UCLA Football: We Need To Talk About The O-Line…

After losing three starters on the offensive line, the UCLA Football team looked to be fairly stable with three key players returning, but with a shift to a power offense and a transfer that was denied admission to a graduate program, things may not be as peachy as once thought.

I am an optimist (get it, UCLA?). After last season, the UCLA Football team lost three players on the offensive line: Jake Brendel (graduation/NFL), Caleb Benenoch (decalred/NFL) and Alex Redmond (declared/NFL).

Even with the loss of these players, I fully believed (with my you-can-do-it attitude) that the Bruins would be alright.

Now before I dive into the concerns I have for the offensive line, I still believe UCLA will be alright, but to an extent. Here is the thing, last season, UCLA had the most experienced offensive line in the country. They were returning five starters and had a few backups that had enough experience to protect and let true freshman quarterback Josh Rosen thrive.

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For the most part, that was true. One of the biggest pieces of evidence to support that theory was the fact that in 2014, the offensive line allowed 41 sacks. Last season, that number dropped dramatically to 15.

But once again, that was with an experienced offensive line. UCLA does not have that luxury this season. With only a few starters retuning and one vital player coming back from injury, they are in a better position than believed after the end of the 2015 season, but there are still several questions concerning the offensive line.

Next: What will the offensive line look like?