The UCLA football team has completed their annual Spring Practice which has given us a lot of information about the roster and helped GJB construct a projected depth chart for 2019.
Spring has come and gone, and now UCLA football fans have to wait until August to see their Bruins in action. UCLA has just completed its 2019 Spring Game which gave us a lot of information about the structure of the roster.
RELATED: UCLA Football 2019 Spring Game Recap
With the information that has come out in the last two months, the production in practice and analysis of the incoming recruiting class, Go Joe Bruin projects what the depth chart will look like for the 2019 season.
Offensive Line
- LT: Sean Rhyan, Alec Anderson, Zach Cochran
- LG: Michael Alves, Jon Gaines, Beau Taylor, Stephen DeFranco
- C: Boss Tagaloa, Sam Marrazzo, Duke Clemens
- RG: Chris Murray, Baraka Beckett, Josh Carlin
- RT: Jake Burton, Lucas Gramlick, Mohamed Khalil
The Spring Game was not a traditional “us vs. them” setup as head coach Chip Kelly said he did not have enough offensive linemen to field two teams. Instead, he had the Bruins run an offense vs. defense format.
The issue with depth on the O-line will be remedied this fall as the Bruins welcome in four new players, one of which, Sean Rhyan, should add some immediate punch to the line.
Last season, the offensive line made massive improvements, and a few individuals got better during spring, so despite the lack of depth, they should continue to improve, especially with players like Boss Tagaloa, Chris Murray, Jake Burton, and Michael Alves (all returning starters) leading the charge.
What will help this line improve even further is the development of players like Alec Anderson, Jon Gaines, and Baraka Beckett.
Receivers and Tight Ends
- WR: Theo Howard, Jaylen Erwin, Delon Hurt, Kain Medrano
- WR: Chase Cota, Demetric Felton, Dymond Lee, Charles Njoku
- WR: Kyle Phillips, Michael Ezeike, Josiah Norwood
- TE: Devin Asiasi, Jordan Wilson, Matt Lynch, David Priebe, Michael Martinez
Wide receiver depth and talent has been lacking the last few seasons, but this fall, the Bruins will have several players that will be able to contribute in a multitude of roles. The headliner will be Theo Howard who not only has the skills and experience to lead the receiving game, but he will now step up as a leader of this squad.
Behind him, UCLA has a lot of players that have been slowly developing and have entered the program with a lot of raw talent. The other starters will most likely be two of last season’s freshmen that were hand-picked by Kelly in his first recruiting cycle, Chase Cota and Kyle Phillips.
What is even better is that Kelly continued to bring in reliable young receivers and as we saw in spring, Jaylen Erwin, Delon Hurt, and Michael Ezeike will be reliable backups as they will have something to prove in trying to help the receiving corps.
Demetric Felton has also been an excellent constant, but he might be used in a hybrid role as he took a good majority of snaps as a running back this spring, which would give the offense a nice twist.
The tight ends will be led by Devin Asiasi and Jordan Wilson who showed a lot of improvement this spring and should more than make up for the absence of Caleb Wilson. Last year we saw Kelly use a lot of TEs, which has us believe that we will see plenty of converted QB Matt Lynch, David Priebe and frosh Michael Martinez.
Quarterbacks and Running Backs
- QB: Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Austin Burton, Chase Griffin, Blake Kirshner
- RB: Joshua Kelley, Martell Irby, Kazmeir Allen, Keegan Jones, Jahmon McClendon
- FB?: Martell Irby, Sitiveni Kaufusi
The Bruins might have four quarterbacks, but they are still a bit thin. It seems very likely that Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Austin Burton will be the only ones to see time on the field next season, but we can’t rule anything out.
In spring, the Bruins lost two QBs to position change as Matt Lynch is now a tight end and Josiah Norwood is with the receivers, leaving the Bruins with only two QBs before they came back for the second part of spring practice as Chase Griffin was nursing a wrist injury before the break.
