UCLA Football

UCLA announced a six-year agreement with Nike on Tuesday for the company to outfit the majority of its athletic teams, with Jordan Brand covering football, men's basketball and women's basketball.

The school revealed the news in a video narrated by former Bruins stars Russell Westbrook and Jordin Canada:

It’s Time.
https://t.co/TI8pIbvHlM
@UCLA x @Nike x @jumpman23 pic.twitter.com/zJlKMa3g0u

— UCLA Athletics (@UCLAAthletics) December 8, 2020

"UCLA Athletics is elite, and our student-athletes deserve every resource in their pursuit of excellence. We sought to work with the best in the world; that is Nike and Jordan Brand," athletic director Martin Jarmond said in the release.

The news comes amid a lawsuit against Under Armour after the company broke its 15-year, $280 million deal to provide apparel for UCLA, initially signed in 2016.

UCLA said in October it would remain with Under Armour for the remainder of the 2020-21 seasons because there was not enough time to get a new deal in place.

The school now has a new partner, which will provide uniforms, footwear, apparel and equipment to the 25 teams.

UCLA will now become the first school to wear Jumpman in the Pac-12, while only four other schools in the country (Michigan, North Carolina, Florida and Oklahoma) use the company for football, per Front Office Sports.

The new gear will be available in fall 2021.

UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson won't play in Saturday's game at Oregon.

Per Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports and The Athletic, Thompson-Robinson's absence will be due to contact tracing related to COVID-19 testing, but he didn't test positive for the virus.

Thompson-Robinson tweeted Saturday morning that he would miss the game "for reasons out of my control."

I will not have the opportunity to play vs. Oregon today for reasons out of my control. Frustrated I can’t help the team but they will still be great regardless! #GoBruins

— 🦋 (@DoriansTweets) November 21, 2020

Thompson-Robinson has been the Bruins' starting quarterback since last season, and he also split reps with Wilton Speight during his freshman campaign in 2018.

Feldman noted UCLA is "expected" to be without roughly 10 players against the Ducks because of contact tracing.

Per Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times, UCLA announced three positive COVID-19 tests among athletic support staff and two positive tests in the athletic department, "one of which was verified as a false positive and another awaiting confirmation PCR testing."

Jon Wilner of the Bay Area News Group reported Friday that the Bruins received clearance to travel to Eugene for this game.

Thompson-Robinson, a junior, has started both of UCLA's games this season. Head coach Chip Kelly will likely turn to redshirt freshman Chase Griffin as his starting quarterback against the Ducks.

Eight UCLA Bruins football players reportedly tested positive for COVID-19.  

Eric Sondheimer of the Los Angeles Times reported L.A. County Health Director Barbara Ferrer revealed as much Wednesday.

This comes with uncertainty looming about whether there will be a 2020 college football season at all. Ryan Kartje of the Los Angeles Times noted the NCAA Board of Governors ruled that the NCAA's three divisions must decide whether to hold fall championships by Aug. 21.

Division II and Division III each announced Wednesday they would not hold fall championships as originally scheduled.

As for UCLA's conference, the Pac-12, a number of players threatened to sit out the season in a #WeAreUnited group unless demands were met, such as addressing racism within college sports and society, establishing clear COVID-19 safety measures and allowing for the ability to make money through name, image and likeness rights.

The athletes listed their demands on the Players' Tribune.

What's more, the Pac-12 announced it will play a conference-only football schedule in 2020, meaning marquee nonconference games such as Ohio State against Oregon and Michigan against Washington were scratched. Each team will play 10 games, and the season's start date was pushed back to Sept. 26.

UCLA is scheduled to start with a rivalry showdown against USC.

About one year after being arrested and charged with three felonies, including attempted murder, former UCLA running back Craig Lee agreed to a plea bargain that will allow him to avoid any more jail time, according to TMZ Sports.

