Long chat with Neuheisel

Just got done with an hour-long one-on-one with Rick Neuheisel for my spring football preview, and he had some interesting things to say.

Some quick notes before I get back to NCAA Tournament preview stuff, which has been keeping and will continue to keep me busy for the next two days.

* He’s very excited about Kevin Prince’s offseason progression
* He said Datone Jones will not move to defensive tackle
* Nik Abele will get the first look at left tackle, though he anticipates Micah Kia’s return in the fall
* Jayson Allmond will get first go at fullback with Tobi Umodu at No. 2, and Derrick Coleman at running back. Neuheisel did say, though, Coleman might be used in a Chane Moline-type role
* He’s very anxious to see the progression of some players behind on the depth chart, such as Dalton Hilliard, Ricky Marvray and Jerry Johnson

He had a lot of great stuff about the Pac-10, the Oregon situation, the offseason program and the state of UCLA football. I’ll get to it when I can.