If UCLA football capitalizes on its momentum from last season and makes the most of a relatively weak schedule in 2022, the future could hold great things for the Bruins – both as a team and as individuals. But if the blue and gold fails to make a statement this season, change could be on the horizon. Sports Editor Sam Settleman takes a look at the potential ramifications of a “make-or-break” season for UCLA in 2022.

Make

There’s a lot on the line for the Bruins in 2022.

Coach Chip Kelly’s job security, redshirt senior quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson’s NFL future, the recruiting power of the program and more are all at stake. If this year brings success for UCLA, bright skies lie ahead for the Bruins.

Kicking it off with Kelly, the fifth-year UCLA coach bought himself some time in 2021 after leading the Bruins to an 8-4 record and their first bowl appearance behind his leadership. As a result, Kelly earned an extension to the tune of a four-year, $22 million deal.

But the new contract doesn’t grant Kelly the leverage to hit cruise control. There remain plenty of questions surrounding his ability to lead UCLA back to its glory days and turn this team into a contender, and one good year won’t erase those concerns.

That being said, the tides are starting to shift in Westwood. Kelly inherited a program in 2018 full of players that largely weren’t his, and now that the Bruins’ roster is his own creation, things have started to click. If he can string together a pair of promising seasons, Kelly could find himself a fan favorite rather than an object of ridicule.

One key figure that might help Kelly turn his image around is newly minted defensive coordinator Bill McGovern. Kelly was seemingly attached to former defensive coordinator Jerry Azzinaro, who consistently led UCLA to one of the worst passing defenses in the country. But with Azzinaro out of the picture, the Bruins’ defense could be on the mend.

McGovern, however, will put his own reputation on the line in 2022. The well-traveled defensive coordinator is making his sixth coaching stop in 10 years. The expectations certainly won’t be through the roof following the performances of Azzinaro’s defense, but if McGovern can turn UCLA’s defense into an asset rather than a liability, he could find a long-term home in Westwood.

While McGovern may be hoping for an extended stay in LA, Thompson-Robinson is hoping 2022 is the year he finally earns himself a ticket to the next level. Opting to extend his time in Westwood for a fifth season as a starter for the Bruins, the quarterback has the chance to catapult himself up NFL Draft boards if he puts together a big year.

Few quarterbacks in the country have the experience Thompson-Robinson does, especially playing under one system. The Bruins may have a new offensive coordinator and a brand new selection of weapons, but that system won’t be much different in 2022.

If Thompson-Robinson plays a season full of mistake-free football, showcases his arm talent and turns UCLA into a winning program, a spot on an NFL roster awaits him.

Another player making a push for an opportunity at the next level is senior running back Zach Charbonnet. The Michigan transfer is widely regarded as one of the best running backs in college football this season after he broke out in his first year with the Bruins with 1,137 rushing yards in a two-back offense.

Charbonnet will unquestionably be UCLA’s featured back in a run-heavy offense that’s been known to be generous to its backs. Brittain Brown found himself getting picked up in the NFL Draft last season despite being the second option with the blue and gold, while Demetric Felton and Joshua Kelley also found homes in the NFL after being the lead back in Westwood.

Kelley parlayed a 1,060-yard senior season on 229 carries into a fourth-round draft selection in 2020. Charbonnet should get even more touches than Kelley did and could easily turn himself into one of the first running backs off the board in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Across the board, 2022 is a significant year for the veterans donning the blue and gold, many of whom have stuck around through the up-and-down Kelly era. This season will be a chance to prove that continuity and chemistry have value in the game of football and that building a wealth of experience can translate into wins.

Many of the unsung heroes among the group of veterans could turn themselves into NFL-caliber players in the eyes of scouts if UCLA can turn heads this year. Players like redshirt senior linebacker Bo Calvert or redshirt senior defensive backs Mo Osling III and Stephan Blaylock could benefit greatly from a season in which the Bruins attract an audience.

But the young players have just as much to gain playing for a program on the rise. Sophomore defensive back Devin Kirkwood will have a world of opportunity as UCLA’s top cornerback in just his second collegiate season, while some young offensive linemen like redshirt freshman Garrett DiGiorgio could get a chance to shine with holes to fill.

All things considered, there’s a long list of goals that are finally within reach for the Bruins in 2022 – chief among them, a return to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1999.

Break

Anything less than an 8-4 season for the Bruins and the dominos will begin to fall.

UCLA’s 2022 schedule can best be described as a cakewalk. A noncompetitive, nonconference slate should have the Bruins off to a 3-0 start, while the blue and gold will face two of its top three opponents at home this season. A road contest against Oregon might prove to be the Bruins’ biggest test on the schedule.

That being said, the Bruins can’t lose easy games. In 2021, they were on the verge of making a push into the top 10 of the national rankings with an undefeated start in nonconference play before falling apart in the final moments of a game against Fresno State. Two games later, Arizona State ran UCLA out of its own stadium.

While that season was largely considered a success for the Bruins anyway, 8-4 won’t cut it this year. The expectations have risen, and the competition has weakened.

It all starts with the nonconference slate. Kelly didn’t win a single nonconference game with the Bruins until last season – going 0-6 in such contests prior to 2021. But with Bowling Green, Alabama State and South Alabama coming to the Rose Bowl in September, UCLA will have to start 3-0, or the questions about Kelly’s qualifications will come flooding back.

While McGovern may not be fielding any questions about his job security three games into the season, he won’t be given a ton of leeway when it comes to transforming the Bruins’ defense. He and new inside linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr. were brought in to instill experience and infuse energy into the UCLA defense, and the Bruin faithful will settle for no less.

Azzinaro proved to be the fall guy for years of underachievement on the defensive side of the ball, and McGovern could quickly find himself in the same spot.

UCLA had one of the top scoring offenses in the country last year, so it doesn’t need a lockdown defense to be a contender. McGovern simply needs to reform the pass defense and eliminate the massive coverage breakdowns – otherwise, life in Westwood might not be so sunny anymore.

On the other side of the ball, Thompson-Robinson needs to do exactly the same – avoid the big mistakes. The signal caller earned a reputation as a turnover-prone, erratic quarterback early in his collegiate career, but he’s since proven he can be a consistent game manager with refined decision-making.

There’s no doubt he has the physical tools necessary to be a solid pro. But if Thompson-Robinson reverts back to old habits in 2022, and the Bruins put together a lackluster season, he could see himself sliding down – or off – NFL Draft boards quickly.

Thompson-Robinson isn’t the only veteran who stands to lose big if UCLA doesn’t win big. Whether it’s returning upperclassmen who stuck it out or eager transfers who bet on the Bruins, there’s a lot of players whose football futures will be decided in 2022.

A player on the fringe of getting some looks at the pro level could put himself on the radar of NFL scouts with a successful campaign for UCLA but could just as easily find himself out of the conversation with a mediocre showing.

But 2022 means just as much for the future of the program as it does for its current players. Kelly has notoriously shown little interest in recruiting freshmen compared to other top programs across the country, which means the Bruins might have to bank on their on-field success to draw recruits instead.

In a few months, Thompson-Robinson and Charbonnet will be moving on, as will a large contingent of leaders on both sides of the ball. A new era of UCLA football is on the horizon, but with a relatively small group of promising underclassmen on the roster, the blue and gold could find itself quickly slipping back into the losing days of Kelly’s early years with the Bruins.

On the heels of its first winning season under Kelly, this is the year for UCLA to put it all together. If not, the program that’s finally built itself back up will begin to crumble once again.