UCLA football’s Ellis McCarthy takes small steps toward big changes

The original version of this article contained an error and has been changed. See the bottom of the article for additional information.

Ellis McCarthy’s body has always been one of the first things people have noticed – all 6 feet 5 inches, 330 pounds of him. But the defensive lineman is instead focused on the smaller details of his body.

After a sophomore season he called “OK” – but one in which he surged down the closing stretch – the junior has been honing his game this spring, body part by body part.

There are McCarthy’s hands.

He’s dedicated time specifically to improving his technique. In one type of drill, McCarthy hits a punching bag repeatedly, while another drill involves him using tubes to keep his hands wound “tight,” he said. Together, the two exercises help his hand speed and control.

McCarthy has been developing his hand technique since last season, but lately, it’s become a growing priority.

“Looking back on tape, (the coaches) really stressed it before spring ball,” McCarthy said.

Then there are McCarthy’s knees.

He’s just looking to stay healthy. Though his two past knee surgeries and the ensuing rehabilitation are in the rearview mirror, he still copes daily with the aftereffects of his torn meniscus.

At some point each day, whether it’s before practice or after, McCarthy can be found in the treatment room, receiving care to his knees for upward of 20 minutes on most days. Ice helps his knees, as do massages. He’s been committed to a similar routine the entirety of his UCLA career and will gladly continue to do so to stay healthy.

“With a meniscus, they said it’s going to be like that for a while so I just gotta do whatever I gotta do to get better,” he said.

And then there are McCarthy’s feet.

Quicker, nimbler feet – that’s the goal for the lineman. He said it starts on his “takeoff,” a point stressed by defensive line coach Angus McClure. With McCarthy playing defensive tackle this season, it will be critical for him to start quickly on the snap to wreak havoc in the middle.

Though all of McCarthy’s improvements have yet to develop into a finished product, the small steps here and there have not gone unnoticed.

“He just gets better,” said defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, who wouldn’t stop the praise there, going on to rave about McCarthy for a clean 20 seconds.

“He’s a guy that wants to make the play every single time and you love that mentality. But sometimes you got to trust the man next to you a little bit more and he’s starting to commit to that and that’s really exciting, ’cause a guy of his caliber, of his potential, of his physical skill set – when he figures it out and plays his role within our defense, we’re going to be hard to deal with as a group.”

Got milk?

After Thursday’s practice, redshirt freshman offensive lineman Poasi Moala discussed his biggest goal – getting bigger.

Since his arrival at UCLA, Moala has gained 20 pounds, but there remains pounds to be added and strength to be developed, perhaps even to the rewarding tune of a starting lineman spot.

“Coach talked to me about starting, (but) I just got to get stronger. Gain some weight,” he said.

As of late, Moala, a right tackle, has been playing on the left side of the offensive line in practice because of injuries.

“It’s a little hard. I played right side all my life,” he said. “Coach was always trying to get me used to it, so it’s a good experience for me.”

Correction: Notes by Bruin editors were left in the published version of the article.