The 2022 UCLA Football Preview Part 1: Can the Offense Run it Back?
UCLA has a lot of new pieces on offense, but will look to returning production to carry more of the load.
Welcome to the 2022 UCLA Football previews! In this article, we’ll be taking a look at the offense, followed by the defense, and eventually giving a game-by-game look at the upcoming season to figure out what UCLA should look like this year. Let’s get into it.
Coaching Staff
The offensive staff did not see the same level of housecleaning that the defense got, but there are some new faces over here. Offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Justin Frye is gone, taking over the offensive line spot at Ohio State, and tight ends/special teams coach Derek Sage has left as well to become the new offensive coordinator at Nevada. Replacing them are Tim Drevno on the offensive line and Jeff Faris at tight ends. Drevno has been around the block, having been on Jim Harbaugh’s coaching staffs at both Stanford and Michigan and spending time at Southern Cal before joining UCLA as an offensive analyst last year. He’s not known for exceptional recruiting but has been a solid developer of talent. Jeff Faris has spent the better part of a decade at his alma mater Duke under head coach David Cutcliffe, bouncing around different jobs before ending up as co-offensive coordinator last year. He’s known as a good developer of talent and a solid recruiter.
The most interesting change on this side of the ball is the lack of an offensive coordinator. While Justin Frye had the title of offensive coordinator last year, it was still well-known that Chip Kelly was calling the plays and was generally in charge of the offense, and this year he’s simply done away with the artifice of having someone pretend to carry that title. That said, it also frees him up to offer that promotion to anyone on staff who may be in danger of getting poached next off-season.
Ryan Gunderson (quarterbacks), DeShaun Foster (running backs), and Jerry Neuheisel (wide receivers) return from last year’s staff.
Quarterback
Dorian Thompson-Robinson is going to do something for maybe the first time in history. The senior quarterback is going for his fifth year as a starter, which he was able to do by taking advantage of his one-year COVID waiver to stick around for a final season. There were questions about whether DTR would be coming back. At one point, UCLA had secured the commitment of Dillon Gabriel from UCF to take over as a stop-gap, but once it became clear DTR was going to announce his return, Gabriel was gone to Oklahoma.
Thompson-Robinson saw a huge leap forward last year, building on the shortened 2020 season to post an efficient 2409 yards through the air and another 609 yards on the ground. Dorian played with much more confidence this past year, and the coaching staff adjusted accordingly, giving him more designed runs and letting him air the ball out more down the field, where he posted his best yards per attempt average in his career. There are always going to be some injury concerns when a quarterback plays with the kind of reckless abandon that Thompson-Robinson does, but if he can continually play up to his potential like he did last season, the Bruins should be good.
Behind him, UCLA actually has some developed options for once. Ethan Garbers looks poised to be the backup, and he got some excellent experience in starting on the road against Utah. That game was not lost due to him, and the Bruins likely feel comfortable if he is forced to play an extended amount this year, especially with him being in line to take over in 2023. Chase Griffin is also back and, while he does not have the same talent level as Garbers, his intangibles make him a compelling third option if things go awry. Down the depth chart a ways, the Bruins brought in Justyn Martin this past recruiting cycle, who has a similar skillset to Thompson-Robinson and will be given plenty of time to develop.
Running Back
This will be the Zach Charbonnet show, and with good reason. Charbonnet put up 1137 yards on 203 carries last year, and that was despite splitting time with another very good running back in Brittain Brown. By the end of the year, Charbonnet had set himself up as the lead back, but this year he will clearly be the featured back with some dark horse Heisman capability should UCLA have a great season. If Charbonnet can improve in the passing game, he will become a true multi-down threat that defenses will have to focus on.
For everyone else, this season sets up as something of an extended tryout to see who will replace Charbonnet in 2023. Keegan Jones will likely have the inside track on the backup job, as he has the most experience, but I would not count out Deshun Murrell being given more of an opportunity as well.
