LOS ANGELES — When Nico Iamaleava signed with UCLA football, a slew of passing targets appeared primed for potentially flourishing seasons.
Kwazi Gilmer, coming off a freshman campaign where he swerved his way into a likely top wide receiver role with 345 receiving yards and two touchdowns, has been at the hip of his new quarterback since he arrived at the end of spring.
Mikey Matthews, the Cal transfer who posted career highs in Berkeley before trekking to Westwood for his final year of college football eligibility, showcased swift cuts and speed during the Bruins’ Costa Mesa practices.
And Kaedin Robinson, who followed quarterback Joey Aguilar to UCLA from Appalachian State – before Aguilar departed for Tennessee to replace Iamaleava in Rocky Top – had a clear-cut opportunity to lead the team in targets as he hoped to be cleared for a fifth and final year of eligibility.
UCLA football spent Wednesday’s practice without all three receivers on the field. Gilmer and Matthews did not suit up in pads Wednesday morning at Drake Stadium, although coach DeShaun Foster said the duo were resting.
When asked if Gilmer and Matthews were being held out due to heart-monitor devices, Foster confirmed they were, adding that it was Catapult devices, an “athlete monitoring system – according to its website – that uses data to help improve performance.
Robinson won’t even get the opportunity to suit up in blue and gold.
A U.S. District Court judge denied the former All-Sun Belt first-teamer a preliminary injunction Monday, ending his case to play for UCLA in 2025. One wideout eliminated from season plans – and two in limbo.
Would Robinson’s unavailability change the team’s plans on offense? Foster swiftly shut down that notion Wednesday.
“It’s not changing anything,” Foster said. “He hasn’t been here. There isn’t anything to change.”
Shrinking depth left Ezavier Staples and Titus Mokiao-Atimalala as the two wide receivers on the field for 11-on-11 walk-throughs during the media-watching period (which was a singular play) on Wednesday. Staples has one career catch (which came in 2023), while Mokiao-Atimalala tallied the sixth-most receiving yards (294) on the team a year ago.
Marks sits again
Offensive lineman and Hawai’i/Tulsa transfer Tai Marks did not suit up for practice again Wednesday. Marks has yet to get out on the field with his teammates during fall practice since transferring to UCLA during the Costa Mesa fall camp.
Foster said Marks’ absence has to do with him being “cleared to be ready to go,” adding that it is not an NCAA eligibility issue, but rather physical.
Backup QB still up for grabs
Foster remained mum about naming a backup to Iamaleava, but shared how he’s viewing the battle for playing time behind the Tennessee transfer signal caller Wednesday.
“It’s still up for grabs,” Foster said. “I don’t want to say that somebody has taken a step forward, but I think that [redshirt sophomore Luke Duncan] is trying to take advantage of these opportunities. I would say [redshirt sophomore Pierce Clarkson] is doing the same thing.”
Duncan, a redshirt sophomore from Orinda High in Miramonte, Calif., has been at UCLA since 2023. Clarkson transferred from Louisville in December and spent the spring with Ole Miss before decommitting and returning to Los Angeles. The redshirt sophomore from St. John Bosco High played three games in two seasons for Louisville.
When asked if it was between Duncan and Clarkson for the backup quarterback role, Foster said he’s still considering other players. Freshman Madden Iamaleava, the younger brother of Nico Iamaleava, was also seen as a potential backup option, after he played some reps on 11-versus-11 drills during fall camp media-watching periods in Costa Mesa.
Notes
Spaulding Field, where UCLA football would normally practice if it were not undergoing renovations to replace the turf fields with one 100-yard grass field and two 50-yard turf fields, will “probably” be ready by the end of September, Foster said.
UCLA did not make players available to the media after practice Wednesday.