LOS ANGELES — The UCLA football team has enviable depth at the wide receiver position with seven players who could realistically get into games.
“Every one of those guys,” Bruins receivers coach Erik Frazier said, “they have made play after play during camp. And not just flashed a day or whatever the case may be. There’s consistency there and that’s the biggest thing.”
J.Michael Sturdivant and Logan Loya are the only returners with significant playing time and contributions, but the return of a healthy Titus Mokiao-Atimalala offers promise as does transfer Rico Flores Jr.
Sturdivant, a redshirt junior, remains the fastest receiver in the group and could have a significant uptick in his production from last season’s 597 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 36 receptions in new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy’s multi-faceted, NFL-style offense.
“I’m comfortable doing anything,” Sturdivant said. “EB (Bieniemy) does a good job of moving all of us around whether we’re the one, the two, the three. So it’s good. Really good to be comfortable playing inside and outside.”
Mokiao-Atimalala isn’t far behind Sturdivant in terms of speed. The redshirt junior was poised to be a critical tool in the Bruins’ offense last season but never made it into a game due to injury.
Flores Jr. brings maturity and experience as a sophomore after transferring from Notre Dame. Frazier said redshirt freshman Carter Shaw and redshirt sophomore Braden Pegan have undergone noticeable improvements in the spring and fall.
Kwazi Gilmer, a freshman early enrollee from Sierra Canyon High, is pushing the group. He made a one-handed catch during a one-on-one drill during Saturday’s open practice and has been targeted by quarterback Ethan Garbers multiple times in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills.
“He’s pushing to do some things right away,” Frazier said. “I’m excited to see how he grows as a player because he has a very high ceiling and he can run all day. He’s full speed all the time. I’d rather tell a guy to slow down than have to tell them to play faster.”
Loya, a redshirt senior, was the most productive receiver last season with 655 yards and five touchdowns on 59 catches while also returning punts.
Experience and proven productivity are helpful, but anything seems possible in this season’s offense.
“I don’t want to handcuff any guys and just say you’re this and you’re that, you’re an inside guy, you’re an outside guy,” Frazier said. “The guys have the versatility to show that they can play in the slot, play outside, be a jack of all trades and be a guy who can do things with. And we’re gonna put those guys in that position to do that.”
Expanded student section
UCLA Athletics and The Den announced Wednesday afternoon that the Rose Bowl will feature an expanded student section this season that will be directly behind the opponents’ bench.
The addition will make UCLA the only Big Ten team with students directly behind the bench.
“When we go on the road and they have their student section behind us, they definitely talk a lot,” Sturdivant said. “It’d be cool to have them have to go through that when they come to the Rose Bowl.”
The new section will stretch from sections 2 through 6 and will be standing room only, similar to what’s seen at soccer stadiums. The first seven rows will be reserved for students and be separated with rails for safety and leaning. Sections 6 through 10 will also remain student sections.
It’s unknown how full the student sections will initially be this season. UCLA’s first home game is Sept. 14 against Indiana in the Bruins’ Big Ten Conference debut. The school’s fall quarter doesn’t begin until Sept. 23.
Frazier’s résumé gap
Frazier was an offensive skill assistant with the Tennessee Titans in 2021 and 2022, but was released by the team ahead of the 2023 season. He used the time to support his wife, who was pregnant at the time.
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“It was a blessing in disguise,” he said. “I had a chance to sit back and view football from a different scope, but I was able to spend time with her, be there with her through that whole thing. She’s been there for me and with me every step of the way ever since I got into coaching 11 years ago.”
He had a connection with Bieniemy through an internship with the Kansas City Chiefs while Bieniemy was coaching there. The two built a connection that was strong enough for the offensive coordinator to suggest bringing him on as a coach at UCLA.
“I gravitated toward him a lot,” Frazier said. “He has made an impact on me and how I coach and the way I do things. He’s a great mentor of mine.”
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