The initial altercation took place in 2016 when Lee and two other men attempted to rob a marijuana dispensary in California. According to court documents, one person in the group shot an employee before fleeing the scene, per TMZ.

A key witness reportedly said Lee's role "was to grab drugs and money and run."

He was arrested in July 2019 and charged with attempted murder, attempted robbery and accessory, coming with a $1 million bond.

Prosecutors have since agreed to drop the first two charges, with Lee pleading guilty to accessory. TMZ noted: "We're told Lee was sentenced to 80 days in jail ... but was given credit for time served and won't have to spend another day behind bars."

He also still has 36 months of probation.

Lee is perhaps best known as a top football recruit for UCLA, considered a 4-star prospect out of Redlands, California. He was part of the 2013 class for the Bruins that ranked No. 7 in the nation, per 247Sports.

Though he spent three years with the program, he never played a game and was dismissed in 2015 because of academic issues.

Under Armour has reportedly informed UCLA that it is trying to terminate its $280 million apparel deal with the school.

According to Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times, UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero addressed the situation in an email to his constituents, writing: "We are exploring all of our options to resist Under Armour's actions."

Statement from #UCLA on ⁦@UnderArmour⁩ agreement. pic.twitter.com/iQGWjzuW4k

— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) June 27, 2020

UCLA and Under Armour agreed to a 15-year, $280 million deal in 2017, which was the largest shoe and apparel financial package in college sports. At the time, UCLA received a $15 million signing bonus as well.

Under Armour's attempt to back out of the deal isn't the first time it has retreated in recent years. The company agreed to a deal with Major League Baseball in 2016 that would have seen it become the supplier of on-field jerseys beginning in 2020.

The deal fell apart, however, and Nike swooped in to become MLB's jersey supplier instead.

Under Armour was once the toast of the sports apparel industry, but it has fallen off in recent years. In February, Under Armour reported worse-than-expected numbers for the fourth quarter of 2019, which caused stock to drop considerably.

If the Under Armour deal does go by the wayside, it will be a major blow to a UCLA athletic department that is struggling financially as well.

In January, Jon Wilner of the Mercury News reported that UCLA athletics had an $18.9 million deficit in the 2019 fiscal year and required a bailout.

UCLA has long been considered an elite college athletics program, but that hasn't been the case during the Under Armour deal thus far.

The Bruins football team has suffered through four losing seasons in a row, including two under current head coach Chip Kelly. UCLA went just 4-8 last season and hasn't won double-digit games since 2014.

The men's basketball team, which has won an NCAA record 11 national titles, has not won a national championship since 1995. The team lost in the First Four of the NCAA tournament in 2018 and failed to qualify for the tourney in 2019 with a 17-16 record.

With Under Armour struggling financially and UCLA failing to deliver quality results, the $280 million deal has seemingly become expendable for the apparel company.

Following a document signed by 30 football players at UCLA demanding a third-party health official oversee all team activities to ensure COVID-19 precautions and testing are being adequately handled by the school, the university said it has met the requests of its athletes.

J. Brady McCollough of the Los Angeles Times reports the players sent the document to administrators Thursday evening in which they argued the program has "perpetually failed us" and "neglected and mismanaged injury cases."

On Friday, after the existence of the letter became public, Yahoo Sports' Pete Thamel reported the program held a team meeting to address the situation.

Source: UCLA team meeting today included apologies from multiple players, as they didn’t realize the letter would go public. Players expressed that they should have gone directly to Chip Kelly with any concerns. 1/3

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) June 19, 2020

UCLA AD Martin Jarmond made clear to the players on the call that no one would lose their scholarship if they didn’t return. He stressed return to campus and training is completely voluntary. 3/3

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) June 19, 2020

The letter, obtained by the Times, was reported to specifically call out a lack of trust between head coach Chip Kelly and his players. Bruins quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson is among those who signed their name to the demands, but he denied a lack of confidence in Kelly in several tweets on Friday. 

