Kelly, taking it one day at a time, happy to have Thompson-robinson returning

LOS ANGELES >> Fresh off an 8-4 season that earned him a contract extension through 2025, UCLA head football coach Chip Kelly used a Tiktok reference Thursday to explain why last year’s momentum may not necessarily carry over to the coming season.

“We’re in a society now where what you did yesterday doesn’t matter,” Kelly said in his first media availability of spring practice. “So it’s about coming out here consistently on a daily basis, understanding and embracing the process and really just having a great Thursday. We think like Tiktokers, so we’ve got about a 10-second brain mentality.”

For a period during the offseason, Kelly’s future with the Bruins was uncertain. He reportedly was considered for the vacant Oregon job as he approached what would have been a lame-duck year at UCLA.

Now armed with a vote of confidence from the UCLA brass in the form of four more guaranteed years, along with the return of arguably his two most important stars in quarterback Dorian Thompson-robinson and 1,000-yard rusher Zach Charbonnet, Kelly enters the 2022 season with expectations as high as they’ve been since he took over the program four years ago.

Just don’t ask him to expand on them yet.

“We’re not even talking about expectations,” Kelly said. “We’re talking about Thursday. We’re short-term thinkers. Again, we’re in the Tiktok world. We’re concerned about today.”

The 58-year-old was also nonchalant when asked about whether receiving a contract extension was a sign of validation. The 2021 season was Kelly’s first winning season in Westwood.

“I view that as I come to work every day and my day hasn’t changed since I’ve been here,” Kelly said. “I came here to give every effort that I can to be a part of this great school in this great community and I’m just excited to be here.”

But at least one of Kelly’s veterans views last season’s success as the new standard.

“That’s the standard we treat ourselves to as players and what the coaches always talk about,” Bruins offensive lineman Duke Clemens said. “Now, we can say (8-4 is) going to be the worst season we had. Because this upcoming year, we’re going to be better. That’s the new standard. Anything below that, that’s not what we want.”

Kelly will have to work in some new faces in key positions, but the veteran Thompson-robinson returning under center solves a lot of potential problems.

“The experience factor is something you can’t teach,” Kelly said. “To have a quarterback, really a leader, to be experienced coming back in year five is a really good boost for us.”

Kelly actually encouraged Thompson-robinson to declare for the NFL draft, advising him that the upcoming draft isn’t too loaded at the quarterback position. Kelly said Thompson-robinson would’ve likely been selected and had a good chance at making an NFL team this year.

“We wanted him back,” Kelly said. “We wanted him back in the worst way. But I can’t tell him for our selfish reasons, ‘We need you back and you shouldn’t go.’”

Thompson-robinson decided to stay, temporarily forgoing his NFL dreams for one more year under Kelly and a chance to sustain back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in their UCLA careers.

Notes

The coaching staff made the decision to move defensive lineman Tyler Manoa to right tackle in the offseason because of depth at the defensive tackle position and wanting to put the 6-foot4, 300-pound senior in the best position to see the field. ... Kelly described linebacker Ale Kaho, who was seen on a knee scooter during Tuesday’s practice, as “unavailable.” ... Azizi Hearn, a cornerback transfer from Wyoming, arrived at UCLA on Monday and has had “as good a three days as you could have,” Kelly said.