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2024 UCLA football position preview: Running backs

Junior running back T.J. Harden carries the ball downfield at the Rose Bowl. (Photo by Aidan Sun/Assistant Photo editor. Design by Lindsey Murto/Design director)

By Kai Dizon

Aug. 21, 2024 11:08 a.m.

This post was updated Aug. 25 at 5:29 p.m.

Inching closer to a new era for UCLA football in the Big Ten, Daily Bruin Sports will preview each of the Bruins’ position groups prior to the season’s official start. Assistant Sports editor Kai Dizon continues the look at the offense with a dive into the running backs.

Personnel

Before DeShaun Foster was head coach, he was the Bruins’ running backs coach for seven years.

The coach’s tutelage produced UCLA football greats such as 2023 NFL second-rounder Zach Charbonnet and 2020 fourth-round pick Joshua Kelley. Foster was even hired as the Las Vegas Raiders’ running backs coach before the head coach post in Westwood became available earlier this year.

Now, Foster will team up with associate head coach and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy – another former UCLA running backs coach – at the Rose Bowl.

Both Foster and Bieniemy once tore up the gridiron as NFL running backs themselves – Foster, of course, being a former UCLA running back to boot.

But with the duo partnering up to lead the Bruins into their inaugural Big Ten season, the brain behind the running back room will be first-year running backs coach Marcus Thomas.

UCLA led the Pac-12 with 197.9 rushing yards per game in 2023. But the departure of Carson Steele – who was sixth in the conference with 847 yards on the ground – to the Kansas City Chiefs leaves a void in the Bruin backfield.

However, UCLA also rosters the Pac-12’s seventh-best rusher from 2023, T.J. Harden. The junior – a Los Angeles local – outclassed Steele in both yards per carry and total touchdowns last season, with 5.3 and eight to Steele’s 5.1 and six, respectively.

With a 142-yard performance against USC and a 105-yard showing in the LA Bowl, Harden could find himself as UCLA’s primary rusher after splitting carries with Steele last season.

Foster is also returning redshirt senior Keegan Jones behind the line of scrimmage, after former head coach Chip Kelly moved Jones to wide receiver in 2023. The 2022 second-string to Charbonnet was all but set on transferring to Connecticut in January. But Jones had a change of heart following a phone call from a newly promoted Foster, who kept him in Westwood with the promise of playing time and a return to his preferred role.

Another veteran option is redshirt senior Anthony Adkins. As the third-string running back last season, the Army West Point transfer was limited to just 30 touches but accumulated 178 total yards – outpacing Steele and Harden with 5.9 yards per carry.

A wild card for UCLA, redshirt senior Jalen Berger didn’t commit to UCLA until July 22 and only made his practice debut Thursday. Prior to his arrival in Westwood, he accumulated 1,165 rushing yards between two-year stints at both Wisconsin and Michigan State.

While Berger’s familiarity with the Big Ten could bolster the Bruins’ backfield, he is coming off a shortened 2023 campaign – in which he played just five games due to an undisclosed injury – and may be susceptible to more time on the sidelines than he’d like.

Freshman Cameron Jones, redshirt freshman Troy Leigber and redshirt junior Deshun Murrell could become legitimate options. While the running back trio has just two career collegiate games combined, Jones and Murrell were both four-star recruits as high school seniors. However, three knee surgeries – including one this summer – have limited the latter to six career rushes.

Leigber was limited to a single nine-yard rush during his redshirt season, but he boasts the title of Orange County Offensive Player of the Year on his resume. An ACL tear he sustained in spring practice, however, could leave him out of action this season.

Keegan Jones jogs on the field. The running back committed to transferring to Connecticut ahead of his redshirt senior season but ultimately decided to stay with UCLA football. (Aidan Sun/Assistant Photo editor)
Keegan Jones jogs on the field. The running back committed to transferring to Connecticut ahead of his redshirt senior season but ultimately decided to stay with UCLA football. (Aidan Sun/Assistant Photo editor)

Predictions

Ironically, Foster’s program may run the ball less than his predecessor’s, with Bieniemy’s West Coast offense more pass reliant than Kelly’s renowned up-tempo, spread scheme.

But there’s always the possibility things change come game time.

And while Foster’s focus has somewhat shifted, he may still have a hand in the running back room given his experience and heightened authority.

Additionally, Thomas worked with Foster on running backs as an offensive analyst for UCLA from 2020 to 2021 before being named director of player personnel at Navy. In 2023, Navy ranked 18th in the nation in rushing yards per game at 194.6 – just behind UCLA at 17th.

Thomas’ work with Navy’s option-heavy offense should pair nicely with his new role in Westwood.

In Harden and Jones, the Bruins have recognizable faces who’ve found success and comfort donning the blue and gold. An addition like Berger adds depth with considerable upside.

If the going gets tough for Foster and Bieniemy in the expanded Big Ten, it shouldn’t be surprising if they return to what gave them a football career – the run game.

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Kai Dizon | Assistant Sports editor
Dizon is a 2024-2025 assistant Sports editor on the baseball, men’s tennis, women’s tennis and women’s volleyball beats. He was previously a reporter on the baseball and men’s water polo beats. Dizon is a second-year ecology, behavior and evolution student from Chicago.
Dizon is a 2024-2025 assistant Sports editor on the baseball, men’s tennis, women’s tennis and women’s volleyball beats. He was previously a reporter on the baseball and men’s water polo beats. Dizon is a second-year ecology, behavior and evolution student from Chicago.
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