Anthony Frias II is back on the west coast and sporting blue, just as he did as a standout running back for Turlock High School from 2016 to 2020 and for Modesto Junior College in 2021.
The current shade of blue he’s been sporting this summer is a lighter shade, though, and it’s complemented with gold numbers, lettering, pants and helmets. They are the colors of the UCLA Bruins.
On July 3, the former Bulldog announced on X (formerly Twitter) that he had transferred from Kansas State to UCLA, who will embark on their first season in the Big Ten this fall. The decision came after the physical runner saw minimal playing time with the Wildcats over the past two seasons.
As a redshirt sophomore last season, the appeared in 10 games as a reserve running back and special teams member, totaling 42 yards on 13 carries and hauling in two catches for five yards. On special teams, he led Kansas State with five tackles on kickoff coverage.
“I guess you could say we just weren’t on the same page,” Frias told the Turlock Journal on Thursday. “I came into the season being told I was the third option and that my opportunity was coming. But then the turning point really came in that UCF game.”
On Sept. 23, the Wildcats hosted Big 12 rival University of Central Florida. It was a game that Frias expected to see significant playing time for the first time in his Division 1 career after one of the running backs ahead of him on the depth chart suffered an injury during K-State’s 30-27 loss to Missouri the week before. Instead, Frias received just two handoffs.
“It was pretty shocking, to be honest,” he said. “That’s the moment I realized that maybe we weren’t on the same page and that maybe this wasn’t going to work out. But I didn’t let that affect my preparation and my availability. I stayed ready and motivated and kept that same attitude for the rest of the season.”
Frias officially entered the transfer portal in mid-December at the conclusion of the regular season and before the Wildcats’ appearance in the Pop-Tart Bowl. Before departing Manhattan, though, he was able to earn his bachelor’s degree in psychology. He was honored on the Academic All-Big 12 First Team.
After speaking and visiting with a number of schools, the 5-foot-10, 212-pound back chose the Bruins, a team that will navigate the waters of the Big Ten for the first time under a brand new coaching staff led by a committee of former star running backs.
The 2024 season will be the first for former NFL running back Deshaun Foster as a head coach, taking over for Chip Kelly who resigned after six seasons at the helm to become Ohio State’s offensive coordinator. Foster, who racked up 3,570 career yards in 79 games over six NFL seasons with the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers, formerly served as the Bruins’ running backs coach from 2017 to 2023 and briefly held the title of associate head coach in 2023. In 2023, the UCLA rushing attack led the Pac-12 for the second straight season (191.1 yards per game) with four backs in the regular rotation averaging at least 5.1 yards per carry.
“I’m really excited about my running back room,” Foster said at Wednesday’s Big Ten Media Day at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. When asked if he might implement any new run concepts and if it will be a heavy run offense, Foster responded, “We’ll probably do all of that, most likely.”
Foster will have Eric Bieniemy on his staff as well to serve as offensive coordinator. Bieniemy was most recently the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders in 2023. The previous five years, he was the offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs. There, he helped the team win Super Bowls LVII and LIV and reach Super Bowl LV. The 2022 Chiefs led the NFL in total yards per game (413.6), passing yards (5,062), scrimmage touchdowns (59) and points per game (29.2). The Chiefs finished atop the AFC West each year Bieniemy sat in the offensive coordinator's chair.
“Eric Bieniemy is a great dude and he's a smart coach. He’s definitely a leader out there on the team. We all look up to him. And Foster? Man, he brings in a lot of good culture. He's just an awesome dude. You get those head coaches that can be too celebrity for their players or only they talk to their main superstars. But Foster is the same guy with every single player on the team. You walk by and he's going to greet you, dap you up, ask you how your day is going, motivate you, all that stuff. And then the coach that was with me when I first got recruited was Coach (Marcus) Thomas, my running back coach. He's an awesome dude, too,” Frias shared.
“I have nothing but great things to say about all of them and how they're shifting the culture, how they're building and leading our team. And I personally love the running aspect of it all. Entering into the Big Ten, this style of football plays. It’s going to be fun to prove ourselves as rookies in this new conference.”
As Frias has spent the past few weeks getting familiar with campus life at UCLA and their football program, he has also spent time reflecting on his experience in the Midwest.
“I’m excited for this new opportunity with UCLA. At the same time, even though it didn’t quite work out at Kansas State, it’s all love for every single one of those guys. From the coaches, the staff, my teammates, on the academics side, and especially the fans. The fans supported me so much in my time there. They always had my back,” he said.
“I just keep trusting the process and really, really holding on to my faith,” Frias continued. “This is God's plan for me, and I'm just really blessed to ride it out. To see his plan come to fruition with me, it's been amazing, because there's ups and downs. There were times where I questioned the future and was just so uncertain, but it all worked out for the better.”
The Bruins kick off the 2024 season on Saturday, Aug. 31 when they travel to Honolulu to take on the University of Hawai'i. Two weeks later on Saturday, Sept. 14, the Bruins will play their first home game when they welcome Indiana to Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena.