Would also like to state that Coach Kelly agrees with ALL of the demands on this letter and is working to get them in place. As the player whose face is on the cover of the article, I apologize to coach as I was unaware the letter would be given to the media for them to mislead.

— 🦋 (@DoriansTweets) June 19, 2020

Portions of the document read: 

"These demands reflect our call for an environment in which we do not feel pressured to return to competition, and if we choose not to return, that our decision will be respected. If our demands are not met, we will refrain from booster events, recruiting events and all football-related promotional activities. 

"The decision to return to training amidst a global pandemic has put us, the student-athletes, on the frontlines of a battle that we as a nation have not yet been able to win. We feel that as some of the first members of the community to attempt a return to normalcy, we must have assurances that allow us to make informed decisions and be protected regardless of our decision...

"Time and time again, we see individuals within [UCLA] Athletic programs who ought to defend and protect us leave us in the dark to fend for ourselves. Starting with neglected and mismanaged injury cases, to a now mismanaged COVID-19 pandemic, our voices have been continuously muffled, and we will no longer stand for such blatant injustices."

The document did not provide specific examples but called out the culture of the athletic department overall. 

SOURCES: #UCLA AD Martin Jarmond and head coach Chip Kelly are expected to meet with the Bruins at 3 PM today to address the players' concerns directly and talk through those.

— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) June 19, 2020

In addition to third-party health officials, players called for anonymous whistleblower protections and the ability to decide whether or not to return to campus without fear of retaliation. 

UCLA senior associate athletic director for internal operations Matt Elliott told McCullough that UCLA had not guaranteed athletes' scholarships would be "protected" should they chose not to return to playing because of the virus. Scholarships are currently covered until October 1. 

New athletic director Martin Jarmond made clear at Friday's team meeting that no one would lose their scholarship for choosing to sit out due to the virus.

The school also says it has created an online portal that allows athletes to anonymously report the program officials to school faculty. 

In drafting the document, the players followed the lead of football players at the University of Texas who sent a list of demands to the school administration tied to social justice and racism on campus. The UT letter similarly said that players would not host recruits or interact with donors unless their demands were met. 

One UCLA player told McCullough: 

"We put our lives at risk every single time we put on that helmet. Now, with this, what people don't understand is, they say there's a .1% chance of somebody dying, but last time I checked, that .1% has to be somebody. We're going to come to a point where a college player will literally have to die from COVID-19 for someone to understand what's going on. I hope it doesn't have to reach that point."

UCLA voluntary workouts are slated to begin Monday, with players continuing to return back to campus over the weekend. 

UCLA head coach Chip Kelly has expressed concern about the mental and emotional well-being of his players during the coronavirus pandemic. 

Speaking to The Athletic's Bruce Feldman in an interview published Friday, Kelly explained why the mental health of his players is his biggest worry:

"We're all aware of what's going on in the world. We see what's been going on in Italy and now what's going on in New York City, but until someone directly in your family gets it, it seems far away. My biggest concern is for their mental health. Before if a player was dealing with the loss of a family member or someone was really sick, it was gonna be let's go see him, or come over to the office. When kids aren't on campus anymore, now it's gonna be done remotely. With us being away, we're anxious. The numbers will tell you that someone is gonna be dealing with it, and it's gonna be sooner rather than later."

Kelly cited the story of 25-year-old former All-American lacrosse player Jack Allard, who had no underlying health issues, being placed into a medically induced coma after a lab test with his positive coronavirus test was lost and caused a delay in his treatment. 

"That's the stuff that keeps you up at night," Kelly told Feldman. "I lost my dad three years ago, and I still think about that every day. And he was in [his] 80s. You're never prepared for any of it."

Feldman noted UCLA is in the process of setting up accommodations to bring back possibly "a dozen or two dozen" football players to campus and provide them grab-and-go meals. 

On March 10, UCLA was among many colleges in the state of California to cancel in-person classes to guard against the spread of the coronavirus. 

