Nico Iamaleava and the UCLA Bruins‘ performance to start the 2025 college football season has been abysmal. Underlined by an 0-3 record, the program requires answers immediately. Now, the school in Los Angeles will search for them without DeShaun Foster.

After Iamaleava joined the Bruins through the NCAA transfer portal, expectations only skyrocketed for UCLA. However, Iamaleava’s start to his career in LA has been downright disastrous so far. Three straight losses to kickstart the campaign.

As reported by insider Pete Thamel, UCLA has fired DeShaun Foster after only three weeks in the 2025 NCAA season. Foster had only entered his second year as head coach in the City of Angels, but the lack of results led to his dismissal early in the campaign.

Next man up

The Bruins must climb their way up before going all the way down the rabbit hole. However, that’s much easier said than done when everything is seemingly going against them. Now, it’s time to react or it will be too late. Up next, the Big Ten schedule will begin for UCLA, and it will start off with a tough test in Illinois against the Northwestern Wildcats.

Nico Iamaleava at Rose Bowl Stadium on August 30, 2025 in Pasadena, California.

The crestfallen Bruins will be walking into Evanston with a new face at the helm. “UCLA makes this official. Tim Skipper will be the interim,” Thamel reported. “He served as Fresno State’s interim coach last year.“

Struggles

Iamaleava’s production through three weeks is very concerning for UCLA. It’s definitely not what the program expected from the Tennessee transfer. However, it’s also a hint at the overall struggles on the offensive side of the ball.

So far in the new campaign, Iamaleava has registered 608 passing yards (an average of 202.67 yards per game), three touchdowns, and three interceptions. The quarterback leads the team in rushing yards, which is a concerning sight for any program when the leading player accounts for 139 yards in three outings. Needless to say, the Bruins must turn the tide. Whether moving on from Foster is the first step in that direction or not will be answered throughout the year.