After losing Zach Charbonnet to the NFL draft, Chip Kelly says having multiple backs will allow for situational play-calling
LOS ANGELES — UCLA football has built depth and variety at the running back position in the offseason. Last season’s leading rusher, Zach Charbonnet, is expected to be an early-round NFL draftee in a couple weeks, leaving a major hole to fill at the position.
Coach Chip Kelly rattled off multiple players before Tuesday morning’s spring practice who are vying for reps, including returners TJ Harden, Keegan Jones and Colson Yankoff as well as transfers Carson Steele and Anthony Adkins. “One of the things that has happened with that group is it’s just gotten a lot bigger,” Kelly said. “We’ve got some size at that position and some depth at that position. So we’ll continue to see how those guys fit in the scheme.” Harden, in his first season out of Inglewood High, rushed for 326 yards on 44 carries last season. As a redshirt junior, Jones had 333 yards on 73 carries. Yankoff, who transferred from Washington as a quarterback and moved to receiver, ran for 179 yards on 11 carries as a redshirt junior. Harden and Yankoff made catches out of the backfield in Tuesday’s team drills and also took part in special teams practice. Kelly said Yankoff put on an additional 20 pounds in the offseason, and he moved across the field forcefully Tuesday. Steele drew the coaching staff’s attention last season. UCLA coaches spotted the former Ball State running back in MAC games that were on during game planning sessions. “You’re kind of like, ‘Wow, that guy’s a really good player,’” Kelly said. “He’s a beast in the weight room, he’s got an unbelievable work ethic. You watch how he trains and how he approaches things and he fits in perfectly with what we’re looking for in a football player.” Steele, at 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds, was the No. 9 rusher in the country last season with 1,556 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. He’s also known for his ability to break tackles. “We’re gonna play multiple running backs,” Kelly said. “There’ll be times when we have three tight ends on the field. There will be times when we have no tight ends and just one running back and four receivers. It really just depends on the situation that comes up football-wise.”The deeper UCLA got into team drills Tuesday, the more the defense picked up momentum. Each near-pass breakup or interception was celebrated on the sideline. “We just love what we do,” linebacker Laiatu Latu said. “Sometimes we’ve got to, like, dial it down, but we love what we do.” Latu said he’s focused on taking on a leadership role in his second season with the team after transferring from Washington. Latu nearly didn’t continue his football career due to a neck injury, but had a resurgence with the Bruins last season with a team-leading 10.5 sacks and 36 tackles. He said he’s been taking on a leadership role this season and trying to be more vocal, given his success with the Bruins as well as his life experience. Latu has conversations with Ikaika Malloe, who was Latu’s former defensive coordinator at Washington before arriving at UCLA in December 2021, to help with that. Malloe is coaching defensive line as well as the outside linebackers this season, increasing consistency among the defense as well as providing valuable guidance for an experienced linebacker group. “I get goosebumps talking about it,” Bruins linebacker Carl Jones said. “Us getting another year with Coach Malloe and just seeing how Latu was with Malloe, him being at and just how quickly it transferred over to us being lucky and having another year with Malloe. It’s just going to skyrocket our D line.”Former defensive coordinator Bill McGovern was moved to the role of Director of Football Administration after missing five of the last six games last season due to an undisclosed health concern. Kelly gave an update on McGovern’s health Tuesday.
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