This post was updated July 28 at 9:11 a.m.

LAS VEGAS — DeShaun Foster recently revisited the geography lesson that once gave him a one-way ticket to viral ridicule.

Only this time, he defused the memory with a dose of humor, turning last year’s press conference in Indianapolis into the butt of his joke.

“Last year, I stood up here and reminded everyone that UCLA is in LA, which, looking back, might’ve been the most obvious geography lesson in the Big Ten history,” Foster said during a Thursday news conference. “But you know what? Important things are worth stating clearly. We are in LA, and we’re proud to be in LA.”

Though the second-year UCLA football coach carried a handkerchief to stage in Las Vegas – dabbing away sweat through his 10-minute session – Foster still couldn’t wipe away the memory of himself helpfully reminding reporters that UCLA is in Los Angeles.

So, instead of running that performance back or pretending it hadn’t followed him to Las Vegas, Foster leaned into the embarrassment – using it as a launchpad to illustrate what 2025 will spell for the Bruins.

“That moment speaking to you guys last year taught me a valuable lesson,” Foster said. “Authenticity resonates more deeply than perfection. Our players saw me being human, and it brought us closer together. … The players know that same genuine approach is how we coach, recruit and build this program.”

In an effort to be authentic in his first year, Foster grounded UCLA in his tenets of discipline, enthusiasm and respect.

He revived the Bruin Walk, a longstanding pregame ritual where players parade through rows of cheering fans en route to the Rose Bowl.

He spearheaded a staff shake-up, headlined by the addition of offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tino Sunseri – the mastermind behind former Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke’s breakout season.

He reset the culture in Westwood, triggering recruiting buzz that UCLA hadn’t seen since the pre-Chip Kelly era by landing the highly touted five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava, along with a 2026 recruiting class ranked No. 21 in the country.

“He (Foster) relates to us, and you need that in the locker room from a head coach,” Iamaleava said. “As a player coach, he just makes the guys 10 times more comfortable with him.”

Foster made things more personal during his recruiting push – hosting dinners for high schoolers and their families at his home three times in May and twice in June.

“If you’re preaching family, you got to make sure they can see it,” Foster said. “I don’t like lip service. I want to let them see it and see what we are, let them feel it.”

Redshirt senior linebacker JonJon Vaughns – who fully committed to football in fall 2024 after being a dual-sport athlete on the baseball team – said Foster has “been himself this whole time” and is the “blueprint about everything” in the UCLA camp.

A year and a half after tapping Foster to revive a floundering program, Bruin athletic director Martin Jarmond said the team now reflects its head coach, rooted in the identity of a head honcho who bleeds blue and gold.

“He’s put his imprint on the program,” Jarmond told the Daily Bruin. “You now see guys embody him as a leader, … making the program his. I see that more now. I see it upon the building and the guys and the enthusiasm and the energy and the vibe around the program. It’s really special. There’s an authenticity to DeShaun that really shines through.”

While Foster’s handkerchief rubbed his sweat off, it never dampened his confidence. Meeting with local reporters Thursday, Foster gestured toward the UCLA logo – and made it a point to plant himself squarely in front of USC’s.

He punctuated the moment with a theatrical throat-clear, a grin tugging at his face.

“Would you say grand slam or home run?” he asked. “I got three players here, so I’m going to put them on bases and call it a grand slam. … There’s growth, growth in everything that you do. You’re going to see growth in my team this year, and you saw growth with me with this press conference.”

Shrugging off the idea that he might have stumbled again, Foster quipped, those people “clearly don’t know me,” before launching into an energetic chat about his second year at the helm. And less than two hours later, he returned to a podium, this time facing a wider group of about 20.

By then, he had put the “We’re in LA” mockery to rest. With steadier presence and a seemingly increased sense of conviction, Foster spoke for 37 minutes, facing a room which might’ve come in hungry for another stumble.