UCLA Football: So who will be running the rock this fall?

With new UCLA football head coach Chip Kelly implementing a run-based offense, who will be the primary ball carriers to lead the Bruins in 2018?

The rushing offense has not been one of UCLA football’s strengths the last few seasons. One could say the Bruins have had subpar production in running the ball since Rick Neuheisel took over.

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Though UCLA had some very good seasons with Paul Perkins and Jonathan Franklin running up and down the field, the Bruins have not necessarily been known as a running team. Some of that might have to do with the fact that the Bruins had two excellent quarterbacks in Josh Rosen and Brett Hundley the last six years, but overall, the rushing offense has not been the centerpiece of the offense.

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That changes this fall. Kelly’s philosophy of football centers around moving the ball on the ground. To do that, he wants to deceive defenses by going up the middle, around the edge, having the QB run it, having multiple back options… he basically wants to find every possible option and will do that by exploiting mismatches. That is all well and good, but who is going to need someone to do that for him, wo who will it be?

For one thing, we can expect to see a few players hit the field, as they will be used for a number of different situations. With that in mind, in this writer’s opinion, Kelly will rely on more than just one RB to carry the load, especially in his first year of establishing.

During spring, we saw a lot of Bolu Olorunfunmi and Soso Jamabao, who will no doubt play a lot of minutes, but there was a third option, UC Davis walk-on transfer Joshua Kelley. The vets are known for their bulldozing style and elusiveness in the open field, respectively, but Kelley added an extra element to the run game.

Kelley has the speed and awareness that will help him elude defenses and if he continue to progress, he could be a primary contender for a starting spot. During spring, he showed his ability to find the gap, broke a few ankles and had the boost to get him downfield in a hurry. Essentially, this is what head coach Chip Kelly is looking for. And it gets even better.

This fall Kelly is going to be able to use the talents of the gentleman above, speedster Kazmeir Allen, who broke the national touchdown record of 72 back in December and now he is breaking hearts on the track. This is what Kelly wants, speed. But he wants to put the players in the best position to succeed, and that will involve several players being involved in the run game.

For example, to run the triple-option, two backs are going to be used. Kelly could also use his RBs in RPO plays. Both Olorunfunmi and Jamabo have shown they have capable hands, so they could assist the growing talent in the receiving corps.

So if I had to guess, I would say, Kelly will have a two-back tandem, one for power and one for speed. That leads me to the use of Olorunfunmi and Kelley, with the walk-on being boldly challenged by the freshman Allen.

Next: UCLA Football: Post spring practice projected 2-deep depth chart

With the Bruins deep in the RB department, behind the QB competition, the running back competition is also going to be something to keep an eye on. Kelly wants to run, well he has a lot of choices. A lot.