UCLA Football: 5 things to watch as Spring Practice resumes

The UCLA football team resumes practice on Tuesday and there have already been some very interesting storylines. Here is a look at a few that could garner attention as the Bruins begin the second part of Spring Practice.

UCLA football is back and there is plenty to watch for as the Bruins continue to develop in the newly implemented system by head coach Chip Kelly.

RELATED: What we learned from the first part of Spring Practice

If you need a refresher up to this point, check out the article above. When you are done, let us take a look at a few potentially meaningful storylines.

1. The QB completion just got… the same

Things just got turned up not at all. What we saw in the winter quarter portion of spring practice is exactly what we will see in the spring quarter portion.

The competition was suppose to get a Husky boost, but instead, Washington grad transfer K.J. Carta-Samuels opted for Colorado State after committing to the Bruins.

This is good and bad. It’s bad because the Bruins lose an experienced QB that has decent feet, a plus for Kelly’s system, though he is not naturally a dual-threat quarterback.

It is good because it thins out what could’ve been a five-player QB competition.

The Bruins will have dual-threat Dorian Thompson-Robinson coming in the fall, so the ante will be upped the month before the season starts, but for now, Devon Modster and Matt Lynch will continue to be the main QBs battling it out.

So far, Modster has had the conch as he has been the most consistent QB and ran with the 1s the majority of time. He hasn’t been perfect, but he has had a few highlight moments both running the ball and getting the passing game going.

Lynch has not lived up to expectations as he has been a bit inconsistent, but hopefully his first two weeks of spring practice boost his confidence for the last three.

Speaking of competition, in case you missed it, Arizona grad transfer Brandon Dawkins is considering Westwood as landing spot for his final year of eligibility.

2. Will it get faster?

Chip Kelly made sure that his team was adhering to the parameters of his style of football on the first day of spring practice. The timing and execution of the individual and group drills was something you can set the atomic clock to. Kelly and his coaches not only had the execution of their drills down to the exact minute, but they also brought an intensity that has long been forgotten at UCLA.

It was both beautiful and dizzying trying to follow the UCLA football team during the first two weeks of practice. Now that the majority of this team knows what to expect with Kelly running practices, expect everything to get a lot faster.

Kelly’s goal is to become a very quick and efficient team. The players now understand what is required of them, and with the competition open at every single position, battles for starting spots and playing time gets knocked up a notch.

Even Kelly would admit that there is still a lot of work to be done and that the Bruins still have many problems to solve, but now that the team (players, coaches, administration, etc.) have two weeks under their belt, they can move forward as one unit.

3. Offensive line work

Let’s just get down to the nitty-gritty, UCLA’s offensive line was not that impressive last season. Though there was a bit of progress with OL coach Hank Fraley handling things for one season, the line takes a hit as the Bruins lost two vital pieces to their position group. Both Scott Quessenberry and Kolton Miller are gone, the two best OLs from last season.

Fraley, who was asked to continue in his role by Kelly, originally stayed in Westwood for a few weeks, but ultimately accepted a position with the Detroit Lions. Kelly replaced him with Justin Frye, the running game guru from Boston College.

Add to the fact that OL recruitment has not been a strength the last few years of the Jim Mora era, which means that Chip Kelly doesn’t have an ideal amount to work with. We’ve already seen a big position change as Boss Tagaloa moved from the defensive line to center. We’ve also seen several players shuffling in and out of the first team O-line, so this position group setup is far from decided.

Clearly, there is still a lot of work to do with the offensive line but Chip Kelly knows exactly what he wants as he has assembled an nice group of offensive masterminds. Not only should Frye be a big factor in the improvement of the line, but Kelly is also looking to hire Navy offensive line coach Bryce Anderson as an administrator, where he will presumably bring knowledge of the triple-option to Chip Kelly’s brain trust (a term coined by GJB writer Michael Hanna).

4. Linebacker depth and progress

Aside from the offensive line, the linebackers are the other position group that is in dire need of a make over. From recruiting to development to scheme, the LBs just need to be better.

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Luckily, the Bruins have Don Pellum as their new coach and his style is one that is requiring a certain level of aggression.

From what we have seen, there is going to be a lot more pass rushes, especially from the hybrid DE/OLB EDGE position, which Jaelan Phillips should develop nicely into. On the other side, Keisean Lucier-South has been solid with the outside position.

In the middle, Krys Barnes has seen a lot of time with the 1s and has been very consistent. The other ILB seems up in the air. Though it could be Josh Woods (he is nursing a shoulder injury), but Mique Juarez, Brandon Burton and Lokeni Toailoa are also in the running for minutes at this position this fall.

To add, the Bruins get immediate help with an injection of experience and depth as two junior college transfers, Je’Vari Anderson and Tyree Thompson start spring practice today. Both are pretty versatile and active linebackers, so they should come in and immediately be in the competition for a starting spot.

5. No starters named, but look at who plays with the 1s the most

To reiterate, Kelly hasn’t seen any film from last season (allegedly) and wants to look at every player on this team with a fresh set of eyes. Some players have stood out at certain positions and certain positions are miles from solidifying a starter.

Either way, Kelly is far from deciding who will be running this team next season, but until September 1, we can speculate with what we have seen with several players starting at certain spots more than others. But another important factor is watching who is taking snaps with the second team. Just because they aren’t with the 1s, doesn’t mean they’re going to miss out on a lot of playing time next season. Kelly’s system requires every player to be conditioned and ready for speed. Not only should we see a lot of rotation off the bench in key positions, we could also see potential starters for later in the year.

Either way, Kelly is going to put in the guys that best fit his system. Do they understand the schemes? Are they properly conditioned to take on their role? Do they have the appropriate amount of coaching? Are they putting themselves and the team in the best position to succeed?

Next: The 30 Greatest UCLA Football Players of All-Time

All of these questions should be answered the closer we get to the start of the season. Until then, the journey continues.