 

UCLA grabbed plenty of headlines when it hired Chip Kelly in November 2017, but the Pac-12 program has steadily slipped from the national radar and become a college football afterthought.

What's happening in Westwood these days?

Despite the initial excitement surrounding Kelly's hire, the situation hasn't improved a whole lot.

Although UCLA notched a three-game winning streak in 2019, the campaign went as expected—which is to say, badly. In front of a Rose Bowl-low 43,848 fans per home game, the team mustered a 4-8 record after a 3-9 year in Kelly's first season.

The Bruins showed glimmers of progress, pulling off a wild 67-63 victory over then-No. 19 Washington State and toppling then-No. 24 Arizona State. It's fair to note Washington State slid to 6-7, removing some of the shine from that upset.

However, Kelly's team lost to Oklahoma and Utah by a combined score of 97-17, offering a clear reminder of the gap between the Bruins and top-tier schools. Throw in a 52-35 loss to a disheveled USC program, and UCLA managed only the smallest level of respectability with a 4-5 record in Pac-12 play. The Bruins haven't finished with a winning record since 2015.

The numbers tell an uglier story yet.

On defense, UCLA ranked 123rd out of 130 Football Bowl Subdivision teams with 6.7 yards allowed per play. The unit surrendered 34.8 points per game while ranking 105th on third down and 104th in red-zone touchdown rate. Opposing quarterbacks threw 32 touchdowns and only five interceptions.

UCLA's defense finished the season ranked No. 112 out of 130 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in total defense (456.3 yards allowed per game), No. 115 in scoring defense (34.8 points per game) and No. 129 in passing yards allowed (310.8 per game, a school record).

— Ben Bolch (@latbbolch) December 1, 2019

UCLA will never be a contender in Kelly's tenure if the defense continues to play as poorly as it has under coordinator Jerry Azzinaro. While not a stunning revelation, it's no less correct.

Note: Azzinaro's contract expires in February, per Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times. He may or may not return in 2020.

New assistant Brian Norwood—who has eight years of experience as a coordinator and 20-plus as an assistant—is the latest hope for improvement, but the Bruins are digging themselves out of a monumentally deep hole.

Judging the offense's performance is slightly less straightforward. The scoring attack improved noticeably for a brief stretch but remains inefficient.

The Bruins topped six-plus yards per snap only twice in 2019. For reference, 54 FBS offenses averaged at least that much for the entire season.

Kelly cannot return to the "Blur" attack of his Oregon days, partly because substitution rules have since reduced the uptempo advantage. More than anything, the game has evolved in eight years; what he ran at Oregon has become common.

The bigger problem is Kelly doesn't have the personnel to best execute his offense, a unit that is nowhere close to great but is reasonably promising. Still, that's a reflection on his roster handling.

Since he arrived, more than 75 players have left the team—which has produced an unhealthy reliance on young players. Plus, 13 players have entered the transfer portal this offseason, including would-be starting wide receiver Theo Howard and two-year starting offensive lineman Christaphany Murray.

Murray's departure is a crushing hit to a position that simply can't absorb it.

UCLA ranked 119th in tackles for loss and 120th in sacks allowed per game last season. That's bad enough. Yet the staff has consistently whiffed on top recruiting targets, failing to both add usable talent and stockpile depth on the offensive line in front of quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson.

The Bruins are whiffing on marquee players left, right, up and down.

During the 2019 cycle, Kelly and Co. landed only one of the 47 in-state prospects with a 4- or 5-star billing (Sean Rhyan). In 2020, the Bruins signed zero of 30 such recruits.

Of #UCLA's 19 current commitments/signees, 10 are from out of state, and 6 of those are from out of the region. Whatever you think of the quality of player they've gotten, that's not the ideal formula for recruiting in one of the best states for talent in the country.

