Considering that Deshaun Foster seemed a little too Scott Frost-like for his own good, Nebraska football fans weren't too surprised to see he'd been fired after an 0-3 start to the season that included a 35-10 loss to New Mexico. The UCLA head coach ends his 1.5-year coaching career with the Bruins with a record of 4-11, though he does boast a win over the Huskers last year.
It's certainly unfortunate that the Cornhuskers didn't get another crack at what is a surprisingly bad team under Foster this year. Indeed, the gentlemanly thing to do would be to hold onto him until Matt Rhule could pad his 2025 record. However, there's still a bonus to be had here.
Perhaps Nebraska can find a way to steal a recruit away from the Bruins, considering the school is hemorrhaging commitments since Foster was let go. One name in particular might be at a prominent position of need, defensive lineman Anthony Jones.
Nebraska needs to give Anthony Jones a call after Deshaun Foster firing
Jones announced he'd decommitted from UCLA just hours after the announcement of their head coaching opening. Considering he's a 3-star lineman and one of the top prospects in the state of California, it's clear that several power schools will be coming after him, and the Huskers should be among them.
The degree of difficulty here is that Matt Rhule and Co. haven't really tested the waters with Jones yet. However, considering their 2026 class could use some juicing, especially on the defensive front, he might get a call sooner rather than later.
With the headway the Nebraska football team has made in its 2027 class, it'd love to get some momentum in its 2026 class as well. And they'd certainly love to do it because UCLA finds its replacement for Deshaun Foster.