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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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PASADENA, CA – SEPTEMBER 03: Josh Rosen
PASADENA, CA – SEPTEMBER 03: Josh Rosen /

3. Offensive Line

Plain and simple, UCLA’s offensive line is its biggest area of concern entering the 2018 season.

UCLA’s starting offensive line for all 13 games in 2017 was made up of C Scott Quessenberry (Sr), LG Najee Toran (Sr) LT, Kolton Miller (Jr-R), RT Andre James (So-R), and RG Michael Alves (Fr-R).  Quessenberry and Miller both declared for the NFL draft following the 2017 campaign, while Toran is slated to walk in June.

That leaves James and Alves as the Bruins’ only returning starters on the offensive front.  With the experience gleaned in 2017, the Bruins will be comfortable on the right side of the line with James and Alves.

By the numbers, UCLA’s average line size in 2017 hovered around 299 lbs. and 6-4. With the departure of the Bruins’ upperclassmen and the addition of their four recruits, the offensive line average size drops to 292 lbs., but will remain at 6-4 in 2018.

While the Bruins’ are departing with three major components of their offensive front, they are definitely not without options.

Assuming 2017’s offensive line roster carries over to 2018, Kelly has 13 returners to work with.

UCLA’s Josh Wariboko-Alali (6-2, 305 lbs., So-R) appeared in 10 games in 2017 on the offensive front.  Should he stay with the program, his size and experience could be just what Kelly is looking for when evaluating the left tackle vacancy.  There are also expectations that Wariboko-Alali could try his hand at center in the spring.

One of the most intriguing rumors surrounding the Bruins’ offensive front in 2018 is the talk of Kelly moving defensive lineman Boss Tagaloa (6-2, 305 lbs.) to offense. Again, these are all rumors, but fans should be on the lookout to see if Tagaloa lines up in the center or left guard position.

Considering the above information, one can argue that the Bruins’ starting offensive front for the upcoming spring practices will be made of James (RT), Alves (RG), and Wariboko-Alali (LT/C).  The left guard and center position will remain a mystery for some time.  However, fans should keep a close eye on both Stephan Zabie (6-6, 290 lbs., Fr), and Alex Akingbulu (6-5, 285 lbs., Fr-R) as they are also expected to battle for time (presumably in the left guard/tackle positions).

Kelly has inherited a semi-undersized offensive line unit, and it will be interesting to see what he ends up doing with this group in 2018.