UCLA had its first afternoon practice of the spring on Monday and it looked very similar to Saturday's workout. A lot of 1-on-1s, 9-on-7s, 11-on-11s and 7-on-7s. Here were the notes from the evening:
Notables
-Jim Mora said after practice Steven Manfro re-injured his shoulder and they need to have a serious talk about whether his career should be over. From the sounds of things, that's the road this one looks to be heading down.
-Aaron Sharp hasn't been out on the field and Mora said he's dealing with an academic issue. The coach said it doesn't appear to be anything serious.
-LB Dwight Williams hasn't been out with the team this past week and Mora said he's left the program.
-Demetrice Martin joked (only partially) after practice that as repayment for losing Ishmael Adams to offense, he's eyeing Mossi Johnson and Stephen Johnson as guys he could possibly steal from the offense.
-UCLA played host to like a dozen former Bruin greats. I spotted Anthony Barr, Eric Kendricks, Cassius Marsh, Maurice Jones-Drew and Marcedes Lewis. I also spotted Kevin Prince, Richard Brehaut, Malcolm Jones and Jordan Payton out there.
-UCLA OL commit Kanan Ray was out at practice again today.
The Day Four two-deep
-No real significant changes to the two-deep from Saturday. The starting OL was once again (from left to right) Conor McDermott, Najee Toran, Scott Quessenberry, Poasi Moala and Kolton Miller. The starting linebackers were Cameron Judge, Jayon Brown and Isaako Savaiinaea. We were introduced to Tom Bradley's nickel package, which featured Octo Spencer replacing Cam Judge as the fifth DB covering the slot.
Practice observations
-It's noticeable how different this year's practices are vs. last year's. There used to be roughly 10 minutes of a big stretch line and then 20 minutes of pat-and-go warmups. Not only are those now completely out of the regimen, they've added far more live hitting in practice. With live 9-on-7, and some pretty competitive 11-on-11 periods, it's very clear they're trying to make this a more physical team this year.
-From an offensive standpoint, today we really saw the first true "pro-style" look. It was power I and play action off that power I for a large portion of 11-on-11. Because of that, it's no surprise running backs Bolu Olorunfunmi and Nate Starks, as well as linebackers Jayon Brown, Josh Woods and Lokeni Toailoa were probably the top performers of the day. Starks and Olorunfunmi continue to pound the line of scrimmage, with Starks noticeably the top back today. He broke off several long runs, usually taking up-the-middle handoffs and wiggling free for big gains. Olorunfunmi lowered his shoulder a few times when he got to the next level, making for some impressive runs of his own. As for Brown, Woods and Toailoa, they were tackling machines. Woods has been very impressive filling his gaps, and Toailoa had an interception in addition to being a stout ILB in the middle. It'd be hard to say there's a better unit on this team than Scott White's linebacking core.
-From the 1-on-1 reps I saw (way on the other half the field), Ishmael Adams seemed to crush it again. He had one little hitch where he caught it and shook Nate Meadors so hard the sophomore grasped at air while Adams was running down the sideline. I asked Adams after practice if he and Soso Jamabo have had a discussion about the No. 1 jersey, but he said they haven't. Will be fun to see who gives on that one.
-Randall Goforth had his best practice of the spring so far, intercepting a tipped pass from Josh Rosen intended for Eldridge Massington. He almost got Rosen later in the day on a miscommunication with Massington as well. It's been a bit of a mixed bag for him at CB so far this spring, but today was a better workout for him.
-Denzel Fisher had a pick-six off Mike Fafaul intended for Theo Howard. The passing game in general today was rough - for all QBs including Rosen - with seemingly more incompletions than completions.
-Theo Howard had one of the plays of the day in 11-on-11 down at the goal line. Fafaul was in full scramble mode, saw Howard in the back of the endzone and threw it up. The true frosh jumped over Adarius Pickett and grabbed it for the TD. He's been UCLA's best receiver out here this past week.
-Freshman kicker J.J. Molson went 5-for-6 with a long of 41 and a miss from around 30. He struck the ball well today.
-In 1-on-1s, Conor McDermott showed he might just be the most talented OL this team has seen under Jim Mora. He was beaten only once in the four or five reps I saw him take (an inside move by Breland Brandt), but in the other four, he was a stone wall against Brandt and Deon Hollins.
-Andre James has had an impressive spring and that continued today. He beat Matt Dickerson for the umpteenth time in 1-on-1s, and he was good in 11-on-11s too.
-Nick Terry had an impressive day again, solidifying the opinion that he's going to be more than a depth player for UCLA this season. He gave Kenny Lacy a good run in 1-on-1s and he was disruptive at the line of scrimmage in 11-on-11s too.
-Soso Jamabo had two long touchdowns today, one coming on a screen and the other coming on a run up the middle that was helped along by great blocks via Scott Quessenberry and Kolton Miller.
-Adarius Pickett was sticky in coverage today, continuing his good spring. He stayed home on one play, not biting on a playaction, to break up a pass intended for Austin Roberts down on the goal line in 11-on-11. He looked good in 1-on-1s as well, really finding his niche at safety.
-While the rest of the team watched Molson kick field goals to end practice, Matt Lynch was getting extra throws in with some of the backups. He continues to do all the little things right out here. Long way to go before he's Rosen, but it's hard not to like him so far.
