UCLA’s first preseason scrimmage offered a clearer look at who’s climbing and who still has ground to make up as camp rolls on.
The biggest early buzz is around freshman defensive back CJ Lavender, who has gone from a name most people expected to redshirt to someone the coaching staff is clearly paying attention to. Bob Chesney had strong words for the former 3-star after Monday’s practice.
“I think CJ Lavender's a kid that just, he's fast, he's physical, he gets the game for a young kid, and, you know, he plays it not like a freshman right now. [...] We threw him into the fire right now and made him go with the ones and made him go do some things in there against our guys, and I thought he's done a really good job of that.”
UCLA already has a solid group in the secondary, but Lavender has done enough to make it hard to ignore him. If he keeps this up, getting on the field this season would not be a surprise.
Up front, the center competition has shifted while presumed starter Riley Robell has been dealing with injuries during camp. That has opened the door for other linemen to work with the first team, and Derek Osman has been the one getting those snaps. Sam Yoon, who at one point seemed like the next option, now appears to be sliding down the depth chart and could end up third at center once things are sorted out.
At quarterback, Nico Iamaleava is trending in a much better direction than he was earlier in camp. Reports a few weeks ago said he started off a little sloppy, but this week’s update painted a far cleaner picture. Chesney said Iamaleava is handling the offense well and reading what the defense is showing him.
“I think he's doing a really good job of seeing the defense, and this defense is complicated and holds their shell as long as they can. And he's doing a really good job of identifying those things,” Chesney said following practice.
One player who hasn’t come up much in the ongoing position battles is San Jose State transfer Leland Smith. The receiver room has centered on other names, with Semaj Morgan and Mikey Matthews battling for the starting slot job, Landon Ellis and Brian Rowe seemingly holding spots in the starting group, and Aidan Mizell earning praise for his connection with Iamaleava. Smith, though, has been notably absent from the conversation, and that silence stands out.
In Other News...
UCLA Transfers Suddenly Face Real Pressure To Hold Starting Jobs
Preseason has already turned into a proving ground for several UCLA transfers, and the Bruins coaching staff is still sorting out who can actually lock down starting jobs before the real games begin. Ryan McCulloch is expected to claim an edge spot once he is fully healthy, while Scott Taylor remains in the mix for first-team reps, giving that part of the roster a little more uncertainty than anyone would prefer this late in camp.
The bigger concern may be up front, where Robell had been penciled in as the likely starting center before a sprained MCL interrupted his preseason work. His absence has left UCLA waiting on clarity at a position that does not usually lend itself to much improvisation, and the Bruins are now facing the possibility that one of their key transfer additions may not be ready when the rest of the lineup starts to come into focus. [Read more 🡒]
UCLA Mourns Former Coach Whose Impact Reached Far Beyond Football
Frank Gansz Jr.s coaching life stretched across pro and college football, from the NFL to the CFL and spring leagues, and his name was one that followed special teams rooms around the sport for years. He died at 64, with the United Football League and the St. Louis Battlehawks announcing his death while noting his role as the teams special teams coordinator.
For UCLA, the news carries an added layer of meaning because Ganszs reach went well beyond the next game or the next stop on a coaching tree. His career included time with the Oakland Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens, along with stops at various college and professional programs, a rsum that reflected the kind of behind-the-scenes influence that can shape players and staffs long after the job changes. [Read more 🡒]