UCLA wrapped up another day of full pads, and with freshman quarterback Josh Rosen running the show, it was the best offensive performance of the month so far.
Here's a look at the news, notes and observations from the evening:
-Rosen earned every rep with the ones today, and he looked brilliant. There were practices with Brett Hundley at the helm that didn't go this smoothly. In the 11-on-11 portion, I charted all of Rosen's throws and had him at 16-for-21 for 226 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Thomas Duarte also had a drop, which would have made Rosen 17-for-21. He wasn't as sharp in 1-on-1s or 7-on-7s, nearly throwing a pick to Tahaan Goodman in 7-on, but he was a star in the scrimmages. He had one 15-yard throw to Duarte on a rollout to his right that was about as impressive as any throw I've seen in four years at Spaulding Field. It's very clear, at least up to this point, that he's the best QB on this roster.
-Aaron Sharp made the move to wideout today, and with the way Jim Mora was explaining it, this might be the permanent switch. I thought he looked solid there today, winning a few 1-on-1 reps and hauling in a couple catches in 7-on-7. Given the depth chart ahead of him at QB, he certainly has a better shot to play there at WR than at quarterback.
-UCLA DE Takk McKinley missed practice because of a swollen eye, Mora said. But it sounds like he'll be fine. Eli Ankou (wrist), Darren Andrews (not sure but probably knee), Caleb Benenoch (offseason surgery) and Austin Roberts (knee) were all limited today as well.
-The starting units were the same on both sides of the ball, except Jacob Tuioti-Mariner filled in for the injured McKinley at 3-4 DE.
-Jaleel Wadood had his second straight great practice, kicking off 11-on-11s with another tackle for loss. In 1-on-1s, he was great as well, covering more like a corner than safety. He and Myles Jack have been the defense's two best players through week one so far.
-Paul Perkins earned a bit of a day off, giving Nate Starks most of the carries, and he too had his second straight great practice. He runs with Perkins-esque patience but finishes runs with a little more power. Those two should be workhorses for UCLA this year. It should also be noted here that Roosevelt Davis ran with the twos and had several great carries as well.
-The two best corners out here have easily been Fabian Moreau and Marcus Rios. Moreau had an interception off Jerry Neuheisel, and Rios had a few nice pass breakups, including two long balls intended for Massington in 1-on-1s.
-Watching Myles Jack vs. Mossi Johnson has become a daily treat out here. Jack is so good in coverage it's scary, and he won both the reps today, most notably diving to swat away a pass from Johnson on an in route.
-Nate Meadors had a nice pass breakup on Thomas Duarte in 1-on-1s, but then gave up a long ball to Sharp (which was a dime from Rosen). Meadors, though, has been one of the biggest surprises of camp so far.
-A few guys who struggled today: Tahaan Goodman has yet to find his rhythm, losing all but one 1-on-1 rep that I watched today. Priest Willis continues to struggle on the outsides, giving up too many catches in 1-on-1s. Najee Toran struggled at D-line today, playing way too high. And Jordan Lasley has become a bit of a clown show on the outside as well. He's super talented, there's no doubt, but he got into a fist fight with Denzel Fisher for no reason today, which caused Eric Yarber to kick him out of practice for a good half an hour.
-Conor McDermott was a brick wall today, and will be my top performer in the Cover Two Recap. Nobody gets by him.
-In fact, the whole O-line was great today, giving Rosen tons of time in 11-on-11. Alex Redmond dominated every 1-on-1 rep I watched, Kolton Miller is a mini-me version of McDermott, and while Goines had a few penalties, he was generally good in pass pro too.
-I had Ka'imi Fairbairn at 5-for-8 today. His makes came from 21, 28, 38, 42 and 57. His misses were from 34 (blocked by Kenny Young), 49 and 52 (off the right upright).
-Two top recruits were in attendance today: 2017 WR Terrell Bynum and four-star 2016 CB Jordan Fuller (Devin's little brother). 2015 DL Kyon Clark was also in attendance.
