UCLA took the field in full pads for the second consecutive day, and the story of the afternoon was probably more about who was off the field more so than who was on it.
Here were the notes from the workout:
-UCLA started the day missing a bevy of players, and it ended it with a few more players going down. Soso Jamabo, Jalen Starks, Nate Starks, Brandon Stephens and Jimmy Jaggers all didn't practice today. Sunny Odogwu returned to the lineup, but still looked limited and shared right tackle snaps with Kenny Lacy. Damian Alloway limped off the field early. Jordan Wilson left the field early, appearing to grab at his back. Jordan Lasley was sent to the locker room by Jim Mora halfway through practice (more on that later). Austin Roberts also left practice after taking a huge shot from Adarius Pickett. Injuries are starting to stack up here, though none looks too serious at this point.
-The depth chart remained the same for the most part today. Only difference is Kenny Lacy and Sunny Odogwu split time at starting RT:
Offense
QB - Josh Rosen; Devon Modster
RB - Bolu Olorunfunmi; Josh Kelley
WR - Christian Pabico, Theo Howard and Darren Andrews were the ones here today.
TE - Caleb Wilson; Jordan Wilson/Devin Asiasi when Jordan went down
LT - Kolton Miller; Jake Burton
LG - Najee Toran; Zach Sweeney
C - Scott Quessenberry; Josh Wariboko
RG - Andre James; Michael Alves
RT - Kenny Lacy/Sunny Odogwu; Poasi Moala
Defense
DE - Jaelan Phillips; Keisean Lucier-South
DT - Matt Dickerson; Chigozie Nnoruka
DT - Boss Tagaloa; Nick Terry
DE - Jacob Tuioti-Mariner; Rick Wade
OLB - Kenny Young; Breland Brandt
MLB - Lokeni Toailoa; Mique Juarez
OLB - Josh Woods; Krys Barnes
CB - Darnay Holmes; Denzel Fisher
S - Adarius Pickett; Will Lockett
S - Jaleel Wadood, Octo Spencer
CB - Nate Meadors, Colin Samuel
-Jim Mora raved after practice about Josh Kelley and Bolu Olorunfunmi, and for good reason. With four scholarship backs out, those two had to carry the ball all day. I don't think it was any coincidence that UCLA had its best running day of camp, either. I think perhaps the reason why the ground game has struggled so much is because the constant rotation of backs doesn't allow anybody to get into a rhythm. I still thought Olorunfunmi was just average today when it came to burst and making something out of nothing, but he was at least in positive yards and was around 4 yards per carry. Kelley showed some heart. I don't think he has the physical tools to be much, though he did have a few impressive carries today.
-Christian Pabico was working with the ones at wideout today and he looks like he belongs there. He catches everything. He won more reps than he lost in 1-on-1s and got separation in team drills, too. Asked what he likes about Pabico, and Mora said after practice, "everything."
-I think Mora might have been taking a bit of a dig at Jordan Lasley in the post-practice presser when talking about Pabico. The coach praised the walk-on wideout, and then said, "No one is going to be handed anything, really ... we are going to play guys that this team can depend on." Lasley, despite being a top two, three or four wideout depending on your feelings on Darren Andrews, Theo Howard and Christian Pabico, has been running with basically the threes and fours all week. And midway through practice today, Mora literally sent him to the showers because he was walking in between drills. I'm not sure what Lasley has done off the field this offseason to upset people, but it's pretty clear he's in a bit of a doghouse at UCLA right now.
-UCLA started off 11-on-11 drills with like five false start penalties. We all thought this was a "here we go again" type deal, but there weren't many, if any, after that initial onslaught. For the most part, in terms of procedural penalties and drops, UCLA has been clean out here.
-Devon Modster and Caleb Wilson combined for the play of the day early in team drills. Modster, throwing from his own endzone, hit Wilson in stride down the seam and Wilson blew by Mique Juarez to take it for what would have been a 97-yard touchdown.
-I thought Modster was very sharp overall today. I also thought Josh Rosen had a solid day as well. Matt Lynch has faded completely in this whole quarterback picture, splitting time with Austin Burton and missing receivers when he is in.
