With great hair comes great confidence.
So it only makes sense that Takkarist McKinley cited his shoulder-length dreadlocks as one of the reasons he said he can be the nation’s best pass rusher this season.
Does Takk McKinley think he can be the best pass rusher in the country? "Without a doubt" pic.twitter.com/25g7cOEHED
— Matt Joye (@mattjoye) August 11, 2016
“Without a doubt,” the senior defensive end said after practice Wednesday. “Especially because my dreads got longer. It’s finally out of the helmet. It took a while – three years. I finally did it.”
The Bruins’ offseason switch to a 4-3 scheme will also help McKinley’s cause, allowing him to attack the quarterback off the edge more often than he did last year.
“Takk did a lot of the dirty work last year in the 3-4 front,” said defensive line coach Angus McClure. “But he has abilities to rush from the outside, and lining him up on the outside every time is going to give him that opportunity… With his speed and power, he has an elite combination where he could be – he is – that explosive player.”
McKinley will also have the help of redshirt junior defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes this year. The 320-pound behemoth is returning from a torn ACL that ended his season during the opener against Virginia last year.
Vanderdoes won’t likely have the same gaudy numbers as McKinley, who said he wants to put up 15 or more sacks, but he’ll be crucial in UCLA’s newfound commitment to stopping the run.
The former five-star recruit is wearing a knee brace during fall camp as a precaution, but said he expects to have it off by the start of the season.
He turned in his best performance of fall camp thus far in Wednesday’s practice, according to defensive coordinator Tom Bradley.
“He just gives us a bigger body,” Bradley said of Vanderdoes “I mean, he’s quick. He can rush the passer. You don’t have to substitute for him. He has a lot of skill. He can play inside. He can play outside. We can move him around and he becomes a very versatile player.”
Vanderdoes will also join McKinley in rocking lengthy locks, though his unkempt look is more rugged than stylish, and in providing a dose of personality.
Midway through Bradley’s interview Wednesday, Vanderdoes snuck in behind the scrum of reporters and started making faces at the defensive coordinator.
“See what I have to put up with?” Bradley quipped.
Jokes aside, Bradley is plenty happy to have Vanderdoes back on the field.
“Obviously, he’s a heck of a football player that brings a lot to our defense,” Bradley said. “He’s someone that we count on a lot, for a lot of different things, not only the football part of it, but the leadership, the locker room, all those other things.”
With Vanderdoes and McKinley lining up in the same front, things could get pretty hairy for opposing offenses.