The UCLA football team finished the 2023 season with a highly touted pass rush but enters the 2024 season with that same position group being labeled as one of the team’s biggest question marks.
Defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe and defensive line coach Tony Washington Jr. have expressed confidence in a group that will be asked to help make up for the loss production from several players who decided to forgo any remaining eligibility to pursue the NFL.
Redshirt junior Devin Aupiu is expected to earn his first career start in the season opener on the road against Hawai’i on Aug. 31.
“I feel great,” Aupiu said. “I’ve been learning under some good players, some good coaches for the past three years so I feel like I’m ready to step up and take that next step.”
Aupiu spent the past three seasons as a reserve defensive lineman and saw his heaviest workload on the field during his first two seasons with the Bruins after transferring from Notre Dame.
He played six games in 2021 and eight games in 2022 before the Pacifica High alumnus was limited to just two games last season.
Following the departure of Laiatu Latu, Carl Jones Jr. and Gabriel and Grayson Murphy, there was an opportunity this offseason for Aupiu to take on a bigger role.
Navy transfer Jacob Busic is expected to start on the opposite end from Aupiu.
Busic adds a level of experience to the group, having played in 28 games over the past four years. Busic was an All-American Athletic Conference honorable mention in 2022.
Luke Schuermann also adds depth to the room as a transfer from Division 3’s Johns Hopkins.
“I feel like a lot of us are looked at as, like, a ragtag group just put together,” Aupiu said. “It definitely adds a motivational factor for us to kind of go get it and be our own players, be our own kind of group. Trying to create the same type of pass rush, just in a different way.”
Malloe and Washington continue to look for the best fit up front, having tried different combinations of players.
“I wouldn’t even say I have a clear idea of who’s going to be doing what this year,” Washington said. “I know we have a lot of guys with a lot of different experience and a lot of different athletic abilities, so it’s going to be interesting how we can manipulate that on the field, but I’m excited for where we’re at and I’m looking forward to even more how we can continue to grow throughout these last few weeks of camp.”
Linebacker Oluwafemi Oladejo has been spotted since the spring taking reps at defensive end and linebacker Kain Medrano was seen taking reps on the line during UCLA’s open practice on Saturday.
“Just getting comfortable at both, being versatile, staying an athlete and going wherever the team needs,” said Oladejo, who spent some time at defensive end in high school. “Just technique. More technique and just learning but overall once again staying an athlete, staying versatile.”
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The UCLA coaching staff has also worked out Collins Acheampong at different positions throughout training camp.
Acheampong was a limited participant throughout spring camp as he was spotted off to the side working on his conditioning upon his arrival after spending last season with the Miami Hurricanes.
“Collins is a guy that can do both, so we’re challenging him to do both,” Washington said. “I know he’s been out dealing with injuries in the past, so trying to get him back in the groove, shake off the rust, and he’s accepted the challenge.”
Florida A&M transfer Cherif Seye is the latest defensive lineman the coaching staff is working on getting acclimated to the Bruins’ system. He hasn’t fully participated after starting training camp late.
