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UCLA Football: 5 position battles to watch for in Spring Training

By Mike Regalado

PASADENA, CA - SEPTEMBER 01: Head coach Chip Kelly of the UCLA Bruins during warm up before his home opening debut against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Rose Bowl on September 1, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
PASADENA, CA - SEPTEMBER 01: Head coach Chip Kelly of the UCLA Bruins during warm up before his home opening debut against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Rose Bowl on September 1, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)
(Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images) /

2. The Starting Tight End Spot

Devin Asiasi vs. Jordan Wilson

This might be the most intriguing position battle of the offseason. Last year, the Bruins heavily relied on tight end play for multiple reasons, but they used one of those position players to spearhead the passing game.

Caleb Wilson was not only the leading receiver on the team, but he had the most receiving yards among all tight ends in the nation. His absence will leave a hole in the passing game that will most likely be filled by WR Theo Howard, but when it comes to the tight ends, this will come down to both Devin Asiasi and Jordan Wilson.

Asiasi might be the default choice given that he was the tight end with the second most receiving yards on the team with 130 yards on six catches which went for a team-high 21.7 yards per catch. Though Wilson only caught two passes for 17 yards last season, he has two years of experience and was the main backup TE after Caleb Wilson went down five games into the 2017 season. That season he had 16 catches for 155 yards and two touchdowns.

Though I expect both to get a lot of time in 2019, it is going to be a hard-fought battle for the starting spot.