For the first time in a while, UCLA took off the leg pads and just went shorts and shells for practice today. The results were far less sacks, but the passing game continued to struggle in Day Eight. Here were the notables from Monday evening:
Notes
-Jim Mora was not in attendance as he had a funeral to attend. Practice still ran smoothly even without the head man.
-Adrian Klemm wasted no time getting back on the recruiting trail after Will Farrar's decommitment. Three-star OL Andrew Vorhees (who had a great tackle frame) and four-star OL Henry Bainivalu both visited today. 2017 Colorado OL Matt McClurg was also on a trip to Westwood. JUCO 2016 walk-on OL Markus Boyer showed up as well.
-Injured guys Marcus Rios and Josh Woods continued to sit out today. LB Mique Juarez was not in attendance as he still nurses a head/neck injury. LB Breland Brandt was also not in attendance. I've heard that's a head injury as well. CB Nate Meadors returned to practice, and I thought I saw Randall Goforth taking some 1-on-1s, but still no 11-on-11 for the veteran. OL Poasi Moala returned to practice. WR Cordell Broadus also returned. WR Demetric Felton continued to sit out.
-On an important injury note, OL Tevita Halalilo was not out at practice today working with Sal Alosi, and I'm hearing he may have suffered a setback. From what I've heard, there's a chance it could be a really bad setback that might keep him out of 2016. I'll ask Mora about it during his availability Wednesday.
-Rick Wade told us after practice that there were indeed some discussions about moving him to TE this offseason, but he'll stick at DE for now.
-Keisean Lucier-South says he's up from 212 pounds when he arrived on campus last June to 230 pounds now. His goal is about 250.
-Slot receiver Stephen Johnson took at least one rep at cornerback in 1-on-1s, getting beat by Alex Van Dyke, and it looks like that move may ultimately happen. Eric Yarber acknowledged that Demetrice Martin is fighting very hard to move Johnson to corner after practice.
The Day Eight depth chart
-Even with Moala back, the starting OL went (from left to right): Conor McDermott, Kenny Lacy, Scott Quessenberry, Najee Toran, Kolton Miller.
-With Goforth still out of 11-on-11s, the DBs went: CB - Jaleel Wadood, S - Tahaan Goodman, S - Adarius Pickett, CB - Nate Meadors.
-The rest of the two-deep was about the same. Only other notable was Isaako Savaiinaea running with the ones at MLB instead of Kenny Young.
Practice observations
-Bolu Olorunfunmi earned praise from Kennedy Polamalu for being first in line during individual drills. He, Soso Jamabo and Nate Starks have been hands down the only good players for UCLA's starting O units, so it'll be interesting to see if little things like this give Bolu some edge when it comes to picking a starter come the fall.
-Ainuu Taua had a very impressive 30-yard wheel route TD in 1-on-1s against a walk-on LB. The big fullback made an over-the-shoulder catch for the score, displaying some surprising athleticism for a 300-pounder.
-Bolu Olorunfunmi also looked impressive in RB-LB 1-on-1s, running two great routes. The first was on Kenny Young for an out-and-up score. The second was on Lokeni Toailoa for a post-route score.
-Tried my best to watch more WR-DB 1-on-1s today. I saw Colin Samuel continue to get burned by faster receivers, most notably giving up a long TD to Kenny Walker (who had no drops today and looked great).
-Jayon Brown was tremendous throughout practice today. In 9-on-7, there's literally no run play that doesn't end with Brown making the tackle. In the following 11-on-11 drill, he made a TFL on Soso Jamabo that drew praise from Scott White. In 7-on-7, he intercepted Josh Rosen. He's been outstanding all month long.
-Speaking of Rosen and interceptions, today was the first time I've ever seen Rosen look like just a guy. I saw him throw a pick to Brown in 7-on-7, a pick to Will Lockett in 7-on-7 (who by the way is one of the few young DBs who continues to shine out here), and two more near picks on overthrows to Octo Spencer and Adarius Pickett in 11-on-11s. With no full pads, the O-line finally was able to not give up sack after sack after sack on every throw, but all that did was expose just how rough Rosen looks in this new pro-style system.
-Ishmael Adams continued to be the top (or second best, depending on Theo Howard's days) receiver for UCLA. He dominated in 1-on-1s, and then made a sweet one-handed/one-elbowed catch on Octo Spencer, who was holding his other arm, in 11-on-11. Adams also had a nice gain on a little gadget play, and continues to show he should be a valuable offensive weapon.
-Theo Howard, meanwhile, wasn't outdone. He too dominated 1-on-1s, notably beating Denzel Fisher badly in one rep I saw from across the field. He then had two back-to-back, catch-and-juke moves on Tahaan Goodman and Jaleel Wadood in 11-on-11s later as well. It's Adams and Howard, and maybe Walker and Alex Van Dyke (if they are actually catching the ball) who are the receivers that consistently pop out here.
-That being said, today was the first day I saw Darren Andrews flash. He had several good reps in 1-on-1s, beating Pickett mostly, and then he had a long TD on Pickett in 11-on-11s as well.
-Nick Terry had a good day again, beating Josh Wariboko badly for a sack late in 11-on-11s.
-We had our second fight of camp today, with DeChaun Holiday and Taua getting into a bit of a scuffle when Taua blocked Holiday a bit after the whistle. Several players had to break it up.
-Soso Jamabo had the run of the day, breaking off a huge gain, running behind a big hole created by Kolton Miller and Kenny Lacy in 11-on-11s.
-J.J. Molson was 2-for-2 on his kicks today, making them from around 20 and 30 yards.
