Jaelan Phillips (15) rushes the quarterback past running back Brandon Stephens (20) during UCLA’s spring game. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/SCNG/Pasadena Star-News)

If he’s not fighting like a ninja with Rick Wade on the sideline, Jaelan Phillips is blowing past offensive linemen and making a semi-permanent residence in the backfield. The freshman has impressed teammates and coaches in first five days of training camp, but is far from a finished product.

“He came in very much as a raw athlete,” defensive line Angus McClure said of Phillips. “So (he’s) really, really honing on his fundamental techniques. He’s getting better and better everyday.”

More on the star freshman

Video interviews:

• McClure
• Phillips and Wade
• Bolu Olorunfunmi and Brandon Stephens
• Darren Andrews

Here are my notes and observations for the day:

• Time: About three hours
• Attire: Full pads
• A very interesting day for the defense, which won the daily competition and was rewarded with the running prize. There were a ton of different personnel groupings — McClure said the defensive line used nine different combinations — and you can start to see some of new wrinkles unfolding. The defensive backs had a good day, showing versatility with interceptions and sacks.
  • Keyon Riley had a standout day. He was a really strong blitzer during team periods. He blew up a screen pass from Matt Lynch to Damian Alloway by plowing through a block from Audie Omotosho, put pressure on Devon Modster, dropped Brandon Stephens at the line of scrimmage for no gain and sacked Modster on a delayed blitz. After Riley got his sack, which came in the final team period, you could hear Jaleel Wadood yelling “I see you Kiwi! I see you!” from all the way across the field.
  • Darnay Holmes picked off Lynch in one-on-ones on a pass intended for Christian Pabico and had a pass breakup against Alex Van Dyke.
  • Wadood picked off Josh Rosen twice, once in one-on-ones on a pass intended for Stephen Johnson III and another time during a team period when the intended receiver Caleb Wilson fell down on the play. Jacob Tuioti-Mariner got pressure on Rosen on that play.
    • Wadood was also selected to blitz a few times. He took a few more snaps at the nickle in the same alignment the defense showed Saturday with Octavius Spencer and Adarius Pickett at safety.
  • Quentin Lake got a sack on Lynch coming unblocked on a blitz.
  • Spencer had a fourth-down sack on Rosen.
• It was the first day of full pads and it seemed like a very physical and spirited practice. Players were still encouraged to not tackle to the ground, but it did happen a few times. Mossi Johnson took Devin Asiasi to the ground during the second team period and Scott Quessenberry yelled at Johnson to stay up and “protect the team.” Rosen got tangled up a few moments when bodies fell around him. He never seemed to be in grave danger, but seeing a quarterback of his stature get tangled him in a mass of bodies is probably not one of the coaching staff’s favorite sights.
• Lokeni Toailoa had the play of the day and it came early. On the first snap of the first team period, in fact. The period was a goal-line session, with the offense setting up at the opponents’ 3-yard line. Toailoa, who was still at the No. 1 middle linebacker spot, broke through the offensive line, smacked Jalen Starks in the backfield, took the ball straight from the running back’s hands and returned it 98 yards for a touchdown. It was a little bit like this Takkarist McKinley play from last year, expect Toailoa kept his feet and ran straight to the end zone. It was very impressive.
  • Jalen Starks was hurt on the play, however, and did not return to practice. He walked off gingerly and trainers examined his leg before he ended up on the stationary bike for the rest of the day.
• Toailoa’s play was only the beginning of a very good start to the goal-line period for the defense. On the next drive, Modster threw an incompletion on first down. On second down, Modster and Bolu Olorunfunmi botched the hand off, which was recovered by the defense for a second turnover in as many drives.
• When Rosen came back in on the next drive, Phillips got a tackle at the line of scrimmage on first down and Nick Terry busted through for a tackle for loss on second down. That’s four plays and four great defensive plays. However, the offense finally broke through on third down with a touchdown pass from Rosen to Caleb Wilson.
• The offense scored a rushing touchdown on each of the next three drives and they came from an unexpected source: fullback Giovanni Gentosi. After his first score, a run straight up the gut that capped the No. 2 offense’s drive, Modster returned to the sideline yelling “way to whoop their (butts) O-line!”
  • In the final team period, when the offense handed the ball to Gentosi on the goal-line again, the defense came up with the stop. So that adjustment to that was encouraging.
• Mique Juarez had a strong end to practice. He recorded a tackle for loss on Olorunfunmi during the third team period. I think it might be his first TFL this training camp. Phillips was the first one to get a hand on Olorunfunmi in the backfield, but Juarez came in to finish the play. Juarez also got pressure on a delayed blitz in the final play of practice, helping secure the practice victory for the defense.
• A little bit of a difficult day to be Nate Meadors. He gave up a long ball to Van Dyke in one-on-ones, got burned by Jordan Lasley, which prompted Lasley to return to the sideline yelling “they can’t guard me!”, and got put on skates by Omotosho. He had a two good days of practice in a row since he was limited in the first two days, but Sunday was not his finest work.
  • Van Dyke had a good day in one-on-ones where he showed great physicality trying while competing for the ball. But in team periods, when he got to run with the first team, he had a few drops, including one in the end zone in the second team period.
• Rosen underthrew two deep passes to Theo Howard on Sunday. In one-on-ones, Howard had his man beat, but the underthrown pass allowed Lake to recover and break up the pass. The same thing happened during a team period with Holmes on the coverage. Rosen has had success on deep throws so far in training camp, especially with Darren Andrews, so maybe he’s still working out the timing with Howard.
  • Rosen threw a touchdown pass on fourth-and-goal from the 1 in the final team period to Jordan Wilson on a well-designed play that started flowing toward the left but rolled around to the right.
• In the O-line/D-line one-on-ones, Kenny Lacy really struggled. He lost to Phillips, Wade and Tuioti-Mariner (who had a very slick inside cut).
  • Wade got dominant wins over Lacy, Poasi Moala and Jake Burton.
  • Kolton Miller had one good rep against Phillips and pushed the dynamic defensive end wide and out of the play.
• I only caught a few reps of the pass protection drill between the running backs and linebackers. Nate Starks had an impressive rep against Toailoa. Nate Starks is the best pass-protecting running back, by far. Olorunfunmi lost a rep to Josh Woods, but tallied a win against Krys Barnes.
• Stefan Flintoft had two really good punts (49 and 55 yards) and one pretty bad one (36 yards). Austin Kent did well with a two 50 yarders, but also had a short 40 yarder that needed a good roll to get to about 55 yards.
• Injury report: Sunny Odogwu missed practice Sunday. He was hobbled toward the end of Saturday’s session and ended up leaving that practice early. Soso Jamabo (back tightness) missed his third straight day.
• J.J. Molson tested out his leg and connected on long field goals from 47, 50 and 51 yards during his designated score team period. During the team periods, he 2 for 3 with his one miss coming on a bad shank from 42 yards. He was good from 46 and 25.