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UCLA Football Spring Practice Day 3: First Day in Pads and a Grad Transfer

By Mike Regalado

Oct 15, 2015; Stanford, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins coach Jim Mora reacts during a 56-35 loss against the Stanford Cardinal in a NCAA football game at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 15, 2015; Stanford, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins coach Jim Mora reacts during a 56-35 loss against the Stanford Cardinal in a NCAA football game at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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The UCLA Football team finally got into pads on the third day of Spring Practice on Saturday and Head Coach Jim Mora spoke about some of the new developments with the team.

The UCLA Football team has a lot to figure out this Spring and even though Head Coach Jim Mora likes how practice is coming along, they have “a million mistakes” they have to fix.

When asked about the offense, Mora stated that they are given great detail about the plays. “They are thinking a lot still, but I’ve been encouraged… really the lack of mistakes, there are mistakes, but not as many as I would expect. As you increase volume, you increase thinking and learning and you will have mistakes.”

Mossi Johnson, who has been a receiver his entire UCLA career, spent all day as a defensive back, but it is a “day-to-day” experiment. This is not a permanent move.

The video comes via

Thuc Nhi Nguyen of insideSoCal.com

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Offensive linemen Alex Akingbolu and Zach Bateman are “working through injuries.” Mora said that depth is a concern, so trying to get these players back out there on the line will be important.

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A bit of news about fall camp was released as the Bruins’ will have it will have it at UCLA. With the Wasserman Football Facility and the Luskin Center on campus, the Bruins will not be going back to San Bernardino.

This will be good for the team to utilize all of their new amenities at the facility and Mora believes that he can replicate the environment that was created in San Bernardino. The downside is that fans will no longer be able to view practice, as Spring will be the last time.

Potential starting cornerback John Johnson will leave the program and transfer as a graduate. He did not want to risk injury on the first day of pads, so he made the decision to leave the program.

Brandon Burton has been moved to linebacker and Mora believes he could be used in a hybrid role, possibly as a nickel, though the move is not permanent. “We’ll find a spot for him.”

When asked about freshmen that stood out, Mora said, “[CB] Darnay [Holmes] has, [DE] Jaelan [Phillips] has, [TE] Jimmy Jaggers has and even [QB] Austin Burton. You probably haven’t seen him throw much in live work, because he is still learning, but he can throw the ball.”

Next: The Survival of the Defense - Defensive Line

Currently, back up quarterbacks Matt Lynch and Devon Monster are cycling in with the 2nd team.