It’s pretty difficult not to spot the guy wearing No. 10 at UCLA spring football practices.
There he is making sure he’s first in line for all the linebacking drills. There he is tussling with an offensive lineman after a particularly physical play.
Of course, it wasn’t too hard to notice Akeem Ayers last season either. The then-redshirt sophomore compiled his own highlight reel in Pac-10 play, most notably an acrobatic interception for a touchdown against Oregon that likely had wide receivers coach Reggie Moore salivating. He returned a fumble for a touchdown against Arizona State and added another “pick-six” against Temple in the EagleBank Bowl.
But this spring is a little different. While Ayers played much of last season in the shadows ““ both literally and figuratively ““ of guys like Brian Price, Jerzy Siewierski and Reggie Carter, he suddenly finds himself as the focal point of a defensive front seven that must replace five of its starters.
“It’s a new group of guys, we lost a lot of starters,” Ayers acknowledged. “But you know, nothing changed. We still have that competitive side, probably even more than last year.”
Ayers, who at times even lined up at the defensive end a season ago, will be the unquestioned leader of a linebacker unit that loses starting middle linebacker Carter and starting weak-side linebacker Kyle Bosworth.
The battle for the playing time alongside Ayers at his strong-side linebacker spot is being contested this spring, with juniors Steve Sloan and Sean Westgate getting the majority of the first-team reps. Coach Rick Neuheisel also praised the work of sophomore Patrick Larimore.
Sloan started nine games as a redshirt freshman, experience that may give him the inside track on the middle linebacker job and reunite him with a longtime acquaintance.
“He’s been my really good friend since freshman year,” Sloan said of Ayers. “We came in together, so it’s fun being next to him again.”
Aside from Sloan, redshirt senior defensive tackle David Carter and the returning starter at left end, junior Datone Jones, there is little returning experience at any of the front seven positions.
That’s where Ayers comes in: as a guy who’s being counted on to emerge as more than just a SportsCenter regular. The linebacker who outscored all but one of the wide receivers and two of the running backs last season is now, along with safety Rahim Moore, one of the primary faces of a young defense.
“I’m going to have to step up and do the little things right, and be an example to the younger players, the up-and-coming players that are out there for the first time,” Ayers said. “I really need to show what it’s like to come out and be vocal out there. Work hard, and that way I can lead by example.”
The blossoming of young players into leaders is one of the key elements of spring. Having starting quarterback Kevin Prince return is a boost for the offense; on the defensive side of the ball, the onus will be on players like Ayers and Moore to continue their development.
“There’s lots of young guys doing some fun things,” Neuheisel said. “It’s fun to see these guys look mature, and look the part, and know what lies ahead of us. Watching Rahim and Akeem run around like they’ve been there forever, that’s fun.”
The head of the UCLA football program is adamant that leadership must materialize within the team, particularly to fill the void left by Reggie Carter, Logan Paulsen, Terrence Austin and Alterraun Verner.
“They were our leaders,” Neuheisel said of last season’s captains. “So the Rahim’s, the Datone’s, the Akeem Ayers’, the Kevin Prince’s, the Nelson Rosario’s, the Taylor Embree’s, Cory Harkey ““ they’ve got to step up and be leaders. But I think they’re really excited about the challenge. They’re all certainly battle-tested. I think it will handle itself very well.”
One of the lasting images of UCLA’s 2009 season was Ayers’ interception against Oregon at the Rose Bowl, a play in which he leapt high into the air to snag the pass and managed to land in-bounds in the back of the end zone.
The talent and athleticism of No. 10 is undeniable, as is the intensity: Offensive tackle Brett Downey, with whom Ayers scrapped during Tuesday’s practice, can attest to that. But this is spring, and there is something else at stake.
The role of leader, like a pass about to be picked off, is up for grabs.