The 6-foot-1, 220-pound Houston-area native withdrew from school on Monday, ending a short stint for a prospect that had once looked like one of the gems of the Bruins’ 2014 recruiting class. He played in nine games as a true freshman and recorded one tackle.
UCLA linebacker Zach Whitley has not practiced with the team for the last week, but head coach Jim Mora said the true freshman is still on the team.
Mora did not disclose the reason for Whitley’s absence. Earlier this month, the coach refuted reports that he had dismissed the former four-star prospect, rated a top-100 recruit nationally this past spring.
Whitley enrolled at UCLA in January after decommitting from Alabama and performed well in camp, but suffered a concussion in August that may have stunted his development. The 6-foot-1, 220-pound defender played in nine games this season and made one tackle.
This post originally stated that UCLA had dismissed linebacker Zach Whitley due to a team issue.
Safety/linebacker Tyler Foreman has been granted his release from UCLA and will transfer out, as first reported by Bruin Report Online.
Foreman arrived at UCLA as a four-star safety prospect in 2013, and moved to linebacker after a redshirt year. He only played in two games, and had one tackle.
However, linebacker Zach Whitley is still on the roster, a UCLA spokesperson said Friday afternoon. Originally an Alabama commitment, Whitley lived up to his four-star billing immediately in spring camp, looking like a player who would earn a spot in the defensive two-deep. Although the staff unsuccessfully tried him at outside linebacker, Whitley showed natural instincts playing behind the ball.
However, that promise never translated during his debut season. After suffering a concussion and missing part of preseason training camp in San Bernardino, Whitley only played in nine games and recorded a single tackle.
» After a brief visit to the hospital on Tuesday night, UCLA receiver Devin Lucien passed his concussion tests on Friday and could return to practice on Monday — albeit in a red non-contact jersey. The redshirt junior had looked like arguably the team’s best receiver through camp before his hitting his head trying to make a catch, matching up with top cornerback Fabian Moreau on most plays.
Linebacker Zach Whitley, who has missed most of training camp in San Bernardino with head injury, returned to practice today for some sideline work. Head coach Jim Mora said the true freshman could potentially be back tonight’s practice, or at least by Monday.
Offensive lineman Scott Quessenberry is out with a “minor” concussion.
Receiver Mossi Johnson took off his red non-contact jersey this morning, while safety Randall Goforth put one on. Both are dealing with minor shoulder injuries.
“As far as comparing injuries to the last two camps, we’re in much better shape than we ever were, so that’s really encouraging,” Mora said.
» The Bruins worked heavily on special teams on Friday, adding a pre-stretch session that lasted about half an hour. Running backs coach Kennedy Polamalu took noticeable command of the unit. Since being hired last December, he has been a vocal presence in practices; at one point this morning, he had the entire team dead silent while he barked instructions. Continue reading “UCLA notes: Receiver Devin Lucien passes concussion tests” »
» UCLA lost a number of players to injury on Monday night, but none more important than center Jake Brendel. The third-year starter hurt his left knee/leg late in the two-hour practice, and was examined on a table before being carted to the locker room.
Brendel wasn’t limping heavily when he was helped off the field, and the preliminary examination indicated that the injury wasn’t serious.
“Hopefully, he doesn’t need anything more than a day or two, but we’ll see,” said head coach Jim Mora.
Backup center/guard Scott Quessenberry also left practice with what may have been heat exhaustion or dehydration. Safety Randall Goforth aggravated a left shoulder injury, but that also isn’t expected to be serious. Cornerback Marcus Rios was sidelined with a headache, but wasn’t hit in the head.
Freshman linebacker Zach Whitley — who performed well in spring camp — has a concussion and wore a neck brace last week; his return date is uncertain.
