UCLA Football Spring Practice Preview: Running Backs

We continue our look at the UCLA Football team as we move closer to Spring Practice as we examine the running backs.

UCLA Football has been blessed at the Running Back position ever since Jonathan Franklin A.K.A “The Mayor” broke the all time Bruin rushing record. Since then, we’ve seen Paul Perkins, Nate Starks, Soso Jamabo, Bolu Olorunfunmi and some of Myles Jack.

However, now we are losing yet another top rusher in Perkins who is heading to the NFL. Still, UCLA Football is in great shape with their ground game.

With the maturation and further development of quarterback Josh Rosen, teams will began to game plan around his skill set. This attention to the passing game will leave many defenses vulnerable to the run game of the Bruins.

This could potentially be dangerous as the Bruins return a young, but talented group of players in the backfield. Hopefully each returning player made strides to their game during the offseason and will make an appearance to the upcoming Spring Practice in peak shape will refined skills. Now, we’ll take a look at how the running back position shapes up for Spring Practice.

Depth Chart

1. Soso Jamabo/Nate Starks– This is too tough to call. Nate Starks has steadily improved since his Freshman year. He originally ran too high and didn’t trust his strength. However, that changed this past season.

Starks ran through contact and showed great burst and acceleration. It will be exciting to see what another off season of Kennedy Polamalu will do for him.

In addition, we also have an intriguing Sophomore-to-be in Soso Jamabo. He has great promise, as his speed and agility will be a big weapon for the 2016 Bruin offense.

2. Bolu Olorunfonmi– In the eyes of many, Bolu actually outperformed the 5-star freshman Jamabo in the first half of the season. He would run hard and truck defenders, regardless of size.

Olorunfunmi hurt his shoulder against Oregon State which unfortunately ended his Freshman campaign earlier than expected. Look for him to play the role of big, bruising, short yardage package in this new pro-style offense we are expecting to see.

Analysis

Nov 21, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; UCLA Bruins running back Nate Starks (23) runs back a kickoff during the first half against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium. UCLA won 17-9. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

While you can see it is a relatively thin depth chart, it is still a talented group. With players such as Starks and Jamabo, I expect to see an infusion of two-back sets. Though we can not discount the ability and strength of Bolu, he will provide a much needed change of pace, as he truly fits the mold of Polamalu’s ideal, strong RB.

Hopefully some more depth emerges during or after Spring Practice. Possible position switches like Adarius Pickett or Demetric Felton could provide solid options, or maybe true Freshman Jalen Starks and Brandon Stephens emerge as viable options. At this point, it remains to be seen. Depth is extremely important, as all UCLA Football fans know the feeling of heart-breaking losses due to injuries.

UCLA has a history of injury issues, whether it is from multiple sprained ankles or knee injuries during practice or the multitude of in-game ailments.

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So the most important aspect of this Spring will be developing all 3 backs to be Pac-12 level players. This way, if one goes down, the coaching staff will be confident inputing the 2nd or 3rd string player into the slot.

Given the development of the Running Back position under the veteran coach Polamalu, I am fairly confident that this will be a strength of the 2016 UCLA Football team. Yet there certainly are questions. Can Starks or Soso fill Perkin’s shoes? Can Bolu provide solid depth? How will the change of offensive philosophy impact the run game?

Next: Post-Signing Day 2-Deep Depth Chart

We will get some answers this Spring, but not everything will be clear. But isn’t that the reason we all love this game? We will be on edge until we see the rotation versus Texas A&M. Until then, we can guess and watch how it all unfolds.

Go Bruins!