UCLA returns to the field on Wednesday at 7 a.m.
Notables
-Jim Mora said after practice Steven Manfro re-injured his shoulder and they need to have a serious talk about whether his career should be over. From the sounds of things, that's the road this one looks to be heading down.
-Aaron Sharp hasn't been out on the field and Mora said he's dealing with an academic issue. The coach said it doesn't appear to be anything serious.
-LB Dwight Williams hasn't been out with the team this past week and Mora said he's left the program.
-Demetrice Martin joked (only partially) after practice that as repayment for losing Ishmael Adams to offense, he's eyeing Mossi Johnson and Stephen Johnson as guys he could possibly steal from the offense.
-UCLA played host to like a dozen former Bruin greats. I spotted Anthony Barr, Eric Kendricks, Cassius Marsh, Maurice Jones-Drew and Marcedes Lewis. I also spotted Kevin Prince, Richard Brehaut, Malcolm Jones and Jordan Payton out there.
-UCLA OL commit Kanan Ray was out at practice again today.
The Day Four two-deep
-No real significant changes to the two-deep from Saturday. The starting OL was once again (from left to right) Conor McDermott, Najee Toran, Scott Quessenberry, Poasi Moala and Kolton Miller. The starting linebackers were Cameron Judge, Jayon Brown and Isaako Savaiinaea. We were introduced to Tom Bradley's nickel package, which featured Octo Spencer replacing Cam Judge as the fifth DB covering the slot.
Practice observations
-It's noticeable how different this year's practices are vs. last year's. There used to be roughly 10 minutes of a big stretch line and then 20 minutes of pat-and-go warmups. Not only are those now completely out of the regimen, they've added far more live hitting in practice. With live 9-on-7, and some pretty competitive 11-on-11 periods, it's very clear they're trying to make this a more physical team this year.
-From an offensive standpoint, today we really saw the first true "pro-style" look. It was power I and play action off that power I for a large portion of 11-on-11. Because of that, it's no surprise running backs Bolu Olorunfunmi and Nate Starks, as well as linebackers Jayon Brown, Josh Woods and Lokeni Toailoa were probably the top performers of the day. Starks and Olorunfunmi continue to pound the line of scrimmage, with Starks noticeably the top back today. He broke off several long runs, usually taking up-the-middle handoffs and wiggling free for big gains. Olorunfunmi lowered his shoulder a few times when he got to the next level, making for some impressive runs of his own. As for Brown, Woods and Toailoa, they were tackling machines. Woods has been very impressive filling his gaps, and Toailoa had an interception in addition to being a stout ILB in the middle. It'd be hard to say there's a better unit on this team than Scott White's linebacking core.
-From the 1-on-1 reps I saw (way on the other half the field), Ishmael Adams seemed to crush it again. He had one little hitch where he caught it and shook Nate Meadors so hard the sophomore grasped at air while Adams was running down the sideline. I asked Adams after practice if he and Soso Jamabo have had a discussion about the No. 1 jersey, but he said they haven't. Will be fun to see who gives on that one.
-Randall Goforth had his best practice of the spring so far, intercepting a tipped pass from Josh Rosen intended for Eldridge Massington. He almost got Rosen later in the day on a miscommunication with Massington as well. It's been a bit of a mixed bag for him at CB so far this spring, but today was a better workout for him.
-Denzel Fisher had a pick-six off Mike Fafaul intended for Theo Howard. The passing game in general today was rough - for all QBs including Rosen - with seemingly more incompletions than completions.
-Theo Howard had one of the plays of the day in 11-on-11 down at the goal line. Fafaul was in full scramble mode, saw Howard in the back of the endzone and threw it up. The true frosh jumped over Adarius Pickett and grabbed it for the TD. He's been UCLA's best receiver out here this past week.
-Freshman kicker J.J. Molson went 5-for-6 with a long of 41 and a miss from around 30. He struck the ball well today.
-In 1-on-1s, Conor McDermott showed he might just be the most talented OL this team has seen under Jim Mora. He was beaten only once in the four or five reps I saw him take (an inside move by Breland Brandt), but in the other four, he was a stone wall against Brandt and Deon Hollins.
-Andre James has had an impressive spring and that continued today. He beat Matt Dickerson for the umpteenth time in 1-on-1s, and he was good in 11-on-11s too.
-Nick Terry had an impressive day again, solidifying the opinion that he's going to be more than a depth player for UCLA this season. He gave Kenny Lacy a good run in 1-on-1s and he was disruptive at the line of scrimmage in 11-on-11s too.
-Soso Jamabo had two long touchdowns today, one coming on a screen and the other coming on a run up the middle that was helped along by great blocks via Scott Quessenberry and Kolton Miller.
-Adarius Pickett was sticky in coverage today, continuing his good spring. He stayed home on one play, not biting on a playaction, to break up a pass intended for Austin Roberts down on the goal line in 11-on-11. He looked good in 1-on-1s as well, really finding his niche at safety.
-While the rest of the team watched Molson kick field goals to end practice, Matt Lynch was getting extra throws in with some of the backups. He continues to do all the little things right out here. Long way to go before he's Rosen, but it's hard not to like him so far.
UCLA returns to the field on Wednesday at 7 a.m.