-WR-DB 1-on-1s were entertaining today. The best matchup to watch was Audie Omotsho vs. Nate Meadors. Meadors had an outstanding spring and had a great start to fall camp, but Omotosho is getting the best of him lately. The young wideout just appears to be too quick and too fast for the DB. Out of the seven or eight reps they took, I would have given five to Audie.
-With Meadors struggling with Omotosho, I think it's safe to call Darnay Holmes this team's best cornerback. He was outstanding once again today in every drill. He had several pass breakups in 1-on-1s and ran with every wideout in 11-on-11s to contest deep balls. He's also probably this team's starting punt returner.
-Also in 1-on-1s, we got a long look at the freshmen corners, as the safeties, linebackers and tight ends were over in run blocking and pass protecting drills. If you were in the NCAA version of Madden and you were trying to create a freshman cornerback, you would draw him like Morrell Osling. The DB still looks like he's swimming a bit out there, with Demetrice Martin constantly reminding him, "Technique will set you free!!" But he has all the tools and traits to be special at corner. The other two young CBs, meanwhile, had opposite days. Just 24 hours after getting reamed by Jim Mora, Jay Shaw really turned it on. Outside of Holmes, he was probably the best cornerback in 1-on-1s. He had an interception and several PBUs. Gates, meanwhile, has the quickness you want to see in a corner, but he -- like Osling -- just looks to be swimming when it comes to figuring out how to put it all together and make plays with both athleticism and technique. I think you're seeing the difference in a recruit who comes from a huge program like Centennial vs. recruits who come from the smaller schools like Buena Park and Antelope Valley. They're just much further along in their development when they come from those brand-name programs.
-For what it's worth, before Lasley got sent to the locker room, I thought he was dominant again in 1-on-1s, most notably tearing up Colin Samuel and Keyon Riley.
-Adarius Pickett had the hit of the day, and maybe even camp, when he blew up Austin Roberts' back. The ref threw a flag for targeting, though I think review would have cleared him of any wrongdoing. Roberts was down for several minutes before getting up gingerly.
-I thought Stephan Zabie had a really nice day again today in both 1-on-1s and 11-on-11s. It's not easy to contain Marcus Moore when the DE knows it's a pass, but Zabie held up well. He seems to have a bright future. Greg Rogers and Martin Andrus, meanwhile, continue to try to pretend like their still in high school and use their 300-pound frames to bull rush everybody and it's just not working. I wouldn't be surprised to see all three redshirt.
-I got my first long look at Moses Robinson-Carr today because Roberts, Jordan Wilson and Jimmy Jaggers were all out. He's a big boy and he lumbers when he runs -- he also had one poor drop -- but I think the chatter of him being a future offensive tackle is a bit out there. He's probably about 240 right now and putting another 50 pounds on that frame doesn't seem like it'd be healthy or to UCLA's benefit. If he's moving anywhere, I'd probably like to see him at DE. But a run-blocking TE is probably more of his future.
-Mossi Johnson had the play of 7-on-7, leaping up on the sideline to steal an interception from Austin Burton in coverage on Stephen Johnson.
-J.J. Molson was 3-for-4 in score team drills, with a miss from 37 yards and a long make of 43.
-Two gorgeous blocks that need mentioning here: Najee Toran pancaked Matt Dickerson to spring Olorunfunmi at the start of one of the 11-on-11 drills. A few plays later, Gio Gentosi had a beautiful dig out block on a linebacker to spring Olorunfunmi again.
-Alex Van Dyke burned Colin Samuel on one play in 11-on-11s and I don't think Demetrice Martin was very happy with the corner after. With all the youngsters on the team and Samuel not stepping up early, he could be in danger of slipping down the depth chart soon.
-Octo Spencer had the lone interception of 11-on-11 drills today, nabbing a tipped throw off Theo Howard's finger tips (via a high Josh Rosen ball). Spencer is the first DB on the field when UCLA takes out a backer for the nickel package.
-The punter competition was a bit of a wash again today. Stefan Flintoft is beating out Austin Kent, but it's not impressive. I had Flinftoft with a long of 50 and Kent with a long of 44.
