offensive coordinator and quarterback coach. He was “involved in every pass play” last year, but his new role with the Bruins represents his “first time running an offense.”
Sunseri left Bloomington to carve his own path. He landed a five-star gift soon after arriving in LA.
Tennessee signal caller Nico Iamaleava transferred to UCLA following a dramatic exit from Knoxville. He will assume the starting role after locking in a seven-figure NIL deal.
The Bruins finished 5-7 last year. A lack of offense was a big reason why.
The team ranked 126th nationally in points per game. They failed to reach the 20-point threshold in each of their first six games.
While improvement was shown in the second half of the season, changes were made. The head coach doesn’t want those adjustments to be exposed.
DeShaun Foster is shutting the media out.
UCLA football head coach DeShaun Foster’s back-and-forth from Wednesday’s practice media scrum on restricting media access policies: pic.twitter.com/vVBo1atmYh
— Benjamin Royer (@thebenroyer) August 20, 2025
Foster went back and forth with reporters in a post-practice interview. Limited viewing and player availability were the talking points.
The coach insists it’s in the best interest of his team to stay tight-lipped. He’s not letting anything slip that could be used to the Utes’ advantage in Week 1.
Those secrets include both the depth chart and the game plan. He also specifically mentioned Tino Sunseri in his explanation.
UCLA will be a different football team in 2025. The offense is undergoing major change. To this point, there are more questions than answers surrounding the Bruins’ outlook.
DeShaun Foster looks to keep it that way.