Foster Winds Up Choosing UCLA

When running back DeShaun Foster left home for school Wednesday, he was still uncertain whether to pick UCLA or Texas.

“I told my dad, ‘I’m still undecided,’ ” Foster said. His father, Al, said, “Son, you don’t have to sign anything today. But if you don’t, all this [the recruiting process] will continue.”

By the time Foster finished his first-period class at Tustin High, his mind was made up--he would become a Bruin.

Foster, The Times’ Glenn Davis Award winner as the top prep football player in Southern California, was one of more than 30 county players to sign letters of intent Wednesday for college athletic scholarships.

Foster capped a banner recruiting effort in the county by UCLA, which also signed Tustin cornerback Julius Williams, Capistrano Valley offensive lineman Blake Worley and Laguna Hills tight end Saia Makakaufaki.

“I really liked both schools,” Foster said of UCLA and Texas during a news conference he shared with Williams and lineman Corey Alston-Chambers, who signed with Oregon.

“Texas had a great family environment, and I like Coach Mack Brown [who replaced John Mackovic, who was fired six weeks ago]. But it was just a little too far away.

“I felt that UCLA was the place both academically and athletically. And I know they’re recruiting a real good class. If we can stay together, we could do some special things as seniors.”

Although he had taken all five of his NCAA-approved recruiting trips, Foster went back to UCLA last weekend unofficially to talk more with coaches and players.

Foster rushed for a county-record 3,398 yards and scored a Southern Section-record 59 touchdowns in 14 games last season. So dominant was his season that Foster finished 714 rushing yards ahead of his closest pursuer, Mater Dei’s Mike McNair, who will attend Notre Dame.

Foster’s efforts powered Tustin (13-1) to its first Golden West League championship. The Tillers reached the section Division V title game against defending champion Santa Margarita. The Eagles won, 55-42, but Foster rushed for 378 yards and scored all six Tustin touchdowns.

“I think he broke every single-season school record we had,” Tustin Coach Myron Miller said. “And the problem is, he set the records so high I should just set a new board--pre-Foster and post-Foster. The standards he set will be so high no one will have a realistic shot at them.

“He will be successful wherever he goes, and his choice was a very good one.”

UCLA Coach Bob Toledo, who said the Bruins filled all 26 scholarships they had to offer, was elated.

“This puts the frosting on the cake,” Toledo said. “We needed a running back, and to get the best runner in the state was a big bonus for our program.

“I told him and all our incoming players I never guarantee they will start, but they will get the opportunity to prove they can play. And I told DeShaun there is a great opportunity for him to contribute. If he does what we think he can do, he will play a lot at UCLA.”

Williams, one of Foster’s best friends, said he did not try to influence Foster’s decision.

“Of course, I wanted him to go there,” Williams said, “but I wanted him to go to the school he felt was the best place for him.”