UCLA practices late Tuesday night, with a 6:45 p.m. start time scheduled.
Here were the notes from the workout:
-UCLA started the day missing a bevy of players, and it ended it with a few more players going down. Soso Jamabo, Jalen Starks, Nate Starks, Brandon Stephens and Jimmy Jaggers all didn't practice today. Sunny Odogwu returned to the lineup, but still looked limited and shared right tackle snaps with Kenny Lacy. Damian Alloway limped off the field early. Jordan Wilson left the field early, appearing to grab at his back. Jordan Lasley was sent to the locker room by Jim Mora halfway through practice (more on that later). Austin Roberts also left practice after taking a huge shot from Adarius Pickett. Injuries are starting to stack up here, though none looks too serious at this point.
-The depth chart remained the same for the most part today. Only difference is Kenny Lacy and Sunny Odogwu split time at starting RT:
Offense
QB - Josh Rosen; Devon Modster
RB - Bolu Olorunfunmi; Josh Kelley
WR - Christian Pabico, Theo Howard and Darren Andrews were the ones here today.
TE - Caleb Wilson; Jordan Wilson/Devin Asiasi when Jordan went down
LT - Kolton Miller; Jake Burton
LG - Najee Toran; Zach Sweeney
C - Scott Quessenberry; Josh Wariboko
RG - Andre James; Michael Alves
RT - Kenny Lacy/Sunny Odogwu; Poasi Moala
Defense
DE - Jaelan Phillips; Keisean Lucier-South
DT - Matt Dickerson; Chigozie Nnoruka
DT - Boss Tagaloa; Nick Terry
DE - Jacob Tuioti-Mariner; Rick Wade
OLB - Kenny Young; Breland Brandt
MLB - Lokeni Toailoa; Mique Juarez
OLB - Josh Woods; Krys Barnes
CB - Darnay Holmes; Denzel Fisher
S - Adarius Pickett; Will Lockett
S - Jaleel Wadood, Octo Spencer
CB - Nate Meadors, Colin Samuel
-Jim Mora raved after practice about Josh Kelley and Bolu Olorunfunmi, and for good reason. With four scholarship backs out, those two had to carry the ball all day. I don't think it was any coincidence that UCLA had its best running day of camp, either. I think perhaps the reason why the ground game has struggled so much is because the constant rotation of backs doesn't allow anybody to get into a rhythm. I still thought Olorunfunmi was just average today when it came to burst and making something out of nothing, but he was at least in positive yards and was around 4 yards per carry. Kelley showed some heart. I don't think he has the physical tools to be much, though he did have a few impressive carries today.
-Christian Pabico was working with the ones at wideout today and he looks like he belongs there. He catches everything. He won more reps than he lost in 1-on-1s and got separation in team drills, too. Asked what he likes about Pabico, and Mora said after practice, "everything."
-I think Mora might have been taking a bit of a dig at Jordan Lasley in the post-practice presser when talking about Pabico. The coach praised the walk-on wideout, and then said, "No one is going to be handed anything, really ... we are going to play guys that this team can depend on." Lasley, despite being a top two, three or four wideout depending on your feelings on Darren Andrews, Theo Howard and Christian Pabico, has been running with basically the threes and fours all week. And midway through practice today, Mora literally sent him to the showers because he was walking in between drills. I'm not sure what Lasley has done off the field this offseason to upset people, but it's pretty clear he's in a bit of a doghouse at UCLA right now.
-UCLA started off 11-on-11 drills with like five false start penalties. We all thought this was a "here we go again" type deal, but there weren't many, if any, after that initial onslaught. For the most part, in terms of procedural penalties and drops, UCLA has been clean out here.
-Devon Modster and Caleb Wilson combined for the play of the day early in team drills. Modster, throwing from his own endzone, hit Wilson in stride down the seam and Wilson blew by Mique Juarez to take it for what would have been a 97-yard touchdown.
-I thought Modster was very sharp overall today. I also thought Josh Rosen had a solid day as well. Matt Lynch has faded completely in this whole quarterback picture, splitting time with Austin Burton and missing receivers when he is in.
