Yesterday, I began our UC Berkeley previews looking at some of the changes both UCLA and the Golden Bears made since last season. I deliberately decided not to go into any of the personnel changes the Bruins made because I wanted to discuss them alongside the Bears’ personnel.
So, in addition to looking at UC Berkeley’s offense today, I’m going to discuss the Bruins’ defensive personnel. As we start discussing personnel, it’s important to note that neither team published a depth chart this week in their game notes. So, I may have to make some educated assumptions as to who some of the starters might be. Take them with a grain of salt for that reason. Let’s start by looking at the Bears’ offense.
Quarterback
There’s no doubt who will start at quarterback for the Bears. It will be sophomore Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. Last season, Sagapolutele became only the second true freshman quarterback to ever start a season-opener for UC Berkeley. The other was Jared Goff in 2013.
Last season, he started all 13 games for the Bears and he completed 316-of-492 passes for 3,454 yards with 18 touchdown throws and nine interceptions. That’s an average off 24-of-38 for almost 266 yards per game with 1.38 touchdowns per game and not quite one interception per game. Those are some decent numbers for a true freshman.
The question is how will he adjust to Jordan Somerville’s offense? WriteForCalifornia indicates that Somerville is installing a “Pro-Style scheme…which will rely on his ability to make pre-snap reads that younger QBs often struggle to make.” Will a sophomore be able to accomplish that at this point in the season? I’m not so sure. So, I don’t expect Sagapolutele to torch the UCLA defense.
Junior Colorado State transfer Jackson Brosseau will back Sagapolutele up.
Running Backs
When UCLA running back Jaivian Thomas made the decision to leave UC Berkeley following the 2024 season, he left behind a rushing game which averaged just 2.76 yards per rush last year.
In an attempt to fix that issue, the Bears hit the transfer portal and they landed three transfers including Washington transfer Adam Mohammed, who was the sixth-ranked running back in the portal last season. It’s pretty safe to say that Mohammed will be the Bears’ starter this week.
They also added two more transfers in Carter Vargas, who played at UC Davis last year, and former UTEP back Ashten Emory. Both Vargas and Emory were proficient catching the ball as well last season. So, one or both of them are likely to rotate in for third downs.
Receivers
Expect a trio of transfers to start at receiver for the Bears on Saturday. Rutgers transfer Ian Strong was the sixth-ranked receiver in the portal. He will be joined by former Ohio University receiver Chase Hendricks, who joins the Bears after gaining more than 1,000 yards for the Bobcats last year. Meanwhile, Cooper Perry followed Lupoi from Oregon and he looks to be a versatile player who could also see some action on special teams.
Redshirt junior tight end Mason Mini is the one passing target for Sagapolutele who is returning from last season. That may earn him some more targets due to the quarterback’s familiarity with him. UC Berkeley also added transfers Dorian Thomas, a redshirt junior who played previously at New Mexico, and Rico Walker, who played at Purdue last year and Maryland before that.
Offensive Line
Line wins games. Unfortunately for the Bears, the offensive line only helped running backs average 2.76 yards per rush last season. Given that, it would be reasonable to assume there would be big changes on the offensive line this season. You would be incorrect.
With four of the five probable starters returning from last year, this group puts the Bears’ offensive success in doubt.
Bastian Swinney, Tyson Ruffins, and Sioape Vatikani will start in the middle of the line. Vatikani will probably be at left guard and Swinney will likely be at right guard, based on where each played most last season. Ruffins will probably be the starting center. The probably starting left tackle should be redshirt junior Frederick Williams III. He started six games last season and played in all 13 games. Finally, Mississippi State transfer Jimothy Lewis, Jr. will likely start at right tackle. Will this offensive line be able to keep Sagapolutele upright and improve the rushing attack? I’m doubtful, but regardless of what I think, it’s definitely the biggest question mark for the Bear offense.
Bruin Defense
What will UCLA’s defense look like? Expect Colin Hitschler to employ the same 4-2-5 he ran at JMU.
The defensive line may be the biggest question mark for the UCLA defense since the Bruins don’t return any starters from last season. But the transfer portal has helped bolster the group of returning defensive linemen. To be sure, JMU transfer Sahir West is a virtual lock to start. The other three linemen will likely see some mixture of transfers Aidan Gobaira, Darold DeNgohe, and Maxwell Roy combined with returners A.J. Fuimaono, Cole Cogshell, and Grant Buckey.
Meanwhile, the Bruins look solid at linebacker. Jalen Woods is back for a fifth season and he will be joined by Oklahoma transfer Sammy Omosigho and JMU transfers Trent Hendricks and Drew Spinogatti. Unfortunately, Wyatt Mosier announced his medical retirement recently.
The strongest defensive unit looks to be the secondary where Cole Martin, Rodrick Pleasant, Scooter Jackson, Robert Stafford III and Aaron Williams all return this year. Those guys will be joined by transfers Malik Hartford, Osiris Gilbert, and Derrick Barksdale among others.
Outlook
Again, I’m not convinced that UC Berkeley has an upper hand here. While the Bruin defense is filled with question marks as far as who will start come Saturday night, I don’t see the Bear offensive line creating holes for their backs, and I definitely don’t expect to see Sagapolutele to pick apart the UCLA secondary.
I think the Bruins will hold UC Berkeley under 20 points this week.
Go Bruins!!!
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Not sure what to expect from the Bruins in their season opener on the road under a brand new coaching staff and overhauled roster following last year's forgettable train wreck and football program dumpster fire. Would of course want them to get the victory against the Calimony Bears, but also see competitive fight and continuous improvement throughout the entire season. Wishing them the best of luck and good health (hopefully no major injuries!).
Go (JMUcla) Bruins!