UCLA Football Practice Report: August 1

Linebacking corps show off depth, plus a first real look at the offense

For the first time this fall camp, the media was able to catch a glimpse of the Bruins' offense.

In the final few minutes of media access Sunday, we were able to go over to the south field, something that was barred at Friday and Saturday's sessions. It wasn't much – only the first 20 minutes or so of practice are open to the media anyways – but it was something.

The quarterbacks looked like they are who we thought they were – Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Chase Griffin were energetic and dancing a bit while making the easy throws you'd expect veterans to make. As was noted Friday, Kajiya Hollawayne looks really physcially mature for a true freshman and probably already has more arm strength than Griffin right off the bat.

Receiver Logan Loya showed off his great hands, tipping some overthrown balls to himself and looking nice and agile in the process.

Tight ends David Priebe and Michael Ezeike looked athletic and made solid over-the-shoulder catches in stride. Greg Dulcich is still the best at his position, but don't be surprised if the Bruins start spreading the wealth at tight end a little more often this fall.

The runnings backs – especially Zach Charbonnet and Ethan Fernea – were running good routes and showed natural receiving skills coming out of the backfield. That's to be expected for Fernea, who made the move from receiver in the spring, and a pleasant surprise for Charbonnet considering his lack of receiving production at Michigan.

Receiver Chase Cota was not participating in team drills or running routes. He went into the weight room after the initial warmups and was seen popping in and out every now and then. Center Sam Marrazzo and defensive lineman-turned-offensive lineman Siale Liku were also coming in and out of the weight room, while defensive back Jelani Warren was out on the field without pads or a helmet.

The offensive line was still on the far corner of the field, so not much news there besides Marrazzo and Liku's recoveries from the injuries that caused them to miss most of spring ball.

A group that was featured directly in front of the media for a large chunk of practice was the inside linebackers. Damian Sellers, Ale Kaho, Jordan Genmark Heath, Kain Medrano, JonJon Vaughns, Caleb Johnson, Carson Schwesinger and Jeremiah Trojan were the guys taking part in the drills.

Again notably absent from the group was Bo Calvert, who had been part of that unit in the spring and in past seasons, but is now transitioning to more of an outside role. Coach Chip Kelly said Saturday that Calvert's position change wasn't permanent, just a way to capitalize on the dynamism he brings to the table.

Linebackers doing sled work at UCLA practice today: pic.twitter.com/MOaKJU6H0Z

— Sam Connon (@SamConnon) August 1, 2021

Kaho is looking pretty slim, with his body seeming pretty similar to Medrano's, despite being listed as one inch shorter and 10 pounds heavier. Genmark Heath and Vaughns definitely seem to be bigger and bulkier, and Johnson still appears to have the most mature and filled-out frame of the bunch.

As a whole, the group looked deeper than ever. There are at least four inside linebackers on the team who have the build, talent and experience to be Power Five starters, plus another couple with some real promise. It's going to be a key position group all season, considering a lot of the failures from last year's defense can partially be attributed to the unit's mishaps, and they may just be able to take that big step forward this year.

A few more visitors

Wasserman Football Center is still buzzing after Russell Westbrook stopped by Friday, and the surprise guests haven't stopped there.

A pair of former Pac-12 quarterbacks made appearances during Sunday's practice – UCLA's Wayne Cook and Washington State's Ryan Leaf.

Cook is the color commentator for every UCLA game on IMG Radio, so his appearance wasn't exactly out of the ordinary. He showed up at a few spring practices, but still, it's always nice to see some remnants of the Terry Donahue era hanging around the team.

OA! Great having @waynecookucla out Sunday am practice 💙🐻💛 pic.twitter.com/nKHT7yTYRv

— Martin Jarmond (@MartinJarmond) August 1, 2021

Athletic director Martin Jarmond also pointed Leaf out to the media. He was hanging around midfield, apparently visiting the UCLA facilities for the first time since Kelly was hired in late 2017.

According to Jarmond, Leaf is slated to do color commentary for a few UCLA games early this season. The former No. 2 overall NFL Draft pick was likely getting some scouting done, and we'll see how well he did his homework when he's on the call about a month from now.

Follow Connon on Twitter at @SamConnon
Follow All Bruins on Twitter at @SI_AllBruins
Like All Bruins on Facebook at @SI.AllBruins