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UCLA Football Spring Practice Preview – Receivers

By Mike Regalado

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Nov 14, 2015; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins receiver Kenneth Walker III (10) carries the ball against the Washington State Cougars in a NCAA football game at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 14, 2015; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins receiver Kenneth Walker III (10) carries the ball against the Washington State Cougars in a NCAA football game at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

Receiver Positions

With the restructuring of the offense, UCLA Football Head Coach Jim Mora said that there will be position changes to accommodate the new power schemes. That mostly entails a few wide receivers moving to the tight end spot which will be highlighted a lot more this season (could we possibly see two-TE sets?).

For now, here is what we could see with the receivers during Spring Practice:

Slot End/X-Receiver

1. Kenneth Walker – 5’10”. 180lbs. – Walker could be a stand out receiver if it was not for his hands. He is known for not having the best pass catching skills, which is unfortunate because he is the fastest player on the team. We saw some changes in that last season as he had several big receptions. Despite only catching nine balls, he had a team high 25.7 receiving yards per catch, but only had a 17.8 yards per game average. Both stats should improve next season as the Bruins look to play the long ball a lot more.

2. Theo Howard – 6’0″, 174 lbs. – Howard will be a perfect back-up to Walker as he gets acclimated to the UCLA offense… and the sooner the better as Howard is that speedster UCLA Football has yearned for in the Mora-era. Aside from his speed, he also has good hands, so hopefully we see a lot of routes down the sideline from a pin-point accurate Josh Rosen.

Flanker/Z-Receiver

1. Eldridge Massington – 6’3″, 210 lbs. – Massington received high praise from Brett Hundley two years ago. Unfortunately, he did not live up to those expectations in 2015. With only nine receptions, Massington averaged 9.9 yards per game. Look for that to improve in the fall as he will be expected to step up and be a leader in the receiving unit now that he is an experienced upperclassman.

2. Alex Van Dyke – 6’4″, 210 lbs. – Van Dyke received high praise when he committed to UCLA, though we have not seen a lot of him in the last two years. Though he may turn out to be a quality receiver, it is not unfathomable to see him move to TE in spring.

Slot Receiver

1. Darren Andrews – 5’10”, 185 lbs. – The biggest WR surprise in 2016 was Andrews. In 2014, Andrews had four catches for 54 yards. Both numbers jumped up in 2015 as he caucht 43 passes for 443 yards, which put him in third on the team in both categories. Expect Andrews to play an even bigger role this spring/fall.

2. Stephen Johnson – 5’11”, 195 lbs. – Johnson was another surprise, mostly for his consistency. Though he only had 8 receptions, he was good at getting into the open field and making plays. Look for Johnson to take on a bigger role and battle for a starting spot.

Tight End

1. Nate Iese – 6’3″, 250 lbs. – It is up in the air what position Iese will actually play in 2016, tight end or fullback. Iese is a big player that that is good on the block, but also has exceptional hands. If any thing is certain, we should be seeing a lot more of him in different positions on the field.

2. Colby Cyburt – 6’3″, 250 lbs. – Offensive lineman turned tight end Cyburt has not yet seen time on the field in his three years at UCLA, but seeing as he is the only official TE listed on the roster, we should expect to see more of him in spring and in the fall, even if it is only to help out with blocking responsibilities.

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