Chip Kelly on Some of The Younger Players Who Could Feature for UCLA This Year
With UCLA's season opener versus Coastal Carolina less than a week away, game prep for the contest is in full swing for Chip Kelly and the Bruins.
While the public is still in the dark as it pertains to who's starting for the Bruins at quarterback, we did get somewhat of a glimpse into which younger players on the roster might feature for UCLA this upcoming season.
Despite being a veteran team for the most part, there are some spots from a depth standpoint where UCLA could afford to have a jolt of athleticism and youth.
Kelly spoke to the media this past Friday, touching upon several different topics. Among them, he was asked about certain players. Two of them are true freshmen DL Grant Buckey and LB/S Donavyn Pellot.
Buckey is a 6-foot-5, 275-pound defensive lineman out of Bakersfield, Calif. A one-time commit to USC, he flipped to the crosstown rival Bruins. He comes from a family of football players, as brother Zach and father Jeff played at Stanford. Being an early enrollee in the program, Buckey participated in spring ball. According to Kelly, this has aided in his development tremendously.
"[Buckey] has been really impressive. I think sometimes the early enrollees will stick out more than some of the kids that got here in June. Part of being able to play fast is not being tentative. Part of being tentative is not knowing what you're doing. Buckey has done a really nice job up front."
- Chip Kelly on Grant Buckey (per YouTube)
Another true frosh standout is Donavyn Pellot. A do-everything athlete from Las Vegas, the 6-foot-2 210-pounder flew a bit under the radar, having not played at a traditional high school power. With that said, he's a tremendous athlete and played all over the field for his high school program. Stylistically, there's some similarity to former UCLA star Myles Jack.
"Donavyn Pellot at linebacker is a young player that has really stood out. He can be a linebacker or a safety. He's a real versatile player for us. [Defensive Coordinator D'Anton Lynn] is doing a lot of different things with Donavyn and how we can deploy him."
- Chip Kelly on Donavyn Pellot (per YouTube)
While Buckey and Pellot likely are depth pieces this year/fixtures on special teams, one other younger player with a legitimate chance to start is safety Kamari Ramsey. A longtime commit to Stanford, Ramsey flipped to UCLA towards the end of his recruitment. He redshirted last year -- though he looks primed to start at one of the two safety spots for the Bruins this year:
"I think Kamari has been outstanding. We consciously redshirted him last year. He's been outstanding at both safety spots. You'll see a lot of Kamari. I think he's got a very, very bright future here."
- Chip Kelly on Kamari Ramsey (per YouTube)
