At some point in the fall, UCLA football will need its offensive tackles to stand tall – at least figuratively. In a literal sense, offensive line coach Adrian Klemm has emphasized to his tackles the importance of staying low, which is not the easiest task for the Bruins’ pair of 6-foot-9-inch bookends, rising redshirt senior Conor McDermott and rising redshirt sophomore Kolton Miller.
Their height can make it difficult, especially when fatigue sets in, to maintain proper technique. That problem cropped up during 11-on-11 drills at the end of Monday’s spring practice, Klemm said, when the offensive line allowed the defense to come around the edge and pressure the quarterback repeatedly.
“You get tired at the end of practice and all of a sudden, you’re standing straight up,” Klemm said. “At the end of the game – critical points when man rushes man – you’ve got to drop (your legs) and you’ve got to get after it.”
Once McDermott and Miller start to get tired, Klemm said, the Bruin pass rushers know they can attack the pair of tall tackles with the speed-to-bull-rush, converting the momentum from a few quick steps upfield into a powerful helmet-first charge at the offensive lineman’s chest.
That’s not to suggest that the offensive tackle spots are a place of weakness for UCLA – far from it, actually. McDermott and Miller form one of the more talented, experienced tackle duos in the conference, if not the country.
McDermott considered leaving school early this past offseason for the NFL draft, in which he would have likely been a high draft pick. Instead, in a development that surprised Klemm, linemen Alex Redmond and Caleb Benenoch declared for the draft and McDermott returned to anchor the left side of the Bruin line.
“You know, that was the one guy I thought potentially might leave and then he’s the only one that didn’t,” Klemm said. “I’m excited for those guys (that left), I fully support them. But I’m really excited about (McDermott) … Having him at the tackle position and not really having to worry about that is a really good thing.”
Across the line, Miller saw plenty of game action in the fall when injuries forced him to slide into the starting lineup at the right tackle position.
“(He) got in there early, got quality time and that’s something that we can build on,” Klemm said. “He’s getting better and better each day, he’s pushing himself. He’s come back a little tougher, little more physical, little more confidence and even though he’s a young guy, he’s playing more than his age.”
McDermott, Miller and the rest of the offensive line have spent spring camp adjusting to the Bruins’ new offensive emphasis on power running and heavy personnel packages.
Klemm’s troops have had to learn to block in coordination with fullbacks and tight ends, as well as adjust to the tighter spaces between each lineman.
“There’s certain nuances that are problematic initially just because they’re not used to doing it but the more and more repetitions we get, the better we’re getting at it,” Klemm said.
The tackles are now lining up in three-point stances, something they didn’t do in the spread offense of old, and must focus more on staying firm on their inside foot as tight ends chip the defensive linemen.
Also new to the offense is a more complex pre-snap process. In previous years, the snap-count was more rhythmic, often simply involving a reaction to the first sound, Klemm said, but the Bruins have increased quarterback Josh Rosen’s autonomy and integrated a more complicated cadence setup that involves late adjustments.
“The better they retain things and understand things, comprehend things pre-snap, the less pre-snap penalties we’ll have,” Klemm said of his linemen. “That’s gotten better as we’ve gone through (spring). That won’t be a finished product coming out of spring but I expect to get better and then throughout (fall) camp, we’ll get better at that as well.”
Bend it like Bolu
Rising sophomore running back Bolu Olorunfunmi said he’s been focusing on his knee-bend during the offseason and in spring camp because he thinks he ran too upright at times last season.
The bruising back, who averaged over five yards a carry in the fall, is shaping up to be part of the Bruins’ three-headed running attack along with rising sophomore Soso Jamabo and rising senior Nate Starks.
Olorunfunmi loves the power running concepts, he said, because he operated in a similar scheme in high school. He’s also changed his jersey number to No. 4, the number he wore during high school, in order to get as comfortable as he can at the college level, he said. He chose the number because he grew up idolizing former NFL running back Jahvid Best, who wore number four in college at California and then No. 44 in the NFL.
An Ish come true
Coach Jim Mora said rising redshirt senior wide receiver Ishmael Adams has impressed in his transition from defense to offense, leading the coaching staff to believe he can play a more significant role in the passing game than had been expected.
“Through 12 practices now, he looks like a guy,” Mora said. “We’ve said for a while we were looking for somebody that we could throw the ball in the flat and they could make people miss and go make a play on their own, and that’s what he looks like he can do.”