UCLA Football Top 30 Players: No. 22

Earlier in the list, we looked at one of the running backs, Anthony Woods. Woods started his career at Idaho and was very productive with over 2,000 yards rushing and 19 rushing touchdowns. However, after transferring to Utah, he suffered a season-ending injury and had a decent bounce-back season with the Bruins, recording 294 yards and 0 touchdowns.

Now, the latest player on the list is another running back, Jaivian Thomas, who also had a decent year with the Bruins. Now with Bob Chesney as the head coach, he will have a coach who will play through the running game, and he could have a career season.

Thomas Out of High School

Just like Woods, Thomas was also a three-star running back coming out of high school. Thomas would play his four years of high school at McClymonds High School in Oakland, California.

Thomas would have a successful career during his high school years. His senior year was a year for the history books with 2,528 yards rushing, averaging 14.5 yards per carry, and 30 touchdowns. Looking at both his junior and senior years of high school, he totaled 4,028 rushing yards, including 1,500 yards and 20 touchdowns in his junior season.

Oct 28, 2023; Berkeley, California, USA; California Golden Bears running back Jaivian Thomas (25) celebrates with offensive lineman Barrett Miller (right) after scoring a touchdown against the USC Trojans during the fourth quarter at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

He would be named Oakland Athletic League MVP and Cal-Hi Sports North Coast Section Player of the Year after his senior season in 2022. Thomas would help McClymonds to a state title in 2021 and the Warriors to a championship, as they finished runner-up in 2019 and 2022.

Even with those accolades and rushing numbers, he would not be highly scouted coming from the 2023 high school class. Thomas would have offers from mid-major programs, including San Jose State, Sacramento State, Rice, Idaho, and UC Irvine. It wasn't until November 1st that he received an offer from a power four school in Cal, and he committed to the Golden Bears a month later.

Thomas at Cal

Thomas would spend two seasons with the Golden Bears and had a decent two years, as they made it to a bowl game in both years. In his freshman season, he would show signs of being a good running back in the future.

Thomas would finish the year with 18 rushes for 110 yards and one touchdown, with three catches for 24 yards and a touchdown. However, his freshman season would hit a scare when he was carted off the field in a blowout loss to Oregon and would miss the final three games of the season.

Heading into his sophomore year, many would expect rust and injury concerns. Luckily, that scary injury would not impact his level of play. In his sophomore season, he would take a big step forward as a player.

Thomas would be the Golden Bears' starting running back in 2024 and excel. Thomas would lead the team with 626 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, with 100 carries and an average of 6.3 yards per carry. Thomas would also have a career high of 91 receiving yards and 11 receptions.

He would show how good a running back he was during his sophomore season with a 17-carry, 169-yard game against San Diego State. Thomas would also reel off a career-long 75-yard run against Syracuse, and have a multi-touchdown game against N.C. State with nine rushes, 78 yards, and two touchdowns.

Thomas at UCLA

Coming off a great season with the Golden Bears, Thomas would decide to enter the transfer portal,stay on the West Coast, and play for UCLA. UCLA was in desperate need of a starting running back after its previous starter entered the transfer portal.

For Thomas, it would be a great opportunity to build off his great sophomore season and establish himself as one of the better backs in the conference. Sadly, that would not come to fruition.

Thomas would finish the year tied for second on the team with 81 carries, tied for third on the team in rushing yards with 294, and with only one touchdown. Thomas would have had a much better time being effective in the passing game, as he only had 10 receptions for 64 yards.

To be fair to him, UCLA was going through a major shake-up with head coach Deshaun Foster being fired after just three games into his second season. Most of the running game was ineffective, as the Bruins' leading rusher was quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who carried 112 times for 505 yards and four touchdowns. The leading running back on the squad was sixth-year senior Jalen Berger with 81 carries for 364 yards and two touchdowns.

UCLA’s Running Game Next Season

This offseason, Bob Chesney was hired as the Bruins' new head coach and was tasked with rebuilding the roster. Whether it was on the offensive side or the defensive side, the Bruins were in major need of a shakeup on the roster.

Chesney went deep in the transfer portal, bringing in a total of 45 players. He was able to bring in one of the top players in the transfer portal in running back Wayne Knight. Even with Knight coming to UCLA, Thomas can still be a reliable back for the Bruins next year.

Both Thomas and Woods will form a good duo in the backfield, creating a one-two punch. Knight will be the lead back, as he is a do-everything back who can be a threat on the ground and in the passing game.

Thomas is more of a pure running back who can do damage through the tackles and especially in the red zone. While Woods started his career as a pure running back, he has developed into more of a threat through the passing game. Last year, Woods had a career high 211 receiving yards on 21 receptions, and led the Bruins last season with 541 all-purpose yards.

Chesney’s offense is more of a run-oriented offense, and with three good running backs on the roster, he will have so many plays to draw up with a two-back set, or potentially a three-back set. With Bob Chesney and his staff coming over from James Madison, they should be a great voice for Thomas to have a bounce-back season with the Bruins in his senior season.

Add us as a preferred source on Google