Agude, Jackson bringing positive mindset to defense
Members of the UCLA defense have embraced coach Chip Kelly’s “one day at a time” mindset in preparation for the 2021 football season, but the experienced group is confident in what it can do with 10 returning starters.
Kelly must lean on those returning players, such as outside linebackers Mitchell Agude and Myles Jackson, to help make up for the lost production from defensive lineman Osa Odighizuwa, who decided to forgo his final year of eligibility and was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in April.
Odighizuwa was a consensus first-team All-Pac-12 selection, recording 30 tackles (including six for a loss) and four sacks in 2020.
“Our defense is flying around the ball,” Agude said. “We are making plays and causing turnovers. We just need to be attentive in everything that we do.”
Agude, who transferred from Riverside City College in 2020, played a key role for a Bruins defense that led the Pac-12 in tackles for a loss (48) and sacks (19). He led UCLA with nine tackles for loss and was the only Bruin to have a tackle for loss in all seven games during the pandemicshortened season.
“I’m not filling (Osa’s) shoes,” Agude said. “I’m just trying to be the best player I can be and making sure I’m working on getting better everyday.”
Jackson was listed behind Agude on the depth chart to begin the 2020 season as a true freshman but his season was cut short after recording just one tackle in the season opener.
Jackson missed the final six games of the season with a knee injury that required surgery. He tweeted last week that he had been medically cleared to return.
“I tried to stay positive,” Jackson said. “I tried to stay in my playbook, be around the team and attend walk-throughs.
“Above all, I had to attack rehab because I knew being negative about it wasn’t going to help me or my team.”
Kelly has praised Jackson for his ability to overcome the injury and make his return.
“The thing that has jumped out to me about Myles has been his attitude and mindset,” Kelly said. “He has a maturity about him. … The stage wasn’t too big for him.”
Garbers’ status
The Pac-12 Conference’s CEO Group unanimously decided to eliminate the intraconference transfer rule.
The announcement is encouraging news for Bruins quarterback Ethan Garbers, who transferred in from Washington.
Washington could still block Garbers’ transfer waiver, forcing him to sit out the upcoming season and serve one academic year in residence at UCLA before being permitted to compete.
“From my understanding with Ethan it has something to do with the national letter of intent and year of residency,” Kelly explained earlier this month. “I’ve heard it’s something Washington can waive if they choose too, but we’ll find out where we land.
“It would be pretty unfair if Ethan is the only kid in the country that has to sit out.”
Garbers was an early enrollee at Washington in April 2020 and transferred to UCLA in January 2021.
Colson Yankoff, who transferred to UCLA in 2019, had to sit out a season after Washington blocked his transfer waiver.
Kelly said Garbers has “looked sharp and has picked things up quickly” while taking snaps throughout spring camp, despite the uncertainty of his eligibility status.
The Bruins have made the most of the two practice fields available, allowing Garbers and true freshman Kajiya Hollawayne to get some repetitions throughout spring camp.
Starting quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and backup Chase Griffin are the Bruins’ most experienced players at the position and taking their fair share of snaps.
“The only way quarterbacks get better is with reps,” Kelly said. “We have a lot of guys at the position, so that’s why we are using two fields. I’ve been pleased with those guys.”
Double duty
Defensive back JonJon Vaughns has spent most of spring with UCLA’s baseball program as an outfielder.
Vaughns hit a three-run home run to right field in the bottom of the seventh inning of UCLA’s 11-3 nonconference victory over UC Santa Barbara on Sunday.