Early look: What to like about No. 25 UCLA in 2017
Each week, USA TODAY Sports will give a more detailed look at the teams listed on our early top 25 for the 2017 college football season.
Up first: No. 25 UCLA. Fresh off a 4-8 season, the Bruins are expected to rebound and contend for the Pac-12 Conference South Division and a potential Rose Bowl berth.
Why No. 25?
1. Josh Rosen. The former five-star recruit has struggled to match some substantial expectations, particularly during a sophomore season almost completely lost to injury. If healthy, however, Rosen is one of college football’s most talented quarterbacks, and reason alone for UCLA to rebound from this past season’s 4-8 finish and contend for a Rose Bowl berth.
2. Another strong recruiting class. UCLA will have close strong on national signing day itself, following a trend set during Jim Mora’s five seasons with the program. The in-progress class already counts a number of impressive recruits, including Calabasas, Calif., defensive back Darnay Holmes, who has the athleticism to be a star on either side of the ball.
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3. One-year blip. It’s difficult to ignore last year’s record: 4-8, one game out of last in the Pac-12 South Division. But the Bruins had won at least eight games in each of Mora’s first four seasons, with back-to-back top-16 finishes in the Amway Coaches Poll from 2013-14, making 2016 seem more like an outlier than a sign of what’s to come.
Why not higher?
1. Another change at offensive coordinator. The Bruins are in danger of wasting Rosen’s talents by parading through three different offensive coordinators during his three seasons with the program. The latest, former Michigan assistant Jedd Fisch, comes with a solid pedigree but will represent yet another change in leadership on the offensive side of the ball.
2. Losses on defense. The Bruins’ incoming talent will help offset the losses on defense, highlighted by the daunting hole left by senior defensive end Takkarist McKinley – a likely first-round draft pick whose breakout 2016 season was largely ignored among his team’s disappointing record. UCLA must also replace its leading tackler, linebacker Jayon Brown, and a good portion of its secondary rotation.
3. Long road on the offensive line. It’s almost impossible to imagine, but here you go: UCLA had 345 carries in 2016 and amounted for just 1,011 rushing yards – averaging as a team just 2.93 yards per carry. Don’t look for any massive offseason leap from one of college football’s least imposing offensive lines, though the fact that UCLA returns nearly every meaningful contributor from last year’s rotation is cause for some optimism. Not a lot of optimism, but some.
Biggest games
► UCLA at Southern California, Nov. 18
► UCLA at Washington, Oct. 28
► UCLA vs. Colorado, Sept. 30
Three players to know
1. RB Soso Jamabo. Last year’s leading rusher, Jamabo can be equally impactful as an option in UCLA’s passing game.
2. LB Kenny Young. With losses dotting the front seven, Young will need to put together an all-conference season on the second level.
3. DL Jacob Tuioti-Mariner. With no single McKinley-like standout – as of now, at least – it’ll take a group effort along the defensive line. Tuioti-Mariner had another solid if unspectacular season in 2016.