Coach DeShaun Foster Named Nominee for Broyles Award
The Frank & Barbara Broyles Foundation announced on Tuesday that UCLA running backs coach DeShaun Foster was a nominee for the 2022 Broyles Award which honors college football's top assistant coaches.
Coach Foster is one of 51 nominees in this year's class which were selected from approximately 1,500 assistant coaches representing 131 FBS college football programs from across the nation. The Broyles Award selection process includes the Football Writers of America (FWAA), broadcasters, a college football hall-of-fame selection committee, and current college football head coaches.
UCLA ranks eighth in the country and first in the Pac-12 Conference this season in rushing offense (240.0/g). Running back Zach Charbonnet leads the nation in rushing yards per carry (7.53) and in all-purpose yardage (176.88/g). He is also eighth in the country with 13 rushing touchdowns this season and third in the nation, and first in the Pac-12, in rushing yards per game (143.1). The Bruin team rates fifth in the nation in total offense (504.0 yards per game) and is one of just six programs in the country to average over 500 yards per game. This past week against Arizona, Charbonnet became the ninth Bruin runner to register back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons (1,145 in 2022 and 1,137 in 2021).
Six of Coach Foster's running backs have scored this season. Charbonnet is also ranked third on the team in receptions with 29 catches and is coming off of a career-best nine grabs against Arizona. All six Bruin backs --Charbonnet (1,145 yards), Keegan Jones (284), Kazmeir Allen (203), T.J. Harden (125), Colson Yankoff (116), Christian Grubb (57) and Deshun Murrell (34)-- have recorded season-best rushing yard marks in the 2022 season.
The Broyles Award was created in 1996 recognizing Coach Frank Broyles' legacy of selecting and developing great assistants during his hall of fame career as head coach at Arkansas. A 43-member selection committee of distinguished former head coaches, broadcasters and a committee representing the FWAA will select 15 semi-finalists on Nov. 22, five finalists from the list of nominees, and then an overall winner. Proceeds from the 2022 Broyles Award support the Broyles Foundation's mission to provide a game plan for Alzheimer's caregivers through education, support, and resources.