Spring practice tests players in new offensive, defensive roles

It’s been almost two years since Nate Iese made his third and seemingly final position change at UCLA.

In fall 2013, the then-redshirt freshman made the switch from defensive line to F-back, a position he’s settled into.

“(The position change to F-back) was a little fresh for me; a different position than I was used to playing, but I feel all the more natural with it,” Iese said.

But as of spring practice this year, Iese’s role in UCLA’s offense is still up in the air. It’s not that his position is changing once again; it’s just evolving.

“I think we’ll be expanding that role a little bit more this season,” Iese said. “I’m expecting to get a lot more opportunities with the ball. So I’m excited about that.”

Over the past two seasons, Iese has been one of UCLA’s most underutilized assets on offense. At 6-feet-3 and 250 pounds, Iese overpowers many defensive backs. And with his nimble feet and running back-like speed, Iese is a mismatch for most linebackers and defensive linemen.

But a mismatch doesn’t necessarily guarantee targets. In 13 games last year, Iese had only 12 catches for 70 yards, usually serving as a tertiary receiving option on UCLA’s pass plays. The year before that, he had an even smaller role, recording just one catch at Nebraska that went for 3 yards and a touchdown.

Heading into the 2015 season, however, Iese is seeing an uptick in reps, particularly in passing packages.

“They’ve been putting me in a lot more during team pass or (when) we’re running routes and I’m getting a lot of good looks,” he said.

Iese has seen some time in the slot and some time in his usual F-back position so far during spring camp, sprinkled in with some reps at tight end. It’s a role similar to the one Julius Thomas has played for the Denver Broncos over the past two years, Iese said.

Regardless of where Iese is playing on the offense, one thing remains relatively constant.

“I’m a mismatch,” Iese said. “So I think (the coaches) take that into recognition and they allow me to run a lot more routes and give me a lot more opportunities – especially in the red zone.”

Defense making noise

Thursday’s practice was relatively quiet as far as UCLA football spring practices go. There was no music blasting from the speakers, players weren’t wearing pads and practice got out about 20 minutes before 9 a.m.

However, there was one play that got at least a few players fired up on the otherwise mellow day.

During 7-on-7s, sophomore linebacker Kenny Young blitzed off the edge as redshirt junior quarterback Jerry Neuheisel took the snap from the shotgun. When Neuheisel turned to his right to throw in the flat, Young was right there, hands in the air.

The Bruin linebacker batted the ball upward, leapt to intercept it, and then took it back to the end zone for a rare spring-practice pick six. There to join Young in the end zone was junior linebacker Myles Jack, who serenaded Young with a couple of yells and laughs.

Coincidentally, when defensive coordinator Tom Bradley was asked after practice if any specific defensive players stood out to him on film, he was focused on not giving his players any more reason to celebrate.

“Yeah, (some players stood out), but I’m not gonna tell you that ’cause I’m gonna keep ‘em humble,” Bradley said with a laugh. “I like to keep ‘em humble a little while longer anyway.”

Defense making changes

There have been a few position changes in the UCLA defense so far this spring, with Jack moving to inside linebacker and sophomore Najee Toran moving from offensive line to defensive line. Included among those changes is Cameron Judge’s move to outside linebacker.

Over the last two years, the junior has technically been considered a linebacker on UCLA’s roster, but his in-game role has been reserved for special teams. However, Judge said outside linebacker is his primary spot now, as evidenced by the 15 pounds he gained to be appropriately sized for the position.

Now that Judge has the 224-pound frame of an outside linebacker, he said he must learn the mentality of one.

“(I need to be) just more physical at the point of attack with the linemen and stuff – that was something that I kind of struggled with at first,” Judge said. “I feel like I’ve been getting better over the course of spring, but there’s always room for improvement.”