-Working at punt returner today were Ishmael Adams and Stephen Johnson.
UCLA practices again on Wednesday morning.
Notes
-Jim Mora was not in attendance as he had a funeral to attend. Practice still ran smoothly even without the head man.
-Adrian Klemm wasted no time getting back on the recruiting trail after Will Farrar's decommitment. Three-star OL Andrew Vorhees (who had a great tackle frame) and four-star OL Henry Bainivalu both visited today. 2017 Colorado OL Matt McClurg was also on a trip to Westwood. JUCO 2016 walk-on OL Markus Boyer showed up as well.
-Injured guys Marcus Rios and Josh Woods continued to sit out today. LB Mique Juarez was not in attendance as he still nurses a head/neck injury. LB Breland Brandt was also not in attendance. I've heard that's a head injury as well. CB Nate Meadors returned to practice, and I thought I saw Randall Goforth taking some 1-on-1s, but still no 11-on-11 for the veteran. OL Poasi Moala returned to practice. WR Cordell Broadus also returned. WR Demetric Felton continued to sit out.
-On an important injury note, OL Tevita Halalilo was not out at practice today working with Sal Alosi, and I'm hearing he may have suffered a setback. From what I've heard, there's a chance it could be a really bad setback that might keep him out of 2016. I'll ask Mora about it during his availability Wednesday.
-Rick Wade told us after practice that there were indeed some discussions about moving him to TE this offseason, but he'll stick at DE for now.
-Keisean Lucier-South says he's up from 212 pounds when he arrived on campus last June to 230 pounds now. His goal is about 250.
-Slot receiver Stephen Johnson took at least one rep at cornerback in 1-on-1s, getting beat by Alex Van Dyke, and it looks like that move may ultimately happen. Eric Yarber acknowledged that Demetrice Martin is fighting very hard to move Johnson to corner after practice.
The Day Eight depth chart
-Even with Moala back, the starting OL went (from left to right): Conor McDermott, Kenny Lacy, Scott Quessenberry, Najee Toran, Kolton Miller.
-With Goforth still out of 11-on-11s, the DBs went: CB - Jaleel Wadood, S - Tahaan Goodman, S - Adarius Pickett, CB - Nate Meadors.
-The rest of the two-deep was about the same. Only other notable was Isaako Savaiinaea running with the ones at MLB instead of Kenny Young.
Practice observations
-Bolu Olorunfunmi earned praise from Kennedy Polamalu for being first in line during individual drills. He, Soso Jamabo and Nate Starks have been hands down the only good players for UCLA's starting O units, so it'll be interesting to see if little things like this give Bolu some edge when it comes to picking a starter come the fall.
-Ainuu Taua had a very impressive 30-yard wheel route TD in 1-on-1s against a walk-on LB. The big fullback made an over-the-shoulder catch for the score, displaying some surprising athleticism for a 300-pounder.
-Bolu Olorunfunmi also looked impressive in RB-LB 1-on-1s, running two great routes. The first was on Kenny Young for an out-and-up score. The second was on Lokeni Toailoa for a post-route score.
-Tried my best to watch more WR-DB 1-on-1s today. I saw Colin Samuel continue to get burned by faster receivers, most notably giving up a long TD to Kenny Walker (who had no drops today and looked great).
-Jayon Brown was tremendous throughout practice today. In 9-on-7, there's literally no run play that doesn't end with Brown making the tackle. In the following 11-on-11 drill, he made a TFL on Soso Jamabo that drew praise from Scott White. In 7-on-7, he intercepted Josh Rosen. He's been outstanding all month long.
-Speaking of Rosen and interceptions, today was the first time I've ever seen Rosen look like just a guy. I saw him throw a pick to Brown in 7-on-7, a pick to Will Lockett in 7-on-7 (who by the way is one of the few young DBs who continues to shine out here), and two more near picks on overthrows to Octo Spencer and Adarius Pickett in 11-on-11s. With no full pads, the O-line finally was able to not give up sack after sack after sack on every throw, but all that did was expose just how rough Rosen looks in this new pro-style system.
-Ishmael Adams continued to be the top (or second best, depending on Theo Howard's days) receiver for UCLA. He dominated in 1-on-1s, and then made a sweet one-handed/one-elbowed catch on Octo Spencer, who was holding his other arm, in 11-on-11. Adams also had a nice gain on a little gadget play, and continues to show he should be a valuable offensive weapon.
-Theo Howard, meanwhile, wasn't outdone. He too dominated 1-on-1s, notably beating Denzel Fisher badly in one rep I saw from across the field. He then had two back-to-back, catch-and-juke moves on Tahaan Goodman and Jaleel Wadood in 11-on-11s later as well. It's Adams and Howard, and maybe Walker and Alex Van Dyke (if they are actually catching the ball) who are the receivers that consistently pop out here.
-That being said, today was the first day I saw Darren Andrews flash. He had several good reps in 1-on-1s, beating Pickett mostly, and then he had a long TD on Pickett in 11-on-11s as well.
-Nick Terry had a good day again, beating Josh Wariboko badly for a sack late in 11-on-11s.
-We had our second fight of camp today, with DeChaun Holiday and Taua getting into a bit of a scuffle when Taua blocked Holiday a bit after the whistle. Several players had to break it up.
-Soso Jamabo had the run of the day, breaking off a huge gain, running behind a big hole created by Kolton Miller and Kenny Lacy in 11-on-11s.
-J.J. Molson was 2-for-2 on his kicks today, making them from around 20 and 30 yards.
-Working at punt returner today were Ishmael Adams and Stephen Johnson.
UCLA practices again on Wednesday morning.
