If the offensive line wasn’t already enough of a problem for UCLA head coach Chip Kelly in his return to college football, it may be a bit more of a potential hurdle with some recent departures from the program.
According to a report from Bruin Report Online, offensive linemen Alex Akingbulu, Sean Seawards and Jax Wacaser are among four players reportedly no longer with the Bruins. The fourth player in the report is punter Austin Kent. UCLA’s online roster has not been updated recently (it still includes quarterback Josh Rosen, for example), and all four players still show up online. Per the report, Akingbulu, Seawards, and Kent were told there were no spots available for them on the team this season. Wacaser reportedly took a medical retirement.
None of the players were likely to be full-time starters for UCLA this season given trends on the roster, although Akingbulu would have had a chance to find a solid role after coming back from a torn ACL. How these players still fit into UCLA’s scholarship situation is unconfirmed, and transfers are still a possibility to consider.
Regardless of where these players would have fit on the roster, the loss of three offensive linemen is always a hit on the depth chart. The offensive line will have to be a focus for Kelly and his staff on the recruiting trail as UCLA attempts to reach the same level of success Kelly experienced previously at Oregon.