Linebacker Anthony Barr and offensive lineman Xavier Su’a-Filo will represent UCLA at next month’s Pac-12 Media Day. Sony Studios Lot in Culver City will host the event on July 26.
Neither is a surprising choice given their status as potential All-Americans, but the conference better make sure the mics are working perfectly: Barr is one of the softest speakers on the team.
The rest of the media day lineup: Continue reading
Phil Steele named both UCLA linebacker Anthony Barr and offensive lineman Xavier Su’a-Filo as preseason All-Americans. The standouts were first- and third-team selections, respectively. The Pac-12 landed 20 players on the list, second behind the SEC’s 27.
Steele also ranks (snubs?) UCLA No. 31 nationally on his preseason countdown — behind Washington, Oregon State and Arizona State.
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
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
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
Jim Mora and his wife, Shannon announced Saturday the Southern California launch of their Count on Me Family Foundation, which helps children who are either mentally/physically challenged, at risk, or from low socioeconomic backgrounds. For more information, click through to the official website.
Shannon said the Celebrity Golf Classic, the foundation’s main fundraiser, was already sold out. It will be held at the Riviera Country Club on May 20, featuring names such as Terry Bradshaw, Warren Sapp and Joel McHale.
Dozens of kids were also out at Saturday’s UCLA football practice as part of the launch, which was adorable to see. A little girl even got Anthony Barr to autograph a picture of him ending Matt Barkley’s USC career.
Crank the Heisman hype machine.
UCLA head coach Jim Mora thinks linebacker Anthony Barr deserves a shot at football’s preeminent award, and he’s not shy about telling anyone and everyone.
“Absolutely. It should start,” Mora said Thursday. “UCLA needs to promote him, and I’m going to promote him, and he needs to go out and promote himself by going out and playing great and helping his team win.”
The only Bruin to have ever taken home the Heisman is quarterback Gary Beban, who won in 1967. More daunting is the trophy’s bias towards offense: Since Michigan’s Charles Woodson became the only primarily defensive player to win in 1997, quarterbacks and running backs have won 14 straight. Continue reading
Football’s back! As a reminder, here’s UCLA’s full spring practice schedule. All sessions are open to the public and will last approximately two hours.
Tues. Apr. 2 – 7 a.m.
Thu. Apr. 4 – 7 a.m.
Sat. Apr. 6 – 10:45 a.m.
Mon. Apr. 8 – 6 p.m.
Wed. Apr. 10 – 7 a.m.
Thu. Apr. 11 – 7 a.m.
Sat. Apr. 13 – 10:30 a.m.
Mon. Apr. 15 – 6 p.m.
Wed. Apr. 17 – 7 a.m.
Thu. Apr. 18 – 7 a.m.
Sat. Apr. 20 – 10:30 a.m.
Mon. Apr. 22 – 6 p.m.
Wed. Apr. 24 – 7 a.m.
Thu. Apr. 25 – 7 a.m.
Sat. Apr. 27 – 5 p.m. (Rose Bowl)
A quick primer after the jump. Continue reading
Happy new year, UCLA fans. Anthony Barr is officially staying one more season.
The Bruins’ best defensive player became an All-Pac-12 first team selection in just his first season at outside linebacker, and was also a second-team AP All-American. The junior was widely thought of as a potential first-round pick had he decided to declare for the NFL Draft.
Barr first officially announced his return on Twitter Monday afternoon: “As close as I am to my dream of playing in the NFL, I believe one more year with this awesome coaching staff and my teammates is what’s best. I will be returning for my senior season to further develop as a player and a person, to help lead this team to a Pac-12 Championship and ultimately a national championship.”
Measuring at 6-foot-4, 235 pounds, Barr made a remarkable transformation after switching from offense under former head coach Rick Neuheisel. Continue reading
UCLA offense vs. Baylor defense: Although they give up more yards than every team in the country except Louisiana Tech, the Bears aren’t the second-worst defense in the college football. Baylor has won four of its past five games because it suddenly discovered the ability to force turnovers. In that span, the Bears grabbed 11 of their 18 interceptions on the season. (Meanwhile, quarterback Nick Florence threw just two picks.) However, this still doesn’t mean that Baylor is a particularly good defense. Only two teams in the Big 12 give up more yards per play than the Bears, which partly negates the argument that their numbers are bad due to the offenses they face.
Though Brett Hundley has thrown a pick in three of this past four games, he is still just 60 yards away from Cade McNown’s single-season passing record and could crack that by the end of the first quarter. Johnathan Franklin could conceivably get 300 yards to hit 2,000 on the season. (Great stat, courtesy of ESPN: Franklin averages 4 yards after contact on fourth-quarter rushes. He averages just 2.1 per carry in the first three quarters.) Edge: UCLA
Baylor offense vs. UCLA defense: Florence isn’t the superstar Robert Griffin III was Continue reading
