UCLA’s celebration of the first win of the Chip Kelly era has been muted a bit by a pair of injuries, one on each side of the ball.
Kelly confirmed Monday that linebacker Jaelan Phillips and running back Soso Jamabo will miss the remainder of the 2018 season. Both players have been ruled out because of concussions, ESPN.com reported.
Because of the new NCAA redshirt rules, both players could save this season’s eligibility as neither has played in more than four games in 2018. Heading into this season, Phillips and Jamabo had been expected to be key contributors, although that never came to fruition for various reasons.
Phillips, who was injured in an offseason scooter accident, started the first two games of the season but was a backup the next two. The Los Angeles News writes that "[h]e has not been seen on the practice field or the sideline during games since after UCLA’s loss [to Colorado] on Sept. 28.”
Jamabo was suspended for the first two games of the season. After returning from that punitive measure, he totaled just 12 yards on five carries in three games. Coming into the year, the fourth-year senior had totaled 1,182 yards and 13 touchdowns on 243 carries.
Both players were five-star signees. Phillips was the No. 1-rated recruit in the country for the Class of 2017 on 247Sports.com‘s composite board, while Jamabo was the No. 2 running back in the country in 2015.