— David Woods (@daviddavidwoods) December 18, 2019

Over the two classes combined, they've added just three 4-star talents. It's true that star prospects guarantee nothing; no program has won a national title because of ratings. But no champion has hoisted the trophy without elite recruiting, either.

This is an alarming trend heading into Kelly's third year.

Whether he overestimated the UCLA brand, his appeal as a former NFL coach and once-successful college boss or a combination of both, Kelly's recruiting approach isn't working.

That, or he's the smartest guy in the room and has identified an unforgettable mix of underrated players outside talent-rich California. While we cannot rule that out, it's an enormous long shot.

Though the Bruins have a top-30 haul in 2020, the dearth of high-end talent is on the verge of becoming a panic-inducing reality. UCLA has zero 2021 commits. Reigning Pac-12 champion Oregon already has five 4-stars, including four California kids.

Recruiting rankings will change throughout the year, and UCLA will add commitments in the offseason. But for Kelly's short-term success and the program's future, the Bruins can ill afford another subpar year on the trail.

Two losing seasons, never-ending roster turnover and poor recruiting are morphing 2020 into a make-or-break season for Kelly.

           

Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.

UCLA head football coach Chip Kelly is reportedly not looking to leave the school on the heels of his second consecutive losing season with the Bruins.

According to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic, any talk of Kelly leaving UCLA is "erroneous."

Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network speculated this week that the two sides could part ways and noted that he heard earlier this year at the NFL Scouting Combine that Kelly wanted out of his contract in order to return to the NFL.

The Bruins are set to play the California Golden Bears in a rivalry game Saturday night, but since UCLA is just 4-7, it is already guaranteed a losing season.

In Kelly's first year at the helm last season, UCLA went 3-9. The Bruins are set to miss out on a bowl for the second consecutive season, marking the first time that has happened since 1989 and 1990 under Terry Donahue.

Expectations were huge for Kelly when he arrived at UCLA because of the success he enjoyed as head coach of the Pac-12 rival Oregon Ducks. In four seasons at Oregon, Kelly went 43-7 and won to Pac-12 titles. He also took the Ducks to one National Championship Game.

After leaving Oregon, Kelly went 26-21 in three seasons as the Philadelphia Eagles' head coach, including one playoff berth. He also coached the San Francisco 49ers in 2016, but he lasted just one season after a disappointing 2-14 record.

Kelly has long been known as an offensive genius thanks to the fast-paced, exciting offenses he coached at Oregon, but that has not translated to UCLA. Last season, the Bruins ranked 98th in the nation in scoring, and so far this season they are 77th.

Despite how poorly UCLA has played the past two seasons, there is some reason for optimism. Sophomore quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson has shown flashes of brilliance in passing for 2,423 yards, 20 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Also, UCLA ranked 19th in recruiting in 2018, per 247Sports, which suggests the team's talent could start to manifest itself next season and beyond.

Former UCLA running back Craig Lee was reportedly arrested in Los Angeles and charged with both attempted murder and attempted robbery.

According to TMZ Sports on Tuesday, court documents show that Lee and at least two other men were arrested in connection with events at Kings Palace Marijuana Dispensary in Jurupa Valley, California, on June 30, 2016.

One of the men allegedly shot an employee before leaving the store when a security guard returned fire in what prosecutors have called a "robbery gone wrong."

Lee's family released a statement on the matter, saying, "Anyone that knows Craig should know pulling a gun on someone with intentions to murder them is not in his character."

A GoFundMe page was also set up by Lee's family on his behalf in an effort to get him legal representation. Green Bay Packers defensive lineman and Lee's former UCLA teammate Kenny Clark is among those who have donated thus far.

Lee is a Redlands, California, native who was ranked as a 4-star prospect by 247Sports when he committed to UCLA in 2013.

While big things were expected out of Lee on the field, he never played a down at UCLA because of academic issues, which eventually led to his dismissal in 2015.

Lee is being held on $1 million bond and is set to be arraigned Thursday.