Anthony Barr, Eric Kendricks named to Lott watchlist

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Jack Wang

UCLA linebackers Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks were both named today to the Lott IMPACT Trophy’s 42-man watch list. The award, founded in 2004, is given annually to a college defensive player for both on-field performance as well as personal character. Eleven Pac-12 players made the latest list, but Cal’s Dante Hughes is the conference’s only winner — though Arizona State’s Pat Tillman and Stanford’s Owen Marecic both received honorary trophies.

Barr ranked second nationally with 13.5 sacks in 2012, and is projected as a top-10 NFL draft pick entering his second season on defense. Kendricks led the Pac-12 with 150 tackles, the most by a Bruin since Jerry Robinson’s school-record 161 in 1978.

The complete watch list is below the jump, with Pac-12 players bolded. Continue reading →

Owamagbe Odighizuwa out for 2013 season

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Jack Wang

The defensive line, one of UCLA football’s most battered units this spring, just suffered its biggest loss. Defensive end Owamagbe Odighizuwa will likely miss the 2013 season after undergoing his second offseason hip surgery.

The Los Angeles Times first reported the news Tuesday that Odighizuwa had the operation for a frayed rotator cuff in his right hip. Once the five-star gem of the Bruins’ 2010 recruiting class, he had sat out all of spring practice while recovering from surgery on his left hip.

Coach Jim Mora said last Monday that Odighizuwa was healing well, but needed to get his right hip checked. The 6-foot-3, 265-pound end was a likely successor for Datone Jones, who recently became UCLA’s first first-round draft pick since 2006. Odighizuwa finished with 44 tackles, 3.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries last season, and will have one year of eligibility left after if he redshirts this fall. He totaled 32 tackles through his freshman and sophomore years. Continue reading →

UCLA football post-spring: Defense and special teams

Posted on May 5, 2013 by Jack Wang

Defensive line

Can UCLA’s defensive front survive the loss of a first-round pick — the team’s first since 2006? Cassius Marsh, pegged as a third-round talent in some early projections, now succeeds new Green Bay Packer Datone Jones as the Bruins’ best defensive end. By most observations, he’s matured since 2011, a year that saw him storm out of spring practice and later suspended two games for an October brawl at Arizona.

“Sometimes, he may stop on that line, but not over it,” said defensive line coach Angus McClure. “I call it a ‘controlled insanity.’ You want to go to that line but you don’t want to go over it. Certainly, he’s learned to manage it.”

The rest of the line, however, is a muddled with injuries. Owamagbe Odighizuwa and Ellis McCarthy both sat out spring while rehabbing from their respective hip and knee surgeries, while nose tackle Brandon Tualiaupupu tore his ACL in mid-April. Continue reading →

Early look at Bruins in the 2014 NFL draft

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Jack Wang

The 2014 NFL draft is less than a year away! Depending on who does or doesn’t declare, the Bruins could have two first-round picks for the first time since 1981.

Here’s a roundup of some too-early mock drafts/prospect rankings.

Sports Illustrated:
Brett Hundley — No. 8
Anthony Barr — No. 20

Chris Burke is higher on Hundley than anyone else listed here, and is also lower on Barr — whom he calls a potential “Von Miller-type” should he be drafted by a 4-3 team. The analyst does hedge a bit on the No. 20: “Odds are, in the long run, that Barr might be off the board well before this next April.” Continue reading →

Craig Lee scores qualifying ACT

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Jack Wang

Running back Craig Lee has received an ACT score that qualifies him to attend UCLA, according to Edward Lewis of BruinSportsReport. The four-star recruit probably won’t make too much of a dent in the Bruins’ backfield committee this upcoming season, but his arrival bodes well for the position’s future. The 6-foot, 188-pound back rushed for 20 touchdowns and over 1,700 yards as a senior, and was rated top-25 nationally at his position by Rivals.com.

And early UCLA commit, Lee had decided not to sign his letter of intent until qualifying test scores arrived.

UCLA football post-spring: Offense

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Jack Wang

Quarterback

Be happy that you have one of the best quarterbacks in the conference. Brett Hundley isn’t flawless, but not many players in the country have the same level of tantalizing potential. (I don’t think he’ll leave, but if Hundley declares for the 2014 draft, SI already has him as the No. 8 pick.)

A superlative freshman campaign — 3,745 yards, 29 touchdowns against 11 picks — proved that the 6-foot-3 dual threat is the quarterback the Bruins have long sought. Perhaps the biggest knock on him was his decision-making, whether that meant not throwing the ball away when he needed to or not sliding at the right time. In spring, he looked like he corrected some of that, drawing cheers from his teammates once when he slid on a scramble.

He also took 52 sacks last season — second-most in college football, and something that did start to affect him later in the fall. Continue reading →

(Bi-)Weekly Q&A Answers — 4/28/13

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Jack Wang

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. Continue reading →

(Bi-)Weekly Q&A — 4/28/13

Posted on April 28, 2013 by Jack Wang

Comment with questions, and I’ll post answers on Monday. I’ll have a post-spring look at the football team up tomorrow too. Thinking of scaling this back to bi-weekly as we enter the summer, but let me know if you would prefer the weekly schedule.

UCLA ‘Spring Showcase’ notes

Posted on April 28, 2013 by Jack Wang

– Brett Hundley looked sharp, completing 16 of 23 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown. He did take three sacks, however, which is mildly concerning considering that Jim Mora admitted the team did “basically nothing” in terms of defensive schemes. That said, the offensive line only has seven bodies right now.

Quarterbacks coach Taylor Mazzone said the 52 sacks Hundley took started to affect him late last season, as he got a slight case of “happy feet.” He’s up to 230 pounds and down to 8 percent body fat, which should help.

– Cornerback Marcus Rios is out for the season with a rare fungal infection. He told the LA Times that the infection started in his sinus, but then reached behind his eye and brain in what sounds like something out of “Contagion.” He added that only 12 people have ever had it, and eight died. He didn’t say exactly what the infection was, so I’m not sure how true that is or if his case is as serious. Best wishes to him. Continue reading →

UCLA free agent signings

Posted on April 27, 2013 by Jack Wang

Will be updated as news comes in. Most recent: 4/30, 11:52 a.m.
***
Chicago Bears — safety/linebacker Dalton Hilliard (mini-camp invite)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers — receiver Jerry Johnson
Denver Broncos — cornerback Aaron Hester
Indianapolis Colts — cornerback Sheldon Price
San Francisco 49ers — long snapper Kevin McDermott
Detroit Lions — tight end Joe Fauria

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