UCLA football coach DeShaun Foster knows what it’s like to have running backs to develop, work with and turn into professionals.
The recent handful of UCLA tailbacks to play in the NFL has included the likes of Zach Charbonnet, Brittain Brown, Carson Steele and Joshua Kelley – all of whom Foster worked hand-in-hand with as the Bruins’ running backs coach.
Yet, the 2025 UCLA football team may have more depth than any of those previous UCLA teams.
“This is probably the most depth that we’ve had because I think I can go about four-deep and still feel comfortable about what’s going on,” Foster said Monday, ahead of Saturday’s opener against Utah on Saturday, “and that’s no knock to the other guys.”
That four is likely to include Jaivian Thomas and Jalen Berger as the top two backs in a depth chart expected for release later this week, while Anthony Woods and Anthony Frias II would round out the group with skill sets on the opposite side of the equation: speed and power, respectively.
Thomas, a Cal transfer who led the Golden Bears in rushing yards last year, said a few weeks ago that he used to watch Woods’ film when the redshirt junior posted a 1,000-yard campaign at Idaho in 2023.
Thomas added that he and Woods have raced since they both joined the Bruins, and although he considers himself faster, he said his teammate rivals the speed of anyone on the team.
“The fact that he’s worked so hard and where he’s at right now, it’s amazing,” Foster said. “He had a great training camp, didn’t really do much in spring, but this training camp, he was really able to put his best foot forward.”
Garrett DiGiorgio understands the challenge ahead of UCLA to get the Bruins back to where the running back room has been in previous years. With TJ Harden and Keegan Jones at the head of the rushing attack last year, and Eric Bieniemy as the offensive coordinator, the Bruins recorded the fourth-lowest amount of rushing yards in the FBS.
Some of the blame ultimately would come down to scheming, but across the board, the Bruins’ rushing dropped off from when Harden and Steele secured 800-plus yard campaigns in 2023.
“I think that it’s going to be a huge opportunity for us to get the ball in their hands and just make explosive plays,” DiGiorgio said. “We want to open those holes for them.”
On the edge
Foster turned to two Bruins as potential impact players on the edge Monday – one a transfer and the other a freshman ready to make a quick introduction.
Michigan State transfer Anthony Jones has lined up on the edge during first-team reps in recent practices – including Saturday’s shindig at the Rose Bowl – and could be one of the Bruins’ true-sack threats after tallying 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks for the Spartans last year.
“He’s a great pass rusher,” DiGiorgio said of Jones.
Jones’ teammate on the defensive line, redshirt senior Gary Smith III sees the 6-foot-5 redshirt junior’s battle-tested strength as well.
“He’s a good guy, high-motor, high-energy guy,” Smith said. “I love having him on my team, and yeah, he’s gonna do big things for us this year.”
Scott Taylor, a 6-foot-4 freshman linebacker from Loyola High, is one of the few first-year Bruins not in scout-team red jerseys at Drake Stadium. Smith believes the freshman has been soaking up as much as he can from a defense that includes himself and longtime Bruin JonJon Vaughns.
“He’s just been a sponge coming in, learning from the older guys, and he has a lot of athletic ability,” Smith said. “So I’m just glad to have him on our team, and he’ll definitely help us out.”
