On Paulsen's future
One thing folks are asking about is whether or not senior tight end Logan Paulsen will red-shirt and return for a fifth season. Well, here's what I'm hearing:
Right now it is leaning in that direction, but there are variables. Paulsen had a screw inserted into his broken foot Friday, so it is too early to tell how long he will be out. The school is estimating he will be out until November, which leaves a month of the season.
If UCLA is in contention for a big season, and could use him, he may come back. But also a factor is how healthy he would be at that time, and whether or not he would be able to make enough of an impact to not only help the Bruins, but increase his NFL draft stock.
As for red-shirting, UCLA cannot say that is the path because of a player to gain a medical red-shirt while being injured during the season, the injury must be season-ending. Technically, this is not yet a season-ending injury.
Therefore, an attempt has to be made to comeback (even if it fails) before a player can petition for a medical red-shirt. So I wouldn't expect a definitive answer from the coaching staff on Paulsen until mid November.
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About Inside UCLA
This is Brian Dohn's sixth season covering UCLA after spending 4 1/2 years covering the Dodgers for the Daily News and other Los Angeles Newspaper Group papers. He graduated from Rutgers, where the first college football game was played in 1869. Sure, the Scarlet Knights suffered for a long time, but now RU is doing what Jerseyans always thought was possible. Winning at Rutgers also proves winning is possible everywhere else in the nation, so underachieving coaches better be careful. Now, if only men's hoops can turn it around.
BD - just curious, what kind of conditioning can Paulsen do the next 3-4 weeks? Is it pool for cardio and then weights? If so, seems like even when he gets cleared it would still be a couple more weeks before he'd be at full speed and game-ready (which would most likely be end of season) - just can't see him not redshirting...
for both his sake and the teams sake, I hope he red-shirts and plays the entire 09 season.
I dont see him playing at the end of the season and would much rather have him for a complete season next year... It sucks to loose any player but a senior captain is very bad...