Rarely do you see a freshman safety make an impact on a college football team in his first season ““ whether it be a physical impact on a receiver or an impact on the team as a whole ““ and UCLA freshman safety Dietrich Riley has done his best to do both during the first three weeks of fall practice.
Riley, one of many talented rookies clawing their way up the Bruins’ depth chart, flashes not only reliable cover skills but also a knack for hitting, and hitting hard.
Just don’t fall into the trap of dubbing the young safety ““ who could be seen soaking in all he could from the sidelines as far back as spring ball ““ a one-trick pony.
“I’ve always been known as a hard hitter, but I don’t want people to forget about my cover abilities,” Riley said. “The game is changing, you have to be able to cover and not just be a hard-hitting safety.”
The freshman sounds wise beyond his years, perhaps a reflection of the overall maturity of this year’s class. Particularly on a defense that lost a number of key cogs to graduation and thus has a fairly wide-open depth chart, the freshmen have a chance to make an impact and have seized the opportunity.
It’s a class that coach Rick Neuheisel has called “absolutely excellent,” and it’s a class whose members enjoy being among their talented peers.
“It’s been real fun,” freshman defensive end Owamagbe Odighizuwa said. “Playing football, getting closer ”“ I think it’s going to be real nice when our class gets older and more experienced.”
For now though, Neuheisel and his staff are searching for glimpses of potential and a willingness to compete. That said, it isn’t out of the question that some of the freshman defenders might make significant on-field contributions when the season comes around.
Riley will likely back up junior Tony Dye at strong safety, and Odighizuwa could be in line for more playing time after UCLA lost junior Datone Jones for an undetermined amount of time. Defensive tackle Cassius Marsh, linebacker Jordan Zumwalt and cornerback Anthony Jefferson have also impressed.
“This freshman class is very special,” Riley said. “We came here to help rebuild and hopefully win multiple championships.”
One of the more noticeable qualities of this class is its ability to run and make plays, something that has been a focus of Neuheisel’s in recruiting. Most of the freshmen have had a relatively smooth transition because they’re ready for what is generally one of the biggest adjustments in moving up a level of football: the speed.
“I’ll be able to get acclimated to the speed of the game,” said Jefferson, who has a 4.5 40-yard-dash time and an impressive showing at fall camp to back up his claim. “I’ll be good once I get a game or two under my belt. Right now it’s just about getting all the details of the game down.”
With so much talent at their disposal and so much uncertainty on the defensive side of the ball, the next decision for the UCLA coaching staff is whether to redshirt some of their rookies. Because of the depth in the secondary, a player like Jefferson could spend this season gaining experience in practice and maintaining his eligibility.
Then again, their potential impacts may be too hard to pass up.
“You would love to have a chance, like wine, to let them mature,” Neuheisel said of potentially redshirting freshmen. “But it isn’t always the case, and sometimes they play their way onto the team. I mean, guys are doing that right now.”