From Athlon Sports:
UCLA's courting of transfer quarterbacks appeared to signal that Dorian Thompson-Robinson was off to the NFL, but he surprised many in announcing a return for a fifth year as the starter. The electric dual-threat has gotten progressively better each season and is coming off All-Pac-12 honors after throwing for 2,409 yards and 21 touchdowns in the conference's highest-scoring offense. If he can go from being a West Coast name to a national one like his talent suggests, the Bruins can survive breaking in a few new names on offense.
Following Jerry Azzinaro's resignation, it was not surprising to see Kelly turn to a familiar face in Bill McGovern to be UCLA's new defensive coordinator. The longtime NFL assistant does have limited college experience calling plays but will chiefly be tasked with fixing a porous pass defense that finished at the bottom of the Pac-12.
Incremental improvement in Kelly's early tenure finally gave way to tangible results last year, but those results bring even loftier expectations on the field for 2022. UCLA boasts one of the best quarterbacks in the conference, a top-flight tailback and a defense with a much higher floor following recent staff changes. The door is clearly open for the Bruins to do more than just contend in the Pac-12 South this season, but actually delivering on that potential will require an even more meaningful step forward as a program.
Incremental improvement in Kelly's early tenure finally gave way to tangible results last year, but those results bring even loftier expectations on the field for 2022. UCLA boasts one of the best quarterbacks in the conference, a top-flight tailback and a defense with a much higher floor following recent staff changes. The door is clearly open for the Bruins to do more than just contend in the Pac-12 South this season, but actually delivering on that potential will require an even more meaningful step forward as a program.
Across 16 games in the 2020 and 2021 seasons, Thompson-Robinson threw for 33 touchdowns and 10 interceptions on 63.2% completion and a 154.7 passer rating. The 6-foot-1 signal-caller has also improved as a runner, racking up 915 yards and 12 touchdowns in that same span while surpassing Marcus Mariota for the highest career rushing grade by a Pac-12 quarterback in the PFF era.
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