UCLA practices next at 7 a.m. on Wednesday.
Here's a look at the news, notes and observations from the evening:
-Rosen earned every rep with the ones today, and he looked brilliant. There were practices with Brett Hundley at the helm that didn't go this smoothly. In the 11-on-11 portion, I charted all of Rosen's throws and had him at 16-for-21 for 226 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Thomas Duarte also had a drop, which would have made Rosen 17-for-21. He wasn't as sharp in 1-on-1s or 7-on-7s, nearly throwing a pick to Tahaan Goodman in 7-on, but he was a star in the scrimmages. He had one 15-yard throw to Duarte on a rollout to his right that was about as impressive as any throw I've seen in four years at Spaulding Field. It's very clear, at least up to this point, that he's the best QB on this roster.
-Aaron Sharp made the move to wideout today, and with the way Jim Mora was explaining it, this might be the permanent switch. I thought he looked solid there today, winning a few 1-on-1 reps and hauling in a couple catches in 7-on-7. Given the depth chart ahead of him at QB, he certainly has a better shot to play there at WR than at quarterback.
-UCLA DE Takk McKinley missed practice because of a swollen eye, Mora said. But it sounds like he'll be fine. Eli Ankou (wrist), Darren Andrews (not sure but probably knee), Caleb Benenoch (offseason surgery) and Austin Roberts (knee) were all limited today as well.
-The starting units were the same on both sides of the ball, except Jacob Tuioti-Mariner filled in for the injured McKinley at 3-4 DE.
-Jaleel Wadood had his second straight great practice, kicking off 11-on-11s with another tackle for loss. In 1-on-1s, he was great as well, covering more like a corner than safety. He and Myles Jack have been the defense's two best players through week one so far.
-Paul Perkins earned a bit of a day off, giving Nate Starks most of the carries, and he too had his second straight great practice. He runs with Perkins-esque patience but finishes runs with a little more power. Those two should be workhorses for UCLA this year. It should also be noted here that Roosevelt Davis ran with the twos and had several great carries as well.
-The two best corners out here have easily been Fabian Moreau and Marcus Rios. Moreau had an interception off Jerry Neuheisel, and Rios had a few nice pass breakups, including two long balls intended for Massington in 1-on-1s.
-Watching Myles Jack vs. Mossi Johnson has become a daily treat out here. Jack is so good in coverage it's scary, and he won both the reps today, most notably diving to swat away a pass from Johnson on an in route.
-Nate Meadors had a nice pass breakup on Thomas Duarte in 1-on-1s, but then gave up a long ball to Sharp (which was a dime from Rosen). Meadors, though, has been one of the biggest surprises of camp so far.
-A few guys who struggled today: Tahaan Goodman has yet to find his rhythm, losing all but one 1-on-1 rep that I watched today. Priest Willis continues to struggle on the outsides, giving up too many catches in 1-on-1s. Najee Toran struggled at D-line today, playing way too high. And Jordan Lasley has become a bit of a clown show on the outside as well. He's super talented, there's no doubt, but he got into a fist fight with Denzel Fisher for no reason today, which caused Eric Yarber to kick him out of practice for a good half an hour.
-Conor McDermott was a brick wall today, and will be my top performer in the Cover Two Recap. Nobody gets by him.
-In fact, the whole O-line was great today, giving Rosen tons of time in 11-on-11. Alex Redmond dominated every 1-on-1 rep I watched, Kolton Miller is a mini-me version of McDermott, and while Goines had a few penalties, he was generally good in pass pro too.
-I had Ka'imi Fairbairn at 5-for-8 today. His makes came from 21, 28, 38, 42 and 57. His misses were from 34 (blocked by Kenny Young), 49 and 52 (off the right upright).
-Two top recruits were in attendance today: 2017 WR Terrell Bynum and four-star 2016 CB Jordan Fuller (Devin's little brother). 2015 DL Kyon Clark was also in attendance.
UCLA practices next at 7 a.m. on Wednesday.