-WR-DB 1-on-1s were entertaining today. The best matchup to watch was Audie Omotsho vs. Nate Meadors. Meadors had an outstanding spring and had a great start to fall camp, but Omotosho is getting the best of him lately. The young wideout just appears to be too quick and too fast for the DB. Out of the seven or eight reps they took, I would have given five to Audie.
-With Meadors struggling with Omotosho, I think it's safe to call Darnay Holmes this team's best cornerback. He was outstanding once again today in every drill. He had several pass breakups in 1-on-1s and ran with every wideout in 11-on-11s to contest deep balls. He's also probably this team's starting punt returner.
-Also in 1-on-1s, we got a long look at the freshmen corners, as the safeties, linebackers and tight ends were over in run blocking and pass protecting drills. If you were in the NCAA version of Madden and you were trying to create a freshman cornerback, you would draw him like Morrell Osling. The DB still looks like he's swimming a bit out there, with Demetrice Martin constantly reminding him, "Technique will set you free!!" But he has all the tools and traits to be special at corner. The other two young CBs, meanwhile, had opposite days. Just 24 hours after getting reamed by Jim Mora, Jay Shaw really turned it on. Outside of Holmes, he was probably the best cornerback in 1-on-1s. He had an interception and several PBUs. Gates, meanwhile, has the quickness you want to see in a corner, but he -- like Osling -- just looks to be swimming when it comes to figuring out how to put it all together and make plays with both athleticism and technique. I think you're seeing the difference in a recruit who comes from a huge program like Centennial vs. recruits who come from the smaller schools like Buena Park and Antelope Valley. They're just much further along in their development when they come from those brand-name programs.
-For what it's worth, before Lasley got sent to the locker room, I thought he was dominant again in 1-on-1s, most notably tearing up Colin Samuel and Keyon Riley.
-Adarius Pickett had the hit of the day, and maybe even camp, when he blew up Austin Roberts' back. The ref threw a flag for targeting, though I think review would have cleared him of any wrongdoing. Roberts was down for several minutes before getting up gingerly.
-I thought Stephan Zabie had a really nice day again today in both 1-on-1s and 11-on-11s. It's not easy to contain Marcus Moore when the DE knows it's a pass, but Zabie held up well. He seems to have a bright future. Greg Rogers and Martin Andrus, meanwhile, continue to try to pretend like their still in high school and use their 300-pound frames to bull rush everybody and it's just not working. I wouldn't be surprised to see all three redshirt.
-I got my first long look at Moses Robinson-Carr today because Roberts, Jordan Wilson and Jimmy Jaggers were all out. He's a big boy and he lumbers when he runs -- he also had one poor drop -- but I think the chatter of him being a future offensive tackle is a bit out there. He's probably about 240 right now and putting another 50 pounds on that frame doesn't seem like it'd be healthy or to UCLA's benefit. If he's moving anywhere, I'd probably like to see him at DE. But a run-blocking TE is probably more of his future.
-Mossi Johnson had the play of 7-on-7, leaping up on the sideline to steal an interception from Austin Burton in coverage on Stephen Johnson.
-J.J. Molson was 3-for-4 in score team drills, with a miss from 37 yards and a long make of 43.
-Two gorgeous blocks that need mentioning here: Najee Toran pancaked Matt Dickerson to spring Olorunfunmi at the start of one of the 11-on-11 drills. A few plays later, Gio Gentosi had a beautiful dig out block on a linebacker to spring Olorunfunmi again.
-Alex Van Dyke burned Colin Samuel on one play in 11-on-11s and I don't think Demetrice Martin was very happy with the corner after. With all the youngsters on the team and Samuel not stepping up early, he could be in danger of slipping down the depth chart soon.
-Octo Spencer had the lone interception of 11-on-11 drills today, nabbing a tipped throw off Theo Howard's finger tips (via a high Josh Rosen ball). Spencer is the first DB on the field when UCLA takes out a backer for the nickel package.
-The punter competition was a bit of a wash again today. Stefan Flintoft is beating out Austin Kent, but it's not impressive. I had Flinftoft with a long of 50 and Kent with a long of 44.
UCLA practices late Tuesday night, with a 6:45 p.m. start time scheduled.
