UCLA Football Spring Game 2017: 5 things to watch for

3. Will the secondary continue to be a strength in 2017?

An absolute strength for the UCLA Bruins last season, the secondary will have a ton of new faces in 2017, which is a scary thought. The lone veteran coming back is Jaleel Wadood, who has started three seasons at safety for the Bruins. Secondary coach Demetrice Martin has his work cut out for him, but at least he has some young, talented defensive backs to work with.

One of the biggest losses on the roster heading into this season is cornerback Fabian Moreau, who was as good a shutdown corner as there was in the Pac-12 last season. Darnay Holmes will come into the season with the opportunity to slide into that spot in the Bruins defensive backfield, where he will likely be joined by Nathan Meadors on the other side. Junior cornerback John Johnson is also going to get reps, making this one of the more interesting competitions at camp this year.

As stated earlier, the Pac-12 is going to be a pass-happy conference, and being able to shut down the opposition’s passing attack is going to be as crucial as it has ever been. Martin will have this team ready to go, and Holmes is as good as people say he is, it will definitely lessen the loss of Moreau. There are going to be growing pains, but the Spring Showcase should give every defensive back a chance to make a good impression on Saturday inside Drake Stadium.