Ahead of Tuesday morning’s fall camp practice, UCLA head coach Chip Kelly was blunt about position competitions at quarterback, center and running back. “We’re still just trying to figure out who our top guys are at each position,” he told reporters.
Kelly revealed there’s no set day of when the starting quarterback will be announced and that the decision will take place organically based on performance. Former backup Devon Modster, Michigan grad transfer Wilton Speight and star Bishop Gorman recruit Dorian Thompson-Robinson highlight the battle. “It’s a position of experience,” Kelly said.
The Bruin coaches are focused on getting each player high repetitions throughout camp so that everyone gets snaps. There’s no clear favorite in the competition for starting running back, and same goes for center. The process is the same for each position battle.
Chris Murray, who normally plays offensive guard, has been getting snaps in at center. Elsewhere on the UCLA offensive line, sophomores Jake Burton and Michael Alves are hoping to take the Bruins offense to the next level under Kelly. Burton saw five games of action in 2017, while Alves started all 13 games at offensive guard.
Blake Atwell is a multimedia journalist and sophomore at Santa Monica College.
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