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UCLA Football: Top five storylines to watch during spring practice

By Mike Crawford

WESTWOOD, CA - NOVEMBER 27: UCLA Director of Athletics Dan Guerrero (L) and Chip Kelly hold up a jersey during a press conference introducing Kelly as the new UCLA Football head coach on November 27, 2017 in Westwood, California. (Photo by Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images)
WESTWOOD, CA - NOVEMBER 27: UCLA Director of Athletics Dan Guerrero (L) and Chip Kelly hold up a jersey during a press conference introducing Kelly as the new UCLA Football head coach on November 27, 2017 in Westwood, California. (Photo by Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images) /
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PHOENIX, AZ – DECEMBER 26: Wide receiver Jordan Lasley
PHOENIX, AZ – DECEMBER 26: Wide receiver Jordan Lasley /

2. Spring QB Battle:

With former quarterback Josh Rosen declaring for the NFL, the Bruins find themselves in an interesting situation as they have four viable options to take over signal-calling duties in 2018.

Kelly will have to choose a starter between Devon Modster (So-R, 6-2, 210 lbs.), Matt Lynch (So-R, 6-4, 218 lbs.), grad-transfer K.J. Carta-Samuels (6-2, 221 lbs.), and newcomer Dorian Thompson-Robinson (6-2, 195 lbs.).  It should be noted that Thompson-Robinson will not be enrolled for spring practices, but the other three quarterback candidates will be ready to practice on Tuesday.

Realistically, the battle for QB1 (in the spring, at least) will likely take place between Modster and Carta-Samuels.

Last season, Modster tallied four touchdowns after appearing in five of the Bruins’ contests where he connected on a total of 51 passes out of 79 attempts for a combined 671 yards, earning a 64.6% completion rate.  Modster also rushed for a total of 34 yards.

Modster is primarily a pro-style quarterback, but has the athleticism to successfully run the option which would fit in well with Kelly’s past offenses.  As UCLA’s QB2 in 2017, Modster enters the 2018 campaign with a slight edge based mainly on experience and chemistry with his current teammates.

Carta-Samuels is a late-entry in the 2018 UCLA quarterback competition. On January 15, 2018, Carta-Samuels announced that he would be transferring from Washington to UCLA as a graduate student. The former Husky spent the last two years backing up Jake Browning. Since 2015, Carta-Samuels has tallied a total of 310 yards and posted three touchdowns.

Carta-Samuels’ biggest advantage entering the 2018 season is seniority. As the Bruins’ other viable quarterback candidates are a healthy mix of underclassmen, Carta-Samuels can provide a level of experience and maturity.

Based on sheer speculation, Modster appears to be most logical option for the Bruins starting quarterback in 2018 as he knows UCLA’s system and fits the style of quarterback Chip Kelly has worked with in the past on the collegiate level. It would not be of any surprise, though, to see Thompson-Robinson take over the position should Modster’s early-season performance disappoint Kelly and his staff.