Though Griffin was fully participating in practice the last three weeks, it was noticeable that he still needs time to assimilate into the culture before he would get proper time on the field. The Bruins also add walk-on Blake Kirshner, but like Griffin, he will come in primarily for the support this fall.
We also have an unusual situation with the RBs. Joshua Kelley will most likely be the starter once again, but there will be a few different players battling for the backup role. Though it seems Martell Irby is the #2 back (for now), he will be pushed by speedsters Kazmeir Allen, and Keegan Jones.
The exciting part is that Chip Kelly is bringing in a traditional fullback in Sitivei Kaufusi. If Kelly intends to use fullbacks, there is the possibility he uses more two-back sets than he did last season. If this is the case, I can see Irby lead the second running back position which will bring more power to the run game.
Defensive Line
- DE: Osa Odighizuwa, Datona Jackson
- DT: Martin Andrus, Tyler Manoa, Steven Mason, Ethan Matus
- DE: Atonio Mafi, Otito Ogbonnia, Siale Liku
The defensive line looked a lot more consistent this spring. They have lost a few key Bruins, but they also bring in some talent which should help with depth.
The good thing is, the Bruins have experience. On one of the ends, Osa Odighizuwa returns to add some power. Last season he had a lot of highlight moments and if he continues to develop, could be the best DL on the team. Luckily, the Bruins brought in a talented DE in Datona Jackson who transferred in from a Southern Calfornia community college, giving the DLs even more experience.
The other starters are not yet set as there are a lot of players to choose from. Martin Andrus has my vote to start in the middle this fall as he is another veteran that is helping defensive coordinator Jerry Azzinaro’s vision come to life. Behind him, Tyler Manoa and Steven Mason also took a step forward in development this spring and we should see more of them this fall.
On the other end, Atonio Mafi and Otito Ogbonnia return as true sophomores who were given a lot of minutes in their freshmen year, so they should continue their rise with the defense.
Linebackers
- OLB (EDGE): Odua Isibor, Elijah Wade, Noah Keeter, Hayden Harris
- ILB: Josh Woods, Tyree Thompson, Je’Vari Anderson
- ILB: Krys Barnes, Lokeni Toailoa, Bo Calvert
- OLB: Keisean Lucier-South, Leni Toailoa, Jayce Smalley, John Ward
There is talent, and there is experience, and it is the first time in a long time UCLA has had both with their LBs. The biggest question comes with the status of Keisean Lucier-South who did not participate in the second part of spring practice as he was focusing on academics. It was not confirmed that KLS left the team (or asked to leave), but Kelly did state that he expects him back for the summer, so there is hope that the Bruins’ best defender and pass rusher will be back for the fall. If not, that will be a big blow to the Bruins.
As for the pass rush, UCLA is still looking for a few good men to take over the EDGE position. Odua Isibor and Elijah Wade were the central figures in that position during spring, but neither took that spot to the next level.
The middle of the field is deep. The return of Josh Woods will be huge as they need his experience and talent. He missed all of last season with a leg injury and did not participate in spring, but should be good to go this fall as one of the starting ILBs. The other starter in the middle should be Krys Barnes who had a productive 2018 season. He took on a more significant role with this position group as he had to pick up slack for several injured players.
There is also a lot of promise for the backups who have been impressive this spring, especially Tyree Thompson who was one of the defensive MVPs for the Spring Game. UCLA also has Je’Vari Anderson, Lokeni Toailoa, and Leni Toailoa on the rise, so this fall, there should be no reason the linebackers have another down year.
Defensive Backs
- CB: Elijah Gates, Patrick Jolly, Rayshad Williams
- S: Quentin Lake, Elisha Guidry, Kenny Churchwell, William Nimmo
- S: Stephen Blaylock, Mo Osling, Carl Jones
- CB: Darnay Holmes, Jay Shaw, Sharmar Martin, Shea Pitts
More from Go Joe Bruin
- UCLA Football: It’s time for the nation to meet Dante Moore
- UCLA Football: Where are they ranked heading into week 4
- UCLA Football: Position battle breakdown for Utah showdown
- UCLA vs. Utah: Location, time, prediction, and more
- UCLA Football: Highlights from Chip Kelly’s appearance on the Jim Rome Show
The UCLA DBs did not have an awful 2018 season, but they were picked on a lot. Part of that had to do with the fact that the Bruins’ lack of a pass rush put more pressure on the secondary which had to help in both the running and passing defense.
