DeShaun Foster gives feedback on helmet communication in spring

In 2024, the UCLA Bruins will be trying out a slew of whole new things. The Bruins will have a new head coach, DeShaun Foster, a whole new coaching staff, and a new way to relay plays on the field.

This offseason, the NCAA approved helmet communication at the collegiate level, the same communication instrument used in the NFL. Prior to this change, college football programs used a variety of colorful tools to relay play calls to players on the field, and UCLA was no exception. Now, players and teams are adjusting to the helmet communication system. So, has UCLA been adjusting to the transition this spring? According to Foster, as it turns out, the Bruins got a taste of the system in their bowl game and have been doing just fine utilizing it this spring.

“We’ve been practicing [with] that so far out here. Ever since the bowl game, that’s how we’ve been operating since then,” said Foster. “That’s an awesome thing, it’s exciting. It’s great for Coach EB (Eric Bieniemy) to actually be able to talk to the quarterbacks, tell them what to look for, what not to look, hurry up, it’s [a] pressure situation. So it’s pretty cool to have.”

As far as who will receive and relay the plays on the defensive side of the ball, Foster revealed that it will be his ‘middle linebackers’ who assume that responsibility, similar to the majority of NFL defenses. However, when it comes to getting everything ready before the start of the 2024 season, there is one thing that the players are adjusting to when it comes to the helmet communication system.

“Just hearing words basically. Because coming from the office we were in, it was all sign language. So just hearing words and spitting it out,” he revealed.

UNLV offensive line transfer Alani Makihele commits to UCLA

UNLV offensive lineman Alani Makihele has committed to UCLA out of the NCAA transfer portal, he announced on his Twitter account on Sunday afternoon.

Makihele spent the last four years with the Rebels, slowly emerging as a contributor along the line.

During his first two years on campus, Makihele failed to appear in a game, taking a redshirt for the 2020 season before being inactive in 2021.

He then played in six games in 2022 to earn his first letter, before playing in all 13 games for UNLV during the 2023 season. He should instantly provide some help for the Bruins along the interior of the offensive line.

At 6 foot 3, 350 pounds, Makihele has good size to be able to anchor in the middle. He’s also a bit of a rarity; he hails from Anchorage, Alaska.

Prior to enrolling at UNLV, Alani Makihele was a three-star recruit and the No. 1,965 overall prospect in the 2020 recruiting class, according to the On3 Industry Rankings.

He also checked in as the No. 130 interior offensive lineman in the class and the No. 1 overall player from the state of Alaska, hailing from Anchorage (AK) West.