NFL
By: Brock Vierra
UCLA has made some splashes since the Chip Kelly departure. School legend and longtime Bruins coach DeShaun Foster is now the man in charge and he hopes to restore glory to his alma mater. He will guide the Bruins through their first year in the Big 10. Foster wasted no time making splashes with the big time hire of two time Super Bowl winning offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. Bieniemy brings a motion heavy offense that should play within the Bruins strengths.
To get more insight on the 2024 Bruins and also the Bruins heading to the NFL, I sat down with Bruins Wire’s Matt Wadleigh to get his insight and opinions.
Let’s talk UCLA
Vierra: Hello Matt, thanks for joining me. Laiatu Latu looks to continue UCLA’s proud tradition of producing high quality NFL linebackers. What are your thoughts on Latu and will he live up to his first-round hype?
Wadleigh: Laiatu Latu is an absolute stud and is an easy first-round choice. I think he will live up to the hype, and it’s been a bit surprising for me to see him being mocked in the 20s and end of the first round.
Vierra: What are your thoughts on the pro potential of Darius Muasau?
Wadleigh: The coaches were so impressed by Mausau that he was named a second-team All-Pac-12 selection. I think he has a lot of potential as a rotational piece for the first few seasons before being a starter.
Vierra: How will Eric Bieniemy shape the UCLA offense and how involved with DeShaun Foster be with designing their attack?
Wadleigh: I was a bit surprised at Eric Bieniemy coming back to college, but I think the offense will look better from a scheme perspective than it did before. The question is whether or not the players will live up to their potential. As far as Foster is concerned, I don’t see him being too involved. After all, UCLA hired an OC that coached Patrick Mahomes and won a Super Bowl.
Vierra: What are your thoughts on the DeShaun Foster hire?
Wadleigh: I was very unsurprised. UCLA needed a guy the fanbase would love, and Foster is that guy. If you watched his press conference, you would’ve fallen in love with him as well. He has a lot to prove and is a big risk, but Foster is the right guy at this very moment for the program.
Vierra: What’s your prediction for UCLA in 2024?
Wadleigh: UCLA will finish .500 in 2024, and maybe make a bowl game. It’s going to be very difficult.
Vierra: How does UCLA quickly adjust to the Big 10?
Wadleigh: The Big Ten is loaded by all means. UCLA is in for a rough transition, especially traveling cross country and having to recruit with some of the best teams in the country. It might take a few years for UCLA (and others) to get acclimated.
Vierra: With Latu garnering all the attention, is Gabriel Murphy a sleeping giant in the 2024 Draft?
Wadleigh: He performed well at different events this offseason, and an NFL team will be thrilled to get Gabriel (or even his brother Grayson) late in the draft.
I would like to thank Matt once again for his time. The Bruins will be a wild card in 2024. If they’re serious about 2024, they need to get off to a hot start. On the road at Hawaii and Indiana at home to start the year should yield them two wins. However non-conference opponent LSU could spell danger for UCLA. How the Bruins will play on the road should determine the type of season they’ll have.
For more College Football content, watch The College Football Forecast here.
