UCLA Football: Wide Receiver Theo Howard Will be a Star
Coming into the season, Theo Howard was lauded by coaches and players alike for his potential and set high expectations for the season. Despite this praise Howard hasn’t seen much playing time so far, but after UCLA Football’s win over Arizona, that’s probably going to change.
UCLA Football wide receiver Theo Howard caught 1 pass for 19 yards which led to a touchdown against the Arizona Wildcats.
After the game, the Bruin’s all time leading receiver, Jordan Payton, tweeted out that Howard would be the “best receiver in UCLA history”.
Generally speaking, one catch for less than twenty yards doesn’t warrant this kind of adulation, but just like Myles Jack’s 66-yard touchdown run against Arizona, or Josh Rosen’s deep shot to Kenny Walker against Virginia (yes I know Walker dropped it), it takes just one look at Howard’s reception to realize how good he could be.
If you haven’t seen it, here it is (20 second mark).
Just wow. Turn a 5-yard catch around 3 defenders into a TD run? Easy. Nice block by Nate Starks by the way.
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#FreeTheo
Bruin fans everywhere are undoubtedly wondering , with a receiving corp that’s been plagued by drops, “Where’s Theo been?”.
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Wide receivers coach Eric Yarber has said in an interview that he doesn’t want to “throw [Howard] to the wolves” and that he wants to build his confidence.
Yarber adds on that WR corps takes a lot of pride in their blocking, an area that Howard needs to improve in.
Given that Jim Mora has never held back when it comes to giving freshman playing time, I have no doubt in my mind that Howard was kept off the field for valid reasons. But given the consistent reviews of Howard for months, I would be shocked if he didn’t become an integral part of the offense in the second half of the season.
While UCLA has had quality receivers in recent years, they have not had a truly elite playmaking receiver that we usually associate with the likes of Oregon or USC.
Howard proved last Saturday that he’s the guy that can turn a short pass into a touchdown, and with 4.3 speed, he has the potential to be a dangerous deep threat. Have fun stopping that.
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So when Mora says “you’re going to see a lot more Theo Howard”, I really can’t wait.