UCLA Football: Several Bruins Named To Phil Steele’s All-Pac-12 Teams
Today, college football analyst Phil Steele came out with his preseason All-America and All-Conference teams, which included the Pac-12. We had recently reported on three UCLA football players being named to his All-America team, but now we take a look at the players he believes will make an impact in conference with his All-Pac-12 selections that include several Bruins. Fourteen to be exact.*
Sep 6, 2014; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins wide receiver Jordan Payton (9) runs for a first down in the second half of the game against the Memphis Tigers at the Rose Bowl. UCLA won 42-35. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Here are the Bruins listed by team:
1st team Offense: Jordan Payton – WR, Caleb Benenoch – OL
2nd team Offense: Paul Perkins – RB, Jake Brendel – C
3rd team Offense: Alex Redmond – OL
4th team Offense: Thomas Duarte – TE
1st team Defense: Eddie Vanderdoes – DL, Kenneth Clark – DL, Myles Jack – LB, Fabian Moreau – DB
3rd team Defense: Deon Hollins – LB
4th team Defense: Priest Willis* – DB
4th team Special Teams: Matt Mengel – P, Ishmael Adams – KR
Now before I continue boasting about the many talented UCLA football players named by Steele, there is one small snag with this list of Bruins. Though Steele’s All-Pac-12 selections came out this morning, so did news of junior defensive back Priest Willis’ intention to transfer from the Bruins.
*RELATED: Priest Willis To Transfer From UCLA Football
So technically, UCLA only has 13 players on this list, but for the sake of Steele’s predictions, which we respect, the Bruins along with the USC Trojans lead all schools with the most players in his All-Pac-12 teams selections. Here is the breakdown from most to least:
UCLA (14)*, USC (14), Arizona State (13), Stanford (12), Oregon (11), Cal (9), Arizona (8), Utah (8), Oregon State (7), Colorado (6), Washington (6), Washington State (3)
Click HERE to view the entire All-Pac-12 offense, defense and special teams selections.
UCLA Bruins
Whether the Bruins have 14 or 13 players that are getting national recognition, the fact is that the Bruins have a lot of players getting national recognition. This is a big deal and speaks volumes of what head coach Jim Mora has done at UCLA.
With Mora entering his fourth season in Westwood, he will be expected to improve off of last year’s 10-win season.
The goal this year will be winning the Pac-12 Championship… and hopefully a little more as college football enters the second year of the College Football Playoffs.
Though UCLA has yet to select a quarterback to replace Brett Hundley, the Bruins are looking to return 18 starters in the fall. That is a lot of experience and with of the fantastic development by the coaching staff, will also result in a lot of talent coming back for UCLA. That is something to get excited for.