(Bi-)Weekly Q&A Answers — 4/28/13

Q: What are realistic expectations for the football team this year?

I think double-digit wins and another Pac-12 South title are both very much attainable. I’ll wait and see how the running back committee and offensive line develop before picking UCLA for the Rose Bowl though. The secondary could be noticeably better than it was last season, if the freshmen are as good as expected and guys like Anthony Jefferson and Ishmael Adams can build on what they showed in spring.

Q: Who looks to be the leader to be the main running back this year or will it by committee? Whatever happened to Craig Lee the running back recruit who was retaking his SATs?

UCLA will definitely use a committee, but if you had to pick someone right now, it’d be Jordon James. Still, I doubt anyone gets more than 10-12 carries per game. Craig Lee is still trying to get a high enough score on his SAT.

Q: Is Steve Manfro injured? I’ve not noticed any news about him this spring.

I posted a bit about him a couple of weeks ago, but he’s still rehabbing after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery and doesn’t expect to be back in full for a few months. The coaches took the red jersey off him at the end of last week, but he still didn’t participate in anything besides individual drills.

Q: What are your impressions of Alford thus far?

Sitting down with him this week, so I’ll reserve judgment.

Q: What does Steve Alford do with what appears to be two scholarships with the decommit from Al Freeman? Why did Freeman decommit and why did Jordan end up at St. John’s?

I think it’s gonna go to transfers at this point, though I’m not sure who. The Freeman decommit is odd. Even if there’s a glut of two-guards, UCLA lacks enough bodies that squeezing him out seems silly. If Freeman wanted to opt out, though, you’d think he had a better offer from a school that jumped back in — which hasn’t happened yet. Jordan sounded like he was leaning toward staying closer to home at St. John’s or Temple even before the Alford hire.