Luckily, the Bruins have talent. The DBs were one of the few consistent strengths of the Jim Mora era, and it has bled into Kelly’s time in Westwood.
The star of the show is Darnay Holmes who brings an aggressive, hard-hitting style to the corners. He should be backed up by Jay Shaw who has come into his own as of late and should see plenty of time on the field next fall.
On the other side, Elijah Gates should start, but he will be pushed by Patrick Jolly who is looking to prove something after a year with an injury. During the Spring Game, he was the most active and reactive defensive player, especially will defending the air.
At safety, Quentin Lake will get the start after a productive 2018 season and 2019 Spring. He continues to impress and will have the defensive backfield on lockdown. He should be paired up with Stephen Blaylock who also had an eye-opening Spring. Both will be backed up with a rotation of Elisha Guidry, Kenny Churchwell, and Mo Osling.
Special Teams
- K: JJ Molson, Nick Barr-Mira
- P: Collin Flintoft, Carson Olivas
- LS: Johnny Den Bleyker, Koby Walsh
For the third season in a row, we will have the Molson-Flintoft-Den Bleyker combination in special teams, but only slightly. UCLA’s reliable punter Stefan Flintoft has graduated, but his cousin is in Westwood and will hopefully pick up where his blood left off. Behind him will be another walk-on, Carson Olivas.
The kicking situation will remain the same as JJ Molson continues field goal and extra point duty, although he will be guiding the younger brother of a former Bruin star. Nick Barr-Mira, brother to Anthony Barr, comes in as a walk-on and will prep for his future as this will be Molson’s last season in Westwood.
Johnny Den Bleyker will also help consistency with special teams as he also prepares for his final year.
The Overall 2019 UCLA Football Projected Depth Chart
Offense
- LT: Sean Rhyan, Alec Anderson, Zach Cochran
- LG: Michael Alves, Jon Gaines, Beau Taylor, Stephen DeFranco
- C: Boss Tagaloa, Sam Marrazzo, Duke Clemens
- RG: Chris Murray, Baraka Beckett, Josh Carlin
- RT: Jake Burton, Lucas Gramlick, Mohamed Khalil
- WR: Theo Howard, Jaylen Erwin, Delon Hurt, Kain Medrano
- WR: Chase Cota, Demetric Felton, Dymond Lee, Charles Njoku
- WR: Kyle Phillips, Michael Ezeike, Josiah Norwood
- TE: Devin Asiasi, Jordan Wilson, Matt Lynch, David Priebe, Michael Martinez
- QB: Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Austin Burton, Chase Griffin, Blake Kirshner
- RB: Joshua Kelley, Martell Irby, Kazmeir Allen, Keegan Jones, Jahmon McClendon
- FB?: Martell Irby, Sitiveni Kaufusi
Defense
- DE: Osa Odighizuwa, Datona Jackson
- DT: Martin Andrus, Tyler Manoa, Steven Mason, Ethan Matus
- DE: Atonio Mafi, Otito Ogbonnia, Siale Liku
- OLB (EDGE): Odua Isibor, Elijah Wade, Noah Keeter, Hayden Harris
- ILB: Josh Woods, Tyree Thompson, Je’Vari Anderson
- ILB: Krys Barnes, Lokeni Toailoa, Bo Calvert
- OLB: Keisean Lucier-South, Leni Toailoa, Jayce Smalley, John Ward
- CB: Elijah Gates, Patrick Jolly, Rayshad Williams
- S: Quentin Lake, Elisha Guidry, Kenny Churchwell, William Nimmo
- S: Stephen Blaylock, Mo Osling, Carl Jones
- CB: Darnay Holmes, Jay Shaw, Sharmar Martin, Shea Pitts