PASADENA — DeShaun Foster called his team to the center of Spieker Field.
Some 23 minutes before the scheduled end of the “Meet The Bruins” open event at the Rose Bowl – which was set to run from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – UCLA’s football coach wrapped up the walk-through practice, just one week before the season opener.
“That was it?” a Rose Bowl security guard asked as the media corps walked out of the designated media-watching area. It was.
About 200 people sat across three lower-bowl sections of the Rose Bowl, as UCLA ran quarter-effort drills, primarily one-sided walk-throughs with most of its players donning shorts rather than the pants and pads that will mark Week 1 action against former Pac-12 foe Utah on Aug. 30 at the Rose Bowl.
Some fans even began to wander into the Rose Bowl gates after the practice, under the belief the practice would end at 12:30 as advertised, only to learn that the event had ended, and their treks to the Rose Bowl were for naught.
Whether standing on the sidelines or in the crowd during drills, fans could clearly hear Bruin coaches’ whistles and chirps. During the practice, which ran for about 50 minutes and included a 20-minute, halftime-like break, the ASMR sounds of football filled the eerily quiet Rose Bowl as music never played.
Fans – about 30 – paid $100 for exclusive perks at the event, which included a locker room tour, sideline viewing and an opportunity to meet with Bruins players. UCLA football general manager Khary Darlington even schmoozed with the VIP-experience fans and touted the program’s success on the recruiting trail.
UCLA did not make players or coaches available for interviews Saturday.
UCLA football’s Rose Bowl run-through did have inherent value to the roster; there are more than 50 new players on the Bruins’ roster heading into the 2025 season. Foster had said recently that the goal was to get his players acclimated to a game-day experience before suiting up against the Utes next weekend.
One of those players was Nico Iamaleava. The redshirt sophomore quarterback transfer from Tennessee appeared comfortable in his new home confines, slinging darts around the field – albeit with no true defensive effort to stop completions.
Iamaleava will receive his true introduction to the Rose Bowl next week – with a substantially larger crowd in tow.
Observations from the Rose Bowl
In what could be a confirmation of who will suit up as the starting center, Oluwafunto Akinshilo teamed with Nico Iamaleava and Sam Yoon teamed with potential backup quarterback Luke Duncan in snapping drills.
Across first-team offensive walk-throughs, Courtland Ford played left tackle, Eugene Brooks slotted in at left guard, Akinshilo at center, Julian Armella stuck in at right guard and Garrett DiGiorgio rounded out the group at right tackle.
On the defensive line, Gary Smith III and Keanu Williams expectedly emerged for first-team action, while Michigan State transfer Anthony Jones also jumped in with the group for reps.
On kick returns, Jadyn Marshall took the ball out of the end zone on all practice drills, while on punt returns, Mikey Matthews did the same.
Defensive lineman Nico Davillier sat out of practice Saturday, but did not appear to have any visible injuries, making it likely he could just be resting. Wide receivers Carter Shaw and Rico Flores Jr. also sat out the event after appearing at recent practices, but both players are coming off long-term injuries.
Wide receiver Jonah Smith of Santa Margarita High, who suffered a season-ending injury, was on the sidelines of the Rose Bowl. He announced that he reclassified to join UCLA’s 2025 freshman class Thursday on Instagram.
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