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UCLA Football: Five freshmen that could see major minutes in 2018

By Mike Regalado

WESTWOOD, CA - NOVEMBER 27: A general view during the Introduction of Chip Kelly Press Conference on November 27, 2017 in Westwood, California. Kelly was just announced as the new UCLA head football coach. (Photo by Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images)
WESTWOOD, CA - NOVEMBER 27: A general view during the Introduction of Chip Kelly Press Conference on November 27, 2017 in Westwood, California. Kelly was just announced as the new UCLA head football coach. (Photo by Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images) /
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5. QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, 6’1, 195 lbs.

Dorian Thompson Robinson was one of the few recruits that stuck with UCLA after the termination of Jim Mora and the hiring of Kelly. It actually seemed to work out for him as DTR is the “prototypical“ quarterback that Kelly is used to having run his system.

UCLA is operating in a run-based spread offense that heavily utilize run-pass options (RPO), zone read and triple option plays, so this could be an easy transition for the young signal caller.

2017 High School Stats

Passing Yds – 3,726 | Passing TDs – 42 | Rushing Yds – 787 | Rushing TDs – 16

What Kelly requires in a QB is a strong/accurate arm, fast feet and the ability to make quick decisions. Enter DTR.

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Now the QB position is not his, not yet anyway. Kelly has a slew of QBs looking to be #1. Devon Modster, Matt Lynch, Austin Burton and Michigan transfer Wilton Speight will all take part in the quarterback battle royale this fall.

What makes Thompson-Robinson stand out are his skills, which are key to running Kelly’s offense. DTR has an amazingly accurate arm, he is fast on his feet and he has great on-field vision.

He can survey the grounds for open receivers (though he could improve on looking for the second, third and fourth options) and can hit receivers streaking down field, but if the pocket collapses, he will use his ever-moving feet to get out of sticky situations.

Still, he has a lot of ground to make up as he was not involved in spring practice, but if he can (and eventually should) rise above the other QBs, he can get the starting spot, or at the very least get the backup spot while he continues to learn the offense.

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

Either way, we should see a lot of DTR next season.