OL Michael Alves
The UCLA run game has been horrible for the last few seasons and part of that has to do with the instability of the offensive line which has had three different offensive coordinators installing three different offensive schemes in the last three years. That is no bueno.
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In 2017, Jedd Fisch did a great job of improving the Bruins offense from the previous year but things were taken up a notch in 2018 when Justin Frye showed up to coach the OL. The former Boston College coach was hired by Chip Kelly because of his brilliance in recruiting and developing offensive linemen and from what we have seen so far, he has been working out for UCLA.
This past year, Frye not only help to improve the Bruin’s running game and turned them into a team with the 28th best rushing S&P+ and the 27th fastest offense (pace) in the nation, but he also had each Bruin playing at a high-level.
Mike Alves has slowly been improving the last two years but really benefitted under Frye’s tutelage. As a player that has a lot of experience starting at guard and working with this revolutionary offense, 2019 should be a good year for him.
Alves has done a solid job of holding the line on passing plays and has shown his ability to pop out when being pulled. Not only is he a strong individual, but his adaptability to Kelly’s complex offensive schemes shows he also has a brain on him. With another year in college under Frye and Kelly, Alves should definitely standout next season and garner attention from pro scouts.