UCLA running back Craig Lee falls short on academics

UCLA's Lee Craig,21, runs for yards against teammates, during the second quarter of the UCLA Spring Football Showcase,  at the StubHub Center.    Carson Calif., Saturday, April 26,  2014.  (Photo by Stephen Carr / Daily Breeze)

UCLA running back Craig Lee (21) runs during the Bruins’ Spring Football Showcase at the StubHub Center on April 26, 2014. (Stephen Carr/Staff)

UCLA running back Craig Lee was unable to qualify academically and is no longer with the team.

The news was first reported by the Los Angeles Times. Lee was a four-star recruit in 2013, but needed extra time that summer to raise his grades and test scores before being cleared to join the team. The Redlands High grad also struggled to pick up parts of the playbook, and never played a snap for the Bruins.

He missed preseason training camp this year as he again worked to improve his grades.

UCLA offensive tackle Simon Goines out with medical condition

UCLA offensive tackle Simon Goines will not participate in training camp due to an undisclosed medical condition, head coach Jim Mora said on Monday.

The redshirt junior has struggled with several leg injuries throughout his career, and missed all of the 2014 season in an attempt to get fully healthy. However, Mora said that the lineman’s condition is not related to his past injuries, and also that it was not life-threatening.

Without Goines, who started 20 games in his first two seasons, UCLA will rely on Caleb Benenoch at starting right tackle. In addition to senior center Jake Brendel and junior left tackle Conor McDermott, the Bruins’ first string currently consists of left guard Kenny Lacy and right guard Alex Redmond.

Also absent from the first day of camp were redshirt sophomore running back Craig Lee (academics), tight end Chris Clark (didn’t dress due to mononucleosis), and receiver Cordell Broadus. Broadus was granted a couple of days off due to a personal issue.

UCLA spring camp position review: Running backs

UCLA running back Nate Starks during football practice at UCLA on April 20, 2015. (Hans Gutknecht/Staff)

UCLA running back Nate Starks during football practice at UCLA on April 20, 2015. (Hans Gutknecht/Staff)

UCLA found backfield stability last season in the form of Paul Perkins, who broke out and became the first Bruin to lead the conference in rushing since 2001. As long as he’s healthy, the running game should churn along smoothly.

But what will make UCLA’s next quarterback even happier is the depth behind Perkins. One of the intriguing performances this spring camp came from Nate Starks, who had a promising albeit limited role as a true freshman last season. Starks only had 31 carries for 141 yards and two touchdowns, but those stats don’t accurately show how impressive some of those runs were. He also had his best game when UCLA needed him most, in a 17-7 win over Arizona. Against the Wildcats, Starks had five carries for 41 yards, including a 21-yarder on 3rd-and-11 deep in UCLA territory. He was also the primary back on the Bruins’ first fourth-quarter drive.

Last month, UCLA leaned a little harder on him. Perkins is the clear No. 1 on the roster, but Starks got a healthy share of first-team reps through camp too — and for the most part, proved he deserved them. Continue reading “UCLA spring camp position review: Running backs” »

UCLA spring camp notes: Four quarterbacks share first-team reps

— UCLA broke away from the way its two-by-two quarterback rotation for the first time this spring, but it still didn’t technically eliminate anyone from the race. Instead, Jerry Neuheisel, Josh Rosen, Asiantii Woulard and Mike Fafaul each got a turn running the first-team offense in 11-on-11 scrimmages.

No one in the group really had a bad day, but again, Rosen stood out. His feel in the pocket has been excellent through spring, and he looks particularly impressive rolling out to his right and throwing downfield. On one such play, he connected with running back Roosevelt Davis about 30 yards down the sideline. He also made a great throw to Thomas Duarte, squeezing the ball through a tight window on a play in which the receiver didn’t really look open until he actually made the catch.

The timing of some of the plays counted for something too. Rosen was able to get the offense out of third-and-long on his first series, after the offensive line backed him up with back-to-back false starts. There was a healthy crowd out watching from parking lot 8 today, and broke into applause more than once.

Woulard was the runner-up in the competition today, putting in arguably his best showing as a Bruin. He had a long touchdown to Aaron Sharp, and seems to have also developed good chemistry with redshirt freshman Jordan Lasley. Continue reading “UCLA spring camp notes: Four quarterbacks share first-team reps” »

UCLA spring camp notes: Nate Starks looks like No. 2 tailback

— One of UCLA’s biggest questions in the past two offseasons surrounded the running back position, which lost all-time leading rusher Johnathan Franklin after 2012.

Paul Perkins answered that in a big way as a redshirt sophomore, becoming the Pac-12’s leading rusher with 1,575 yards (121.15 per game). His presence, as well as that of an entirely intact offensive line, will certainly make it easier for whichever quarterback ends up replacing Brett Hundley this upcoming season.

But who’s looming behind him? After UCLA’s first spring practice in pads, Nate Starks looks like the clear-cut No. 2 running back. As a true freshman in 2014, the Colorado native was fourth on the team with 141 yards — behind Perkins, Hundley and senior Jordon James. He’s picked up where he left off and appears to be the team’s second-best runner now.

While head coach Jim Mora agreed that Starks currently has the inside track on the backup role, he insisted there is still “great competition there.” One player he said has “flashed” through three practices is Craig Lee, a speedy four-star recruit in 2013 who has yet to play a down for the Bruins. Continue reading “UCLA spring camp notes: Nate Starks looks like No. 2 tailback” »