UCLA Football 2021 Positional Preview: Running Backs
With UCLA football's shortened offseason already winding down, it's time to start looking ahead to fall 2021 and what lies ahead for the Bruins on the gridiron. Before scouting out opponents and projecting the Pac-12 pecking order, it's best to look within by picking apart how UCLA will shape up on its own sideline.
All Bruins will be breaking down every position group over the next few weeks, with the running backs up next. To catch up on the positions already covered, take a look below.
Aug. 9: Quarterbacks
Depth Chart
RB1: Brittain Brown, redshirt senior
RB2: Zach Charbonnet, junior
RB3: Keegan Jones, redshirt sophomore
RB4: Ethan Fernea, redshirt senior
RB5: Deshun Murrell, freshman
RB6: Brian Kowall, redshirt freshman
RB7: Christain Grubb, redshirt sophomore
The Bruins have a lot of depth in the backfield, but in terms of sure-fire contributors, they seem to be very top heavy.
At this point, we know what Brown and Charbonnet are going to be. Charbonnet is probably the more agile and decisive of the two, but both are solid north-south runners with enough of a punch to shed tackles and power through tight holes. Brown averaged 77.6 rushing yards per game in 2020 despite playing second fiddle to Demetric Felton, while Charbonnet put up 726 yards for Michigan in 2019 before a combination of injuries and coaching decisions cost him his role the following season.
The rotation of reserve running backs is going to be interesting, since their individual roles and skill levels are either up in the air or subject to change.
Jones was used as a 3rd-and-short option multiple times last year, and he projects to be that same guy in 2021. Coach Chip Kelly and offensive coordinator Justin Frye have been adamant that they don't want to tip off their play calling by having one-dimensional personnel, so if Jones proves he is unable to contribute in other areas of the game, his touches may decrease a bit. For now, it's safe to assume he's the go-to guy for that role, and should he continue to improve upon the receiving skills he showed in flashes of in 2020 and spring camp, he should be pretty secure there.
It's also important to note Jones has missed the entirety of fall camp to this point, and the only time he was seen at Wasserman Football Center, he was wearing a hoodie and street clothes around the field. Kelly said Sunday he was present, so we'll keep an eye out to see if he makes his return anytime soon.
There are a lot of ifs when talking about these reserve running backs, however. If Jones can't be a 3rd down back, maybe it's Murrell who steps up to fill that role. His high school stats don't back that up though, since he only had four receptions to go along with his 230 carries in 2020. Fernea, a newly-converted receiver as of spring ball, certainly has the ability to run routes and catch coming out of the backfield, but his strengths as a runner and pass blocker have yet to be determined.
That leaves Kowall and Grubb, neither of whom project to get any snaps this season.
Even though he isn't on our projected depth chart, expect Kazmeir Allen to play a role in the backfield as well. He was moved to receiver in the spring, despite still being listed on the official roster as a running back. Whether it's off a sweep, a direct snap, a triple option or something else, Allen will surely get a handful of carries no matter the position he's officially listed as.
Predictions
Brown and Charbonnet combine to create an absolute two-headed dragon in the UCLA backfield, and that will only add to the success the Bruins had on the ground last year.
Felton was the all-purpose back, while Brown was the ground-and-pound runner. Teams could tell what UCLA was doing based on who stepped on the field, and both still succeeded despite that. Brown and Charbonnet can disguise Kelly's intentions even more so, assuming they both improve as pass-catchers this fall.
Neither is a prolific receiving back – with Brown only hauling in 23 passes in 32 career appearances and Charbonnet totaling 14 catches in 18 games. That needs to change if UCLA is to make the most of its backfield talent, and looking at the way the two of them are blocking and running routes in fall camp, it is certainly a possibility.
Brown, entering the season as the incumbent, will probably get more carries than Charbonnet by the end of the season. He should finish the year with about 225 carries while Charbonnet gets roughly 175. For context, that's about 31 attempts per game between the two across a 13 game season, just about in line with the 33 attempts per game Felton and Brown combined to average in 2020.
We're expecting Brown to finish with 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground, compared to Charbonnet's 850 yards and six touchdowns. If we were to bet on which one takes that next step as a receiver, our money would be on Charbonnet.
Running behind an offensive line as talented and experienced as the Bruins, projecting two high-volume running backs to finish the year with 5-plus yards per carry is not all that high of a bar.
With Brown and Charbonnet doing most of the heavy lifting, UCLA should average 200 non-quarterback rushing yards per game in 2021 – a 10-yard per game boost over last season's team – for a total of 2,600 yards.
Lumping in the numbers we predicted for Thompson-Robinson both through the air and on the ground – and subtracting 25% of Thompson-Robinson's rushing yards to account for yards lost via sacks – we're expecting the Bruins' offense to finish the year averaging just shy of 500 total yards per game.
Again, that is admittedly an extremely high bar, but with this stable of running backs, a dynamic, experienced mobile quarterback and a fully-returning offensive line we'll get to later, it is something UCLA should be aiming for every time it takes the field.
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