Freshman running back Bolu Olorunfunmi impresses in scrimmages

SAN BERNARDINO — Jim Mora saw it coming.

The UCLA coach had been raving all training camp long about an incoming freshman running back. It wasn’t five-star prospect Soso Jamabo – it was two-star recruit Bolu Olorunfunmi.

“Bolu, you know, I think that kid has a chance to be a really special back,” Mora said on Aug. 13.

“He’s got good power and change of direction and he’s much quicker and faster than I thought he would be,” Mora said on Thursday afternoon. “He’s been very impressive.”

In Friday night’s open scrimmage, Olorunfunmi showed exactly why Mora said those things.

The Bruin freshman ran all over UCLA’s first-team defense, even though he was playing behind the second-team offensive line. On his first play from scrimmage, he caught a pass in the flat and charged down the field for a 12-yard gain.

Later, he provided the crowd of 150-plus spectators with the best highlight play of the night.

He burst through the B gap on the right side of the line, shed at least two tackles and exploded into the secondary, where he juked out two more players. Olorunfunmi finally went down, but not until three defenders gang tackled him.

Olorofunmi performed so well in the scrimmage that the coaches eventually moved him to the blue team – which was composed entirely of first teamers.

After finishing the night with six carries for approximately 60 yards, there’s a good chance that Olorunfunmi will remain in the mix with the first-teamers. UCLA still has Jamabo and the Pac-12’s reigning rush leader in redshirt junior Paul Perkins, but neither of them have the attributes that Olorunfunmi has.

At 5 foot 10 inches and 220 pounds, Olorunfunmi is the heaviest on the roster, and he even possesses fleet footedness and a smooth stride to boot.

“The thing you notice about Bolu is when he gets in the open field, he’s smooth and he’s elusive and he’s got long speed,” Mora said after the scrimmage.

Quarterback report

Throughout the fall, redshirt junior Jerry Neuheisel has steadily gained ground on incoming freshman Josh Rosen in the quarterback competition. He continued to do that in Friday’s scrimmage.

Neuheisel went 10-for-13 for approximately 100 yards and a touchdown, playing solely with the first-teamers against the second-team defense. Neuheisel had another pass that landed in the hands of a diving Thomas Duarte in the endzone, but the junior wide receiver couldn’t hang on.

Rosen’s day was a bit rougher. Playing with the first-team offense against the second-team defense, Rosen ended up with two fumbles – both of which came on plays with low snaps from junior center/guard Alex Redmond – and one interception. Rosen’s final stat line was 11-for-21 with 110 yards, a touchdown and that one interception.

After watching the scrimmage, and Neuheisel’s superior statistical performance, Mora was still not ready to name his starting quarterback.

“I would love to make that decision, but to be perfectly frank, we’re not ready to make that decision yet,” Mora said.

Mora added that he would like to make the decision by next weekend, but said it may take until 12:30 p.m. on Sept. 5, when UCLA faces off against Virginia in the season opener.

Compiled by Matthew Joye, Bruin Sports senior staff. Contributing reports by Claire Fahy, Bruin Sports senior staff, and Vikram Sairam, Bruin Sports reporter.