Receiver
Gone to the NFL is Kyle Philips, and Chase Cota has transferred to Oregon, which means Thompson-Robinson is going to need to find some new targets this year. Kam Brown is back and he was third among the wide receivers in receptions and yards. So, he should have an increased role. Also look for Logan Loya and Matt Sykes to step into the spot vacated by Cota, as they fit the same body type and talent level. And we would be remiss to forget Kazmeir Allen, who is now officially listed as a wide receiver after spending the past few years at running back. Allen had a breakout late in the season, going off for 115 yards on three receptions and adding a kick return touchdown against Southern Cal last year, and he’ll likely be counted on for an increased workload this year.
UCLA went out and found a replacement for Philips in the transfer portal, bringing in Jake Bobo from Duke. Bobo is built in a similar mold to Philips, being a speedy possession receiver who saw a sizeable increase in workload last season. It’s a bit odd that he only has three career touchdowns in four seasons, but I think that can be chalked up to the general malaise that Duke has gone through. Also joining the team this year is Titus Mokiao-Atimalala from UCF. Mokiao-Atimalala impressed in the spring and could see his snap count increase as the season goes on. The Bruins brought in a couple of freshmen as well, with Jadyn Marshall being one of the few standouts in the class. He has enough talent to play this year.
Tight End
Greg Dulcich is off to the NFL, becoming just the latest in the recent stream of UCLA tight ends to go off and play at the next level. That would all be well and good, but then the Bruins lost the services of Mike Martinez, who was revealed to have left the team sometime before fall camp started. Martinez looked like he would be in line to start this year. So, his loss is a concern.
That said, it also looks like Michael Ezeike is ready to step into the spotlight. Ezeike has had a long winding road at UCLA, starting as a wide receiver and looking like he could become a solid option on the outside in his freshman year before not playing as a sophomore and only seeing special teams action in 2020. In 2021 he made the switch to tight end and started to see the field again. He’s more of a pass-catching tight end similar to Dulcich and Caleb Wilson than a true inline tight end like Devin Asiasi was, but he’ll provide matchup nightmares across the middle for Thompson-Robinson to exploit.
That said, because Ezeike is not much of a blocking tight end, I would expect to see more of some of the other guys as well. Hudson Habermehl is a former walk-on but has the size and pass-catching ability to complement Ezeike as a more blocking-oriented player, and David Priebe looks to finally be at a playable level. Incoming freshmen Jack Pedersen and Carsen Ryan have the size and talent to develop into game-breakers with time, but they might also see some action this year as well.
Offensive Line
Here’s the big problem on offense, not just for this season but for the future. UCLA lacks playable depth, with poor recruiting and attrition really hurting the Bruins. Sean Rhyan and Alec Anderson, UCLA’s starting tackles from last year, are off to the NFL, and there are questions as to who replaces them.
One of those tackle spots at least appears to be locked down, as Rutgers transfer Raiqwon O’Neal seems to be penciled in at left tackle. O’Neal was a two-year starter for the Scarlet Knights and will provide some much-needed experience at that spot. The other tackle spot is a mystery, even this late in the game. Garrett DiGiorgio seemingly has the inside track on the spot. He played right tackle for a few games last season, but he spent the spring practicing at left tackle which feels questionable (especially since the Bruins had already gotten O’Neal’s commitment before spring practice started). Tyler Manoa, who is switching over from the defensive line for his final season, could also be a factor here, as could Josh Carlin or Bruno Fina. None of those options are ideal, however, and speak to a major depth issue at the edges.
The interior is a little better. UCLA has a solid starting group of Atonio Mafi (left guard), Duke Clemens (center), and Jon Gaines (right guard), and Sam Marrazzo looks close to full health which will at least provide some protection should something happen here (Clemens can easily move back to a guard spot should something happen to Mafi or Gaines). Benjamin Roy also looked playable this offseason, which could help. Beyond that, it’s a question mark. Jaylan Jeffers transferred in from Oregon this offseason but needs more time to develop. The same goes for Sam Yoon, the lone incoming freshman offensive lineman who will start out at tackle but feels destined to move inside just due to his size.
Overall, if this group stays healthy, it could be fine, but any injuries will cause problems in a hurry, especially at the tackle spots.
Next, we’ll look at the defense.
Go Bruins!
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As the o-